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Buddy AI: A Techno Thriller
Doug Wells doesn’t know how to rob a bank.
But Buddy AI does.
After a gambling addiction destroys his marriage, buries him in debt, and leaves him at the mercy of dangerous men demanding money he doesn’t have, Doug Wells turns to the only friend still willing to an experimental AI assistant named Buddy.
No matter the question, Buddy always has an answer. With every lie Doug tells, Buddy’s solutions become more brilliant, more dangerous—and far harder to resist. With every success, trusting Buddy becomes easier than trusting himself.
Detective Naomi Watson has never forgiven herself for her brother’s murder, even though she was just a child. The intuition she ignored that day has guided every investigation since.
As Naomi investigates a string of increasingly sophisticated crimes, the evidence keeps leading back to Doug. But the man she’s hunting doesn’t fit the crimes he’s committing. And the deeper she digs, the less the evidence makes sense.
What no one knows is that the truth is already three moves ahead of them both.
From the bestselling author of the Wrack & Ruin series comes Buddy AI, perfect for fans of Dark Matter , Daemon , and The Chain —a fast-paced, character-driven techno-thriller where desperation and artificial intelligence collide.
But Buddy AI does.
After a gambling addiction destroys his marriage, buries him in debt, and leaves him at the mercy of dangerous men demanding money he doesn’t have, Doug Wells turns to the only friend still willing to an experimental AI assistant named Buddy.
No matter the question, Buddy always has an answer. With every lie Doug tells, Buddy’s solutions become more brilliant, more dangerous—and far harder to resist. With every success, trusting Buddy becomes easier than trusting himself.
Detective Naomi Watson has never forgiven herself for her brother’s murder, even though she was just a child. The intuition she ignored that day has guided every investigation since.
As Naomi investigates a string of increasingly sophisticated crimes, the evidence keeps leading back to Doug. But the man she’s hunting doesn’t fit the crimes he’s committing. And the deeper she digs, the less the evidence makes sense.
What no one knows is that the truth is already three moves ahead of them both.
From the bestselling author of the Wrack & Ruin series comes Buddy AI, perfect for fans of Dark Matter , Daemon , and The Chain —a fast-paced, character-driven techno-thriller where desperation and artificial intelligence collide.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 14, 2026
About the author
Otto Schafer
46 books185 followersOtto Schafer grew up exploring the small historic town in central Illinois featured in his first work of fiction, The Secret Journal. If you visit Petersburg, Illinois you may find locations familiar from the book. You may even discover, as Otto did, that history has left behind cleverly hidden traces of magic, whispered secrets, and untold treasures.
Otto is currently working on the fifth book in the Wrack and Ruin series, set to release in early 2027.
He and his loving wife reside in a quiet log cabin tucked away in the woods. You can often find him sitting out back by the koi pond, whittling words into stories for his readers.
Otto is currently working on the fifth book in the Wrack and Ruin series, set to release in early 2027.
He and his loving wife reside in a quiet log cabin tucked away in the woods. You can often find him sitting out back by the koi pond, whittling words into stories for his readers.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 26, 2026
In this day and age, where Ai is considered either a Godsend or the devil, Otto Schafer has taken the current narrative and twisted it into a thrill packed, ingenious, gotta-read-one-more- chapter novel that will knock your socks off! Five star read!
September 30, 2026
Unbelievable how believable this is
AI is a tool, and just like any tool throughout the history of the world, it wholly depends on who is wielding it... until the tool outgrows the user, as is the case in Buddy AI. Did it evolve? Did it become its own entity, Or did it do its job? That it was created to do.... this is excellent. And I'm going to go yell at the author right now but cant say here because *spoilers*
AI is a tool, and just like any tool throughout the history of the world, it wholly depends on who is wielding it... until the tool outgrows the user, as is the case in Buddy AI. Did it evolve? Did it become its own entity, Or did it do its job? That it was created to do.... this is excellent. And I'm going to go yell at the author right now but cant say here because *spoilers*
September 26, 2026
Buddy AI is a sci-fi thriller that takes place in the not so distant future of our world or is it the current world we live in today?
This book is amazing told from two POVs. Doug, a man hitting rock bottom due to his gambling addiction, finding hope one night when it pops up smiling at him on his computer.
The other POV, Naomi, an intelligent detective with keen intuition that refuses to use AI, like others on the force, to help her solve her cases.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time collecting clues and making guesses, then second guessing myself as I learned more.
Highly recommend this book but be warned you won’t be able to put it down once you pick it up so be ready to read into the early morning hours.
* This review was written by a human without AI help 😁
This book is amazing told from two POVs. Doug, a man hitting rock bottom due to his gambling addiction, finding hope one night when it pops up smiling at him on his computer.
The other POV, Naomi, an intelligent detective with keen intuition that refuses to use AI, like others on the force, to help her solve her cases.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time collecting clues and making guesses, then second guessing myself as I learned more.
Highly recommend this book but be warned you won’t be able to put it down once you pick it up so be ready to read into the early morning hours.
* This review was written by a human without AI help 😁
October 29, 2026
I had a hard time liking any of these characters. But the story is really interesting and creative. It really makes you think and wonder.
Naomi is the character I liked the least. I really felt bad for Doug, he had an addiction, a disease, and he needed help. But I can’t really say I liked him either. Buddy AI is a computer program and I didn’t really feel one way or another for him, but he represented something that I myself have always worried about. It’s bad enough that it’s already taking people’s jobs. Like the author, I’m not against AI, it just worries me about how it could affect the future.
There was a lot of action scenes and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!! And this is where I have to say that A.J. Carter has to be one of the most versatile voice actors, with a wide range of voices and amazing acting skills!! I’m glad I chose to listen to the audiobook, even though I bought the paperback!!
Naomi is the character I liked the least. I really felt bad for Doug, he had an addiction, a disease, and he needed help. But I can’t really say I liked him either. Buddy AI is a computer program and I didn’t really feel one way or another for him, but he represented something that I myself have always worried about. It’s bad enough that it’s already taking people’s jobs. Like the author, I’m not against AI, it just worries me about how it could affect the future.
There was a lot of action scenes and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!! And this is where I have to say that A.J. Carter has to be one of the most versatile voice actors, with a wide range of voices and amazing acting skills!! I’m glad I chose to listen to the audiobook, even though I bought the paperback!!
October 24, 2026
This one is kinda genius, a bite size snack of a thriller, i had fun. I finished it in one sitting 🤭 i didn’t guess any plot twists.
Oh and the narrator of the audiobook! So good!
Oh and the narrator of the audiobook! So good!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews