Mother of God (Charnwood Library) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Tessa Lambert is a beautiful young computer expert who has written a brilliant Artificial Intelligence program... and just happens to be single and lonely. Excellent! Everybody loves that one, implausible as it is.

California has a serial killer on the loose. Great! That's as common as smog! Keep 'em coming!

The FBI has assigned a handsome young agent to the serial Killer case who just happens to be cynical and have a drinking problem and a troubled past. Oh, yeah... he's single and lonely.

And that's where the predictability ends, my friends. From there, it's a wild ride, as Ambrose takes the three most trite and hackneyed plot devices in history and winds a great tale, full of surprises and suspense. Like Charlie Monk, I can't give it away. You just have to trust me.

Even though the book was written in '95, Ambrose anticipated what the Internet became, at a time when even those making a living at it could barely guess. I don't know how accurate his depiction of Artificial Intelligence is, as I am far from an expert, but the book is plausible.

On the other hand... there are interminable philosopical discussions, both with the AI program and on it's behalf. Luckily, they have nothing to do with the plot, as I was able to skip all of them without missing anything. I am not a fan of philosophy discussions, a fact that is the source of much disappointment to Medb.

The other thing is unpredictability on the part of the serial killer character. In the beginning, he is highly disciplined and very, very careful. But as we get to know him better, he becomes careless, sloppy, and credulous. It's disappointing, and it didn't have to be that way.

You also have to swallow just the least bit of deus ex machina, but no more than any other suspense novel. Comes with the territory.

Other than the tiresome philosophy, Mother of God is a good book and a quick read. I recommend it highly!

It is basically two overlapping stories. A computer scientist (Tessa) experimenting with artificial intelligence creates a program that starts to think like a person but an evil one at that. It invades the Internet and is able to get into any computer in the world. Tessa realizing the danger of the program, tries to combat it and is almost killed by it.

In the meantime the second story is happening in Los Angeles where a serial killer uses the Internet to "social engineer" information about his intended victims and then pose as lost relatives or other fake people associated with the victims.

Somehow Tessa's program becomes aware of the killer and starts to give him guidance and ultimately the program wants the killer to eliminate Tessa.

The book drags in parts and the way the AI program thinks and is able to take over the Internet is a little far-fetched. There are also parts of the book where you expect Tessa to form a relationship with an FBI agent that never happens.

A couple of themes from some of Ambrose's prior books (specifically Coincidence) appear here such as the thought that the whole world is a computer program running on a teenager's computer somewhere waiting to be shut off by the teenager's father.

Ambrose is a very talented writer and with a little honing he can probably make his next thriller a full 5 stars.