Simple Machines

by Andrew Mackay

The perfect partner doesn’t exist. Create one. Successful inventor Xander Manning has spent years of his life building a companion that will cater to your every desire. It’s just a shame he hasn’t acknowledged the emotional toll it’s taken on his wife. She's going to leave him just as his career is about to explode. As if by fate, single mother Chloe Armstrong enters Xander’s life and turns his world upside down. Half his age, the beautiful and confident Chloe possesses an uncanny ability to melt his heart. Their inevitable affair could spell the end of Xander’s outlook on love—possibly for the better. But Chloe’s real motives become the stuff of shocking rumors among Xander’s friends and colleagues. Something isn’t quite right about her, not that he can see it. He knows love is blind, and that humans – us simple machines – need only love to survive. Now, Xander is about to gamble his entire life on Chloe... and if doesn't pay off, his company and those closest to him will be destroyed forever… Fans of Lee Child, Gayle Curtis, Jess Lourey, Dean Koontz, and Gregg Olsen will never forget Simple Machines—a modern-day suspense thriller from best-selling author Andrew Mackay. Get your copy now.

Genres: Dark

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2017

About the author

A novelist, screenwriter and former teacher, Andrew Mackay is the creator of groundbreaking sci-fi series STAR CAT.

His influences include John Cleese, Tom Sharpe, Kurt Vonnegut, James Patterson, Hunter S Thompson, Douglas Adams, Imogen Edwards-Jones, Michael Frayn, Chris Morris, Christopher Hitchins, Bill Maher, George Carlin, and Larry Cohen.

Get in touch! Andrew@chromevalleybooks.com

Reviews

[Lisa Eiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Like many of the other books I've read by this author, the subject matter was quite disturbing. When a man devotes his life to manufacturing an ideal companion android, it is pointed out that we are all just simple machines.

[Dsjm Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Demetrius Svette

*This book was provided for an honest review

Are you ready to bring things to the next level? If so, then look no further because if you continue on, you will miss one of the best reads that you will come across- and the mad world of Chrome Junction. Chrome Junction is a fictitious world created by Andrew Mackay where his stories take place in; a place that cranks the clockwork of his imagination while bringing in small nudges to his other books and characters. The more you read Mackay’s work, the more you will see his world fold together in each books’ pages and it makes him stand out from the rest. If you like grotesque extreme horror, comedies, love stories or a great thriller, then the works that come from Mackay’s mind is what you are looking for- he has a little bit of everything for whatever mood you might be in for. If you read Simple Machines- which let’s face it, you probably will- then you should read Mackay’s other book, Versus- it’s a necessity to read after Simple Machines. Why am I such a fan? If you have read Andrew’s work, then you will understand why I call Mackay a “God of character development” because he owns the world of Chrome Junction and punches you in the gut with the madness and excitement that he brings to his readers. I assure you that if you have never read anything by Mackay before, you will bow down to his feet screaming ‘we’re not worthy’-as if you were Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World- after you read Simple Machines.

In this book-, no let me correct myself on that- this glorious masterpiece that shines in gold, lies an alternate world within a world where we continue to see the master work in the form of the most realistic characters. So realistic, in fact, that they could be your neighbors. Our male lead- Xander Manning- is working on the biggest breakthrough of his life by working on his artificial intelligence, Mavis. On one of the most important days of his life, he is challenged when his wife Charlotte breaks the dire news that she wants a divorce. Xander is stronger than most male characters as he strives to continue onwards while his distractions get the best of him. Chloe Armstrong, the ultimate female character of all, is Xander’s biggest distraction after he meets her at a party for the reveal of Mavis. The adventure of a lifetime is presented to Xander, which will make him choose life or choose to fold. Will Xander bring himself to the brink of madness with his world in a complete whirlwind? Mackay keeps you guessing until the answers are finally revealed. Many lives cross through the pages of Simple Machines that you will beg for more in this epic thriller/ love story. We are all simple machines… or do we complicate our lives to hide that we are simple when you strip everything away? Find out for yourself in this groundbreaking masterpiece.

We continue to be readers in Mackay’s world of fiction in one of his best works yet. We have followed him through comedy, horror and even the grotesque and extreme as Andrew guides us in a world of his own making- just as James Cameron did with Avatar. This world is very different though as it is a highly realistic world- drawing inspiration from the daily activity around us- and uses the best character developments with clashes of twists, thrills and the most epic ending that Mackay purposely guts you with. I think of Mackay as sitting on a throne as he molds the characters in his stories, watching and waiting to see the reaction from society as he preys upon your fears, tears and desires. I will say this with 100% honesty, Simple Machines is the best work of fiction that I have read all year. Andrew Mackay ends 2017 with a big bang with this one and deserves a huge round of applause for this masterpiece that outshines all others.

[Madam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonight, Manning, Inc. will introduce an artificial intelligence, MAVIS, that surpasses all others by leaps and bounds: The Girlfriend Experience. This morning, Charlotte Manning, Alexander’s wife of eight years, told him she wants a divorce.

So Xander, as he’s known, is feeling a bit unmoored that evening when he meets Chloe Armstrong at the post-reveal reception. He’s immediately poleaxed by her combination of sensuality and naïveté, which is when he jumps on the train to his doom.

Beginning on the chauffeured ride home, Chloe assaults Xander with her raw sexuality, intoxicating him to the point of obsession. Having been fixated on MAVIS for years and intent on a deal with wealthy investor Stockard Mazlow, Xander suddenly loses interest to the point that his primary shareholder, Scott, as well as his best friend, Ben, who works for the company, attempt to shake some sense into him, to no avail. No matter how many times they point out Chloe’s youth and how she’s distracting the company president from the launch of a billion-dollar game changer, Xander ignores them, because Chloe has become his entire world.

Meanwhile, as she negotiates a rocky family life and studies she hates, Chloe clings to the man she sees as her way out of the shadow of the Freeway Five in East Chrome Valley. She uses all her abilities to pull Xander into her web, while Manning, Inc. is testing a product so incendiary that, when she witnesses a crucial investor test, tells Xander, “You’ve killed us all.”

As all hell breaks loose and Xander dives deeper into delusion, Chrome Valley is also breaking apart, reeling from a school shooting and suicide bombing coinciding with an important event at Manning, Inc. Death is in the air — blood, bodies, and madness —common in Chrome Valley, paths which Mackay has taken readers down before, but never have those byways been so disturbing. The all-consuming passion of Xander, the calculated cruelty of Chloe, the hypersexual madness MAVIS induces, are utterly unsettling.

Andrew Mackay has never shied away from illuminating the darkest corners of humanity, and he relentlessly shines that klieg light in the shocking work that is Simple Machines.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for a voluntary honest review. Although the author claimed the ARC had been proofread, it still needs a fair bit of editing. Maybe the errors have been attended to prior to release.

I must admit that I have had my ups-and-downs with this author's method/s of displaying the many aspects of human and social characteristics and their faults. Some books I have enjoyed, some others I have found to be too gross - although his gross books continue to receive high ratings. Obviously, whether you like this author is dependant on which genre you enjoy.

So, I started this book with some trepidation. This book doesn't take long to envelope you into the story. It is an excellent description of the faults of the human character that are so prominient in much of todays society - deceit, greed, lust, ambition by ANY means, and so much more. There is an appropriate amount of sex and violence, but it fits in and is necessary for the storyline. There is no grossness.

(The book also involves mention of many characters, events and places that have appeared in previous books - In Their Shoes series and Convenience come to mind.)

When reading this book, one thing that kept coming to mind was the famous quote by Sir Walter Scott in 1808 “Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”

This book is classified as a romantic thriller by the author, and the first adventure into this category by the author. It no doubt fits into this category, but it is many things more.

I don't often - rarely actually - give 5-stars to books, but this book deserves it. An excellent read. I'm not going to give you any hints/spoilers re the story. Buy this one, you won't be disappointed.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

kindle unlimited {will be} got arc, rating it based on liked the writing and not necessarily the subject matter, though he's had 'grosser' it's more in the realm of chick lit to me but still....I've read everything else he has out, so....

No ordinary love story. We crave love, compassion, warmth... Chloe Armstrong is one. She has what any young woman needed. Youth and beauty. A bright future. Now, she has a man to protect and nurture her... ... and a strategy. Xander Manning is one, too. A successful middle-aged man. He has respect from his colleagues. Now, he has a girl to soothe the pain of his impending divorce... A twist of fate brought them together. A middle-aged man and a girl half his age. Passion and lust binds them. Their family, friends and colleagues will see everything. The chemistry. The danger. The potential future... ... but will say nothing. The relationship is doomed to tragedy. A twist in the tale that will leave both parties devastated. Nothing will prevent it. Xander and Chloe are human beings. Blindly in love in the face of tragedy. They were simple machines, after all. Just like you.

Other titles available by the author: Pure Dark Vol 1 Pure Dark Vol 2 Pure Dark Vol 3 Pure Dark Vol 1 - 3: The Ultimate Horror Endurance Trilogy Convenience Versus In Their Shoes: The First Trilogy In Their Shoes: The Second Trilogy In Their Shoes - The Teacher (Book I) In Their Shoes - The Actor (Book II) In Their Shoes - The Model (Book III) In Their Shoes - The Artist (Book IV) In Their Shoes - The Nurse (Book V) In Their Shoes - The Dealer (Book VI)

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Successful inventor Xander Manning has spent years of his life building a companion that will cater to your every desire. It’s just a shame he hasn’t acknowledged the emotional toll it’s taken on his wife.
She's going to leave him just as his career is about to explode.
As if by fate, single mother Chloe Armstrong enters Xander’s life and turns his world upside down. Half his age, the beautiful and confident Chloe possesses an uncanny ability to melt his heart. Their inevitable affair could spell the end of Xander’s outlook on love—possibly for the better.
But Chloe’s real motives become the stuff of shocking rumors among Xander’s friends and colleagues. Something isn’t quite right about her, not that he can see it. He knows love is blind, and that humans – us simple machines – need only love to survive. Now, Xander is about to gamble his entire life on Chloe... and if doesn't pay off, his company and those closest to him will be destroyed forever...

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Can't wait to read more of this authors work.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Shivani McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew MacKay's world's can just hit you in the gut sometimes. My first impression of Xander Manning is what a misogynistic, self absorbed, fool, which MacKay had him play to the hilt !! Sometimes I liked Manning and though he might get his act together. Charlotte, his wife, seemed to be the best thing about him. And along comes Chloie, wow I've seen her type all over magazines, t.v. and maybe even in your own high school or college. I really had a love hate relation with Chloie she is smart, stunning and so immature at the same time. The rest of the characters do their role oh so well and then there is MAVIS. Manning's artificial intelligence creation, she has so much potential and so much good could be done by her but the A.I. is only as good as her developer and lets face it Manning is one f**k up dude. At times the book verged on porn but again this is from Manning's perspective. No one is an innocent in this story and the twisted plot just dropped my jaw.
I could not put this one down. With all the intensity of a runaway freight train it explodes on impact and what is left is a stunned crowd.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really startled by Simple Machines by Andrew Mackay. I was getting a little bored by the recurring explicit sex, but kept reading as the plot was built around the development of an AI, MAVIS, "the perfect companion". About 2/3 of the way through the book, things turn vastly different, dark, shocking and violent. Well worth reading to the end, however.

The overlying premise is that we are all Simple Machines and our lives are a result of forces we encounter rather than the choices we think we make independently. MAVIS's "life" is determined by how she is programmed and reprogramed at the whim of others. The obvious parallel is with the plight of Xander Manning, developer of MAVIS. He is said to have devoted himself to learning all
about how people act and think, and yet when Chloe comes along another Simple Machine, he is oblivious and is manipulated and led around like a bull with a ring in his nose.

I was given an Advance Reader Copy by the author and am voluntarily posting an honest review.

[Valerie Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! True to life, yet the imagination shines through.
A young lady full of lies, deceit, cunning, beautiful, abused, older then her age at times, betrail and blackmail.
A wealthy business man, handsome, worked hard to rise, wife, bad news on a special day, blackmailed, dangerous, invented the women of the future, puppy love, crazy, desperate, death.
How did these two get mixed up together?
It’s common now a days for couples to have many years between them. Girls look older then they are, men still can’t tell the difference. But when a 40 year old gets lust struck, diverse and killing spree all in one with a 16 year old that claims to be 21 and lying, deceiving , and way to good at sex see each other, there is bound to be a load of problems. The best part is that you don’t see the ending coming at all and it’s nothing you’d expect. This was romance, mystery, suspense, thriller, murder, science fiction and fantasy all rolled in one, Awesome!

[Marbea Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this is definitely not your ordinary or even out of the ordinary love story. I can't even call it love more like simple lust. Omg the storyline was so evolutionary, yet so historical and satirical at most. I don't understand the ending, but the meat and potatoes of the story has everything a great suspense thriller with romantic and futuristic undertones. Xander, Chloe, Charlotte, Scott, Ben, Dean, Nicci, Ryan, even Mesi made the story pop and come to life. There was so many webs being weaved from science porn, domestic terrorism, murder and so much more! I was enthralled and didn't expect any of these characters or the story to come to a head the way it did. All I can say is "What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul? " Such a damned immaculate pity!

[Bethany Cousins · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started as an intensely explicit read, soon turned into an absolutely brilliant story. Rich and good looking, Xander Manning has the world at his feet. His life is turned upside down within a day, and the reader is treated to a very raw and dark look into the mind of a man losing control. A deep sense of dread sets in as you realize exactly what Xander has gotten himself into, with the antagonist and protagonist character trait lines blurring with every few page turns. Once the initial eroticism had played itself out, I found the underlying storyline enthralling, and struggled to put the book down. For someone who is usually able to see the end coming right from the becoming, I was pleasantly surprised by the most unexpected and perfect ending.

[Shelby W · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the heck did I just listen to? (FYI: This is fabulous story that can be listened to at work or in the car). Maybe I should have read the blurb, but actually glad I didn't.

My one word to describe my feelings after listening to the end: Shocked. Shocked to the core.

This is the first book I have read/listened to by Author Mackay and I am tickled pink about it!

There (one negative) were a couple of repetitive words I didn't like that were used throughout that caused me to frown and I felt the story could have been as good or even better without them, but regardless this is still a 5+ star work of fiction.

[Brienne Tarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stick with this book. At the start, I thought maybe the author had been less than his usual, stellar self. It happens to the best.
The protagonist is...well, if you're like me, you'll be cringing multiple times. Why couldn't the story be centered around one of the better side characters?
But I trusted the author, so I laughed away the cringe and stuck with it. When a sniper misses, what does it mean? That it's a warning shot. When the protagonist is, well, not the best person in the room...There's a reason, again. And after reading the whole book, you'll be in awe. (And possibly want a therapy session to deal with it.)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange winding path that at first makes one angry at the main Character. However as one reads through you begin to get to know him. There are parts that makes you see similar actions happening today but his resolution to the problem is one we can not do. At times I wanted to put the book down, but then again I wanted to see the ending. I won't spoil it for you as you draw your conclusion to a movie from the 80's along the same vein.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action packed story that I couldn't put down, about artificial intelligence and how humans are all really simple machines. This book tells the story of what happens to people who think they are above reproach. It is so easy to fool them. I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Angel Ballard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some subjects I just can't stomach
This book focuses on pedophilia in such a way that it physically sickened me. In a time when this entire world seems to have lost itself to every filthy deed and habit, this book fits right into that horrifying agenda. The graphic descriptions of scenes and the feel of perverse pleasure disguised as ignorance has completely put me off this author.

[Angie Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Andrew's books! Buy Simple Machines now, you will not be sorry!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that drags you in and I could not put down the book! We all do the same things over and over daily.

[Michael Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t see that coming!

Well written and so many twist and turns-a bit erotic but nonetheless a great read. A must read for anyone.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a story! I was totally engrossed in this book, the story started simply with a man inventing a robot that could be every man’s perfect girl friend, she was so realistic that from a distance you couldn’t tell that she was a machine and he was about to make a fortune, then his whole world falls apart. Mackay writes so well that you can imagine everything that happens and you become part of the story either as a spectator or a character, l couldn’t even guess what was going to happen and was totally shocked with the ending. I volunteered to write this review and I recommend this book for adults only as there is swearing, sex and violence.