Shelli: Murdermind: Shelli: Synthetic Crimes, Book 2

by Doug Brode, Kelli Tager (Narrator)

Shelli has a pulse, a heartbeat, and emotions—but she’s not human.

Once a government hunter of rogue synthetics, she now hides in plain sight, helping the very machines she used to pursue. However, when a building’s security system is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of people, Shelli is forced back into service.

Reunited with Special Agent Jake August, they follow a bloody trail across the country, uncovering a conspiracy with global consequences. As the attacks escalate, Shelli and Jake find themselves caught in the crosshairs of the Department of Defense and a deadly adversary unlike any they’ve faced before.

Lines are drawn. Sides are chosen. War is coming—unless Shelli can stop it.

In this science fiction crime thriller, rising panic over artificial intelligence has pushed humanity to the edge. Across a nation ruled by fear and misinformation, the second book in the Synthetic Crimes series follows the only android who appears human as she navigates a world where the balance between man and machine is collapsing.

Merging the investigation of a traditional crime procedural with the urgency of a sci-fi mystery, MurderMind explores how far governments will go to maintain control—and what happens when their creations refuse to obey.

Audible Audio

Published March 24, 2026

About the author

Doug Brode is the author of six novels, including the SHELLI: Synthetic Crimes series and the Ship Saga. He was the creator of Cinemax’s sexy sci-fi series Forbidden Science, as well as a storyboard/concept artist on such popular films as Star Trek, Iron Man, Thor, Looper, Van Helsing, Planet of the Apes, MIB: International, among many others. He lives in California with his wife, Pamela, and their two children, Hayden and Leia.