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The Great American #1
The Great American Deception
A damsel in distress. A dangerous dame. A metric-ton of coffee... Private Investigator Frank Harken’s worldwide fame has only made him more cynical. And living in a giant mall covering the entire USA only serves to drive him nuts on a daily basis. So when a femme fatale barges in asking Harken to track down her sister, he knows when he’s heard an offer too good to be true. Puzzled by the sudden arrival of Arjay, a sentient coffee-making robot he never ordered, Frank shrugs and rolls with the caffeinated punches. But as the intrepid duo dig deeper into the missing dame’s disappearance, they uncover a deadly plot that could take down the best part of a society gone bananas... Can the world-weary PI and his barista-bot foil the dastardly scheme to rob Americans of their entertainment? The Great American Deception is a sci-fi comedy satire. If you like quirky characters, cultural mashups, and original wordplay, then you’ll love Scott Stein’s futuristic send-up. Buy The Great American Deception to brew up a laugh-out-loud mystery today!
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2020
45 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Scott Stein
5 books14 followersScott Stein is the author of four novels: The Great American Betrayal, The Great American Deception, Mean Martin Manning, and Lost. His writing has appeared in The Oxford University Press Humor Reader, McSweeney’s, Points in Case, Philadelphia Inquirer, National Review, Reason, Art Times, Liberty, The G.W. Review, and New York magazine. He is a professor of English at Drexel University.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 5, 2020
I chose to read this book because of the scifi comedy aspect. It had me laughing out loud at Detective Harken’s sarcasm and Arjay’s literal sense.
Told by Arjay, “the latest advancement in coffee technology” (a walking/talking coffeemaker), the story is set in The Great American, a dystopian-like mall filled with food courts where one can have a meal and be the jury for whatever court case is in progress. Arjay is delivered to Detective Frank Harken the day he is asked to find a missing woman. Though Harken is not thrilled with the coffeemaker’s talking tangents and literal musings, the coffee is excellent and appears to have some other useful skills as well. The mystery takes Harken and Arjay through a wild and wacky investigation into the missing Winsome Smiles and meeting Tommy Ten-Toes and his rather large and sensitive enforcer, Iceberg.
Mr. Stein’s imagination is incredibly creative and he gives us excellent detail of the setting and well-developed colorful characters. Arjay is a delight and Harken is a cranky, smart-ass counterpart which gives the team a fun dynamic. If you enjoy science fiction satire, I recommend this hilarious and clever mystery.
Thank you to Mr. Stein for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Told by Arjay, “the latest advancement in coffee technology” (a walking/talking coffeemaker), the story is set in The Great American, a dystopian-like mall filled with food courts where one can have a meal and be the jury for whatever court case is in progress. Arjay is delivered to Detective Frank Harken the day he is asked to find a missing woman. Though Harken is not thrilled with the coffeemaker’s talking tangents and literal musings, the coffee is excellent and appears to have some other useful skills as well. The mystery takes Harken and Arjay through a wild and wacky investigation into the missing Winsome Smiles and meeting Tommy Ten-Toes and his rather large and sensitive enforcer, Iceberg.
Mr. Stein’s imagination is incredibly creative and he gives us excellent detail of the setting and well-developed colorful characters. Arjay is a delight and Harken is a cranky, smart-ass counterpart which gives the team a fun dynamic. If you enjoy science fiction satire, I recommend this hilarious and clever mystery.
Thank you to Mr. Stein for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
November 22, 2020
Well, that was odd. I was reading along, amused, when the pace of the book slowed, and I realized that I hadn't seen anything new in the last 60 pages. Iceberg is big and likes soda. Nutella can't be caught. Coffee, coffee, coffee. Stein kept hinting at what else Arjay can do, but I got tired of waiting.
It felt as if Stein had milked the idea for all it was worth and just didn't have anything more to finish up with. Maybe it should have been a novella.
It felt as if Stein had milked the idea for all it was worth and just didn't have anything more to finish up with. Maybe it should have been a novella.
January 17, 2023
2023 Grade C (maybe more)
This is a SciFi detective farce. Great America is not current USA. It is an enclave in the USA with hyper accentuated USA facets. And it is a beautiful setting for the author's farcical character development and world building. It is so strange that I almost gave up after chapter one. But I persisted and it got better as the author poked fun at many things with puns and hyperbole. But, I am not a fan of farce, and it often goes on too long including page length paragraphs. For me, it often became boring and repetitious. I ended up intentionally speed reading rather large areas. It might not be my thing, but if you like this kind of material, it is well done and I can recommend it.
This is a SciFi detective farce. Great America is not current USA. It is an enclave in the USA with hyper accentuated USA facets. And it is a beautiful setting for the author's farcical character development and world building. It is so strange that I almost gave up after chapter one. But I persisted and it got better as the author poked fun at many things with puns and hyperbole. But, I am not a fan of farce, and it often goes on too long including page length paragraphs. For me, it often became boring and repetitious. I ended up intentionally speed reading rather large areas. It might not be my thing, but if you like this kind of material, it is well done and I can recommend it.
May 21, 2020
I received a free copy of this audiobook from its narrator TJ Clark in exchange for an honest review. The Great American Deception is a delightfully caffeinated adventure sure to amuse fans of science fiction and private detective stories. The book is very silly and wonderfully entertaining while still managing to be suspenseful and exciting. The book takes place in the Great American- a strange and secure bastion from the dystopian outside world. Detective Frank Harken is hired to find the missing person Winsome Smiles with the help of his new coffee maker. Over the course of the book many quirky and funny characters are introduced as the remarkable world of the Great American reveals itself as the plot unfolds. My favorite character in the book was RJ- imagine an AI who is the complete opposite of Skippy in Craig Alanson’s Expeditionary Force series- who had so many funny lines throughout the book. I found Scott Stein’s writing to be reminiscent of authors such as John Scalzi, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), and Scott Meyer while still being unique. I found TJ Clark’s narration to be reminiscent of Wil Wheaton and Luke Daniels. I throughly enjoyed this book and hope to enjoy sequels in the future!
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March 14, 2020PW Starred: "Stein (Mean Martin Manning) delivers a madcap sci-fi take on the hard-boiled detective genre in this fun, near-future romp that’s chock-full of rapid-fire wit, tongue-in-cheek literary allusions, and playful futuristic absurdity. Arjay, a sentient, top-of-the-line coffee machine with an excess of pep, tags along on the cases of old-school PI Frank Harken within the luxurious but dystopian confines of the Great American—a giant, autonomous, U.S.-coast-spanning shopping mall. Though the grumpy gumshoe is not always thrilled by Arjay’s presence, he can’t deny that the bot makes a “damn fine” cup of coffee. When one of the Great American’s inhabitants, Pretty Lovely, hires Harken to find her sister, kidnapped heiress Winsome Smiles, Harken and Arjay are plunged into Great American’s underbelly, where they encounter genre staples including mobsters and incompetent cops. Stein keeps the stakes high and the laughs coming, juxtaposing the gritty mystery and dystopian setting with Arjay’s perky narration to excellent effect. Sure to appeal to fans of Douglas Adams, this zany, uproarious mystery is a constant delight. (May)"
January 20, 2023
4.5 🌟. No this was not serious, at all. But something about this book was just so cozy and funny. It's filled with tongue in cheek humor and puns. But most of all I loved the descriptions of the giant Mall and all the different stores/restaurants, especially the mini golf. The mystery was not that mysterious or even central to the book, in my opinion, it's all about the Mall and Cake Walk, Lettuce Snow, Food Court, Drink or Swim, and who could forget the natural disasters mini golf or the digestive system mini golf. A real departure from my typical read but so glad that I read this. I will be looking for the sequel.
May 23, 2020
Funny and original, Scott Stein has really outdone himself this time. In a future world where there’s a mall that stretches across the entire United States, and people live there because it’s safer than the alternative you wouldn’t think there would be so many laughs to be had. The narrator is an extremely clever coffee maker, and the plot keeps you wondering and anxious for what’s next. It’s a post apocalyptic good time. It was just what I needed in the middle of a stressful pandemic. And the bonus is that it’s an adult book but there’s nothing in it that I wouldn’t want my 13 year old to read, so it’s his turn next. I couldn’t recommend it more.
January 27, 2022
I would sum this book up as John Swartzwelder meets Douglas Adams. A detective noir and a sci-fi comedy with surprisingly dark underpinnings. Stein manages to balance of these perfectly. Your narrator is a sentient coffee robot and aspiring detective, and the world is an island oasis in a post-apocalyptic world known as The Great American, a place that encompasses everything rotten about capitalism in the form of a giant mega mall. I loved it, and I can't wait for the sequel.
December 30, 2021
Loved it. Brought back the memories and joy of reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
July 10, 2020
It's an okay detective story wrapped in a satire/send-up of modern consumer culture and social media. Heavily and deliberately loaded with lots of cliches. It was a quick listen, it never got so bad that I had to turn it off but it wasn't great either; I think it would have benefited from a bit less send up and more serious detective story.
September 17, 2021
Have you ever been reading Sherlock Holmes and thought, boy, I wish this took place inside a giant mall and Doctor Watson were a self-aware coffee machine? No, probably not, and that's why Scott Stein and the Great American series will be the next big thing in genre fiction.
Stein has created a truly scary post-apocalyptic (I assume - we hear how hard life is outside the mall but, as I also assume, we will have to wait for later volumes for details) world, especially for those of us who have spent too many hours in a mall unwillingly. Forget zombies, a mall that stretches from coast to coast is enough to give me nightmares. Luckily for Frank Harkin, the detective protagonist, he at least has his sentient coffeemaker to assist him, and, more importantly, to make him a perfect cup of coffee whenever he wants it. Because having a partner who can brew you a perfect cup and document your cases for posterity means never having to stand in line again.
Frank's case SEEMS like almost an afterthought, as much of the novel talks about the Great American, many of its, shall we say, unique retail offerings (including, most importantly, miniature golf), and the strange people and the new fads this future brings. But even though the stores and their descriptions are some of the best and most brilliant parts of the book, everything ties together. The narrative is a combination of the absurdity of Hitchhiker's Guide's situations and the silliness of Monty Python with a large dash of George Carlin wordplay. As our characters hop from one absurd set piece to another, somehow, the story stays on track, and that's a neat trick.
I very much enjoyed The Great American Deception and look forward to more and more of this universe. Hopefully this will be a long-running series.
Stein has created a truly scary post-apocalyptic (I assume - we hear how hard life is outside the mall but, as I also assume, we will have to wait for later volumes for details) world, especially for those of us who have spent too many hours in a mall unwillingly. Forget zombies, a mall that stretches from coast to coast is enough to give me nightmares. Luckily for Frank Harkin, the detective protagonist, he at least has his sentient coffeemaker to assist him, and, more importantly, to make him a perfect cup of coffee whenever he wants it. Because having a partner who can brew you a perfect cup and document your cases for posterity means never having to stand in line again.
Frank's case SEEMS like almost an afterthought, as much of the novel talks about the Great American, many of its, shall we say, unique retail offerings (including, most importantly, miniature golf), and the strange people and the new fads this future brings. But even though the stores and their descriptions are some of the best and most brilliant parts of the book, everything ties together. The narrative is a combination of the absurdity of Hitchhiker's Guide's situations and the silliness of Monty Python with a large dash of George Carlin wordplay. As our characters hop from one absurd set piece to another, somehow, the story stays on track, and that's a neat trick.
I very much enjoyed The Great American Deception and look forward to more and more of this universe. Hopefully this will be a long-running series.
December 1, 2020
Who says you can’t write a book from the point-of-view of a futuristic coffee machine? In this witty delightful crime noir, a coffee machine steals the show. Meet Arjay. Not only can he calibrate the most delicious brew you’ve ever consumed, but he’s the sidekick to crime solving private detective Frank Harken. When Frank is asked to find the whereabouts of missing woman Winsome Smiles, they team up on a grand adventure full of humor and suspense.
Similar to books by Douglas Adams, Stein combines lighthearted comedy with a fun escapade through a future reality. With an overall crime noir vibe, the story unravels a mystery to destroy society. Frank and Arjay serve as a whimsical Sherlock and Watson team, fighting bad guys and decoding clues. Arjay kindly provides footnotes to help our pesky human brains keep up with his vast intellect, and these hilarious interjections further develop an amusing escapism read.
The plot rolls quickly as the characters dive deeper into the case of the missing woman. Twists and turns are only a page away, keeping the tension high and the absurdity bountiful. The dialog adds to the silly nature of the characters, while giving Arjay an air of sophistication reserved solely for talking coffee machines. In the end, readers will laugh and long for their own Arjay companion to stand beside them through life’s great mysterious. This is an entertaining read with high stakes and fast paced action. Enjoy!
Similar to books by Douglas Adams, Stein combines lighthearted comedy with a fun escapade through a future reality. With an overall crime noir vibe, the story unravels a mystery to destroy society. Frank and Arjay serve as a whimsical Sherlock and Watson team, fighting bad guys and decoding clues. Arjay kindly provides footnotes to help our pesky human brains keep up with his vast intellect, and these hilarious interjections further develop an amusing escapism read.
The plot rolls quickly as the characters dive deeper into the case of the missing woman. Twists and turns are only a page away, keeping the tension high and the absurdity bountiful. The dialog adds to the silly nature of the characters, while giving Arjay an air of sophistication reserved solely for talking coffee machines. In the end, readers will laugh and long for their own Arjay companion to stand beside them through life’s great mysterious. This is an entertaining read with high stakes and fast paced action. Enjoy!
June 6, 2024
I really love the idea that someone out there is trying to write a book like this—the type of satirical romp we've not seen since Douglas Adams. Overall I do think it is a fun read, with enough of the mystery backdrop to keep interest. I enjoyed the noir feel of the detective juxtaposed with the innocent excitement of Arjay the coffeebot. I also enjoyed the funny descriptions of the weird world of life in a mall called the Great American.
What would've given this book a 4 or 5 star rating is more editing! While the humour is well written and the turns of phrases are enjoyable, I found myself skimming wide swathes of it to get back to the story. I understand this kind of writing - I've read everything Douglas Adams put out - but sometimes several paragraphs and even pages were devoted to a sidetrack (ex. why is the mobster called Tommy Ten-Toes? Explaining in detail all the different animals at the zoo.). These kind of diversions are very fun, and in keeping with the style, but I think if they were scaled back just slightly it would tighten the whole story and make the overall experience punchier, and actually even funnier. It's a delicate balance to strike, and perhaps why there are very few authors attempting to do what Douglas Adams did.
I'm still looking forward to more from this author, and with some tighter editing, think he could really deliver an unforgettably funny book.
What would've given this book a 4 or 5 star rating is more editing! While the humour is well written and the turns of phrases are enjoyable, I found myself skimming wide swathes of it to get back to the story. I understand this kind of writing - I've read everything Douglas Adams put out - but sometimes several paragraphs and even pages were devoted to a sidetrack (ex. why is the mobster called Tommy Ten-Toes? Explaining in detail all the different animals at the zoo.). These kind of diversions are very fun, and in keeping with the style, but I think if they were scaled back just slightly it would tighten the whole story and make the overall experience punchier, and actually even funnier. It's a delicate balance to strike, and perhaps why there are very few authors attempting to do what Douglas Adams did.
I'm still looking forward to more from this author, and with some tighter editing, think he could really deliver an unforgettably funny book.
July 5, 2020
I received this through Library Thing Early Reviewers and it is a treat!
Frank Harken is a hard-boiled gumshoe. His partner is a coffee machine equipped with artificial intelligence and comes in the form of a robot named Arjay. Think Holmes and Watson with a twist. The setting is the Great American — a coast-to-coast shopping mall, complete with full dining/entertainment venues/services of all sorts/residential accommodations. Anything and everything a consumer could imagine under one roof. The future has arrived!.
The story of their first case is told by Arjay. Harken has been hired by Pretty Lovely to find her sister, kidnapped heiress Winsome Smiles, who has become involved with shady characters. Arjay not only can make a “damn fine” cup of coffee anytime, anywhere, he is also equipped with a detailed knowledge of the structure, workings and other details of the Great American, literary references and some pretty handy tools!
This book combines sci-fi, madcap, hard boiled, witty dialog and a ton of footnotes (you can read or not) into a fun read. There is never a dull moment to be found in this humourous romp of a mystery!
Wonder if there will be other cases…
Frank Harken is a hard-boiled gumshoe. His partner is a coffee machine equipped with artificial intelligence and comes in the form of a robot named Arjay. Think Holmes and Watson with a twist. The setting is the Great American — a coast-to-coast shopping mall, complete with full dining/entertainment venues/services of all sorts/residential accommodations. Anything and everything a consumer could imagine under one roof. The future has arrived!.
The story of their first case is told by Arjay. Harken has been hired by Pretty Lovely to find her sister, kidnapped heiress Winsome Smiles, who has become involved with shady characters. Arjay not only can make a “damn fine” cup of coffee anytime, anywhere, he is also equipped with a detailed knowledge of the structure, workings and other details of the Great American, literary references and some pretty handy tools!
This book combines sci-fi, madcap, hard boiled, witty dialog and a ton of footnotes (you can read or not) into a fun read. There is never a dull moment to be found in this humourous romp of a mystery!
Wonder if there will be other cases…
March 3, 2022
Frank Harken is having a bad day. He’s a private investigator in The Great American, a state-like mall in which meople (mall people) perpetually shop, eat and live. Frank certainly didn’t order Arjay, a walking, always-talking coffee machine android who arrived this morning and wants to help solve cases despite Frank’s reluctance. This sci-fi mystery has the imagination and humour of the Hitchhiker’s Guide - there’s plenty of fresh, creative ideas plus sly digs at consumer culture, internet trends, and corporate dominance. Arjay is a fascinating 1st-person narrator, he’s highly resourceful yet logically limited by his programming, so his understanding of social interactions is amusingly hit and miss. The plot itself is fairly basic as we watch Frank and Arjay continually chase their tails; it’s more of a vehicle for all the fun banter and ideas, although the ending added some tantalising complexity. Audio narrator TJ Clark really channels Arjay’s unfailingly chirpy programming and Frank’s jaundiced, ex-cop grumpiness. I’ll definitely chase up The Great American Betrayal if it comes out on audio!
November 11, 2025
*4.5 stars*. What an incredibly funny & entertaining detective story set in a GIANT dystopian mall where a good portion of Americans live and participate in jury trials in the many, many wildly diverse food courts. Insane! You can’t help but love Detective Harken and his new A.I. coffeemaker Arjay. All of the characters were hilarious…..and as crazy (bizarro!) they all are…..they are somehow believable! I cannot begin to describe anything else about this book-you have to read it for yourself! I promise you will be entertained….and you will laugh. Definitely a top book and favorite of the year!!!!! Do yourself a favor and find a copy!
(From the book blurb): “Detective Frank Harken could really, really use a cup of coffee. Can you blame him? His new case features a missing woman, a flaky client, a cranky security officer, a mysterious assassin, an overbearing mob boss, an ice-cold enforcer, and the best mini-golf the world has ever seen. Did we mention the fate of millions is at stake?”
(From the book blurb): “Detective Frank Harken could really, really use a cup of coffee. Can you blame him? His new case features a missing woman, a flaky client, a cranky security officer, a mysterious assassin, an overbearing mob boss, an ice-cold enforcer, and the best mini-golf the world has ever seen. Did we mention the fate of millions is at stake?”
September 7, 2020
What a thoroughly enjoyable book. Extremely funny and compelling at the same time. Frank Harken and Arjay are a great team, and the rest of the characters fleshing out this world are well done and enjoyable. The story keeps you involved and the laughs never stop. I particularly enjoyed the footnotes, which were constantly amusing while never taking me out of the story.
I recommend this book highly, especially if you are enjoy cleve humor focused on language. As a Douglas Adams and George Carlin fan, this was right up my alley.
I recommend this book highly, especially if you are enjoy cleve humor focused on language. As a Douglas Adams and George Carlin fan, this was right up my alley.
December 19, 2021
Enjoyment Level: 5🌟
Writing Quality: 5🌟
Trying to explain the plot of this could probably take me all day, so instead I'll just share some of the key elements: Weird fiction, futuristic dystopia, definitely poking fun at American consumerism, beautiful use of language, thriller - but not a scary one, and a mystery inside a mystery, etc.
This book is Jasper Fforde style weird meets the Murderbot Diaries - if the Murderbot diaries was narrated by a robotic coffee maker who actually liked people (except for their stupidity) and who just so happens to posses the skills to take down just about anyone who gets in its way. I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! Laughed out loud a bunch of times. Like Jasper Fforde's novels, I learned new words while reading this one. And who doesn't love the idea of having a coffee maker who follows you around and is always ready to brew you the most perfect coffee creation you've ever had in your life - every single time. One of the most delightful reads I picked up in all of 2021.
Writing Quality: 5🌟
Trying to explain the plot of this could probably take me all day, so instead I'll just share some of the key elements: Weird fiction, futuristic dystopia, definitely poking fun at American consumerism, beautiful use of language, thriller - but not a scary one, and a mystery inside a mystery, etc.
This book is Jasper Fforde style weird meets the Murderbot Diaries - if the Murderbot diaries was narrated by a robotic coffee maker who actually liked people (except for their stupidity) and who just so happens to posses the skills to take down just about anyone who gets in its way. I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! Laughed out loud a bunch of times. Like Jasper Fforde's novels, I learned new words while reading this one. And who doesn't love the idea of having a coffee maker who follows you around and is always ready to brew you the most perfect coffee creation you've ever had in your life - every single time. One of the most delightful reads I picked up in all of 2021.
August 21, 2024
Frank Harken is a PI who lives in the Great American (a section of the America in the Great American mall which includes living units, shopping units, transport, restaurants, etc.) He's hired by a woman to find her missing sister. At the same time, he gets a new coffee machine called Arjay. As Harken investigates, he's pulled into some interesting and crazy situations. And is Arjay really just a coffee machine? What's really going on?
A fun look at a future that is in a giant mall! A nice mystery amid all the craziness of the this future with some laugh-out-loud funny parts.
A fun look at a future that is in a giant mall! A nice mystery amid all the craziness of the this future with some laugh-out-loud funny parts.
May 27, 2020
This was an interesting, albeit weird book. It was part dystopian sci-fi, part mystery and part stream of conscious lark. I found the latter part a bit tedious, after a while. The rest of it was amusing and imaginative. There is not a lot of world-building and I would imagine that you could read any book in this series and feel like you could jump right in. Wait...it IS a series, right?!? Hard to tell.
The ending was a slight let-down, given the long build-up to the climax. I will not give up any spoilers. If you like dystopian sci-fi, this will probably appeal to you, especially if you like stream of conscious writing.
The ending was a slight let-down, given the long build-up to the climax. I will not give up any spoilers. If you like dystopian sci-fi, this will probably appeal to you, especially if you like stream of conscious writing.
February 18, 2021
This book was such an absolute, unexpected riot! Outrageous, imaginative, and very, very funny. It reminded me a lot of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, which is one of my favorite books. We hear the story from the point of view of a coffemaking robot (the best kind of robot, amirite?) as he follows his human, a detective, on a mystery-solving adventure. A fast and fun read! Highly recommended.
September 6, 2022
The Great American Deception is a lot of fun. Imagine a hard-boiled detective noir being narrated by a sentient coffee machine that has more skills and abilities than R2D2. Mix in some Douglas Adams and a dash of Monty Python and that's what you have here. It's incredibly funny, especially the multitude of footnotes which are hilarious all by themselves. I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the sequel, The Great American Betrayal, which I'm reading next.
August 19, 2020
The footnotes are the tip-off. This is a sci-fi book -- with footnotes. It's very arch and full of puns and send-ups of the American mall culture, the detective novel, noir everything, and robots. If you like self-conscious humor, this will be a treat for you. If you're looking for something deeply felt, keep looking.
May 28, 2020
Fun read.
January 15, 2021
Wasted time!!!!
Humor??? Who said?? Certainly not the kind that most people would love. I can only guess it's big city humor.
Humor??? Who said?? Certainly not the kind that most people would love. I can only guess it's big city humor.
September 25, 2021
Very enjoyable, old school private eye story set in a futuristic world that surprised me twice at the end. I hope there is another story to continue the story!
December 16, 2021
Wonderful book - I had to laugh out loud several times.
July 14, 2020
This was such a fun read! It was the perfect combination of sarcastic writing and mystery that kept me reading till the end.
The book reminds me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and, slightly, Black Mirror. I couldn't out it down.
My only slight complaint was that of the footnotes were added to the very end of the book instead of the bottom of the page. Had they been added to the bottom if the page they were on, I think it would have flowed more.
The book reminds me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and, slightly, Black Mirror. I couldn't out it down.
My only slight complaint was that of the footnotes were added to the very end of the book instead of the bottom of the page. Had they been added to the bottom if the page they were on, I think it would have flowed more.
June 30, 2023
This book is fast, funny, and frenetic.
It has been a very long time since a book made me laugh out loud, and this one did it repeatedly. A sci-fi private eye and a sentient coffeemaker narrator are the main characters in a hilarious tale of intrigue and misdirection. If you like wordplay, creativity, and Easter eggs, you will enjoy this book.
It has been a very long time since a book made me laugh out loud, and this one did it repeatedly. A sci-fi private eye and a sentient coffeemaker narrator are the main characters in a hilarious tale of intrigue and misdirection. If you like wordplay, creativity, and Easter eggs, you will enjoy this book.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews