Kathleen Nance, Jigsaw

Kathleen Nance, Jigsaw - NSA Agent Daniel Chaplain completes a case only to see the name Isabella Q appear on a sex chat line that is on the open web page of a computer of the enemy along with an electronic message from Lokus, Cyber Soldier, the premier hacker in the world. He wonders if this could be his Bella who he betrayed four years ago when he proved her father falsified scientific data. He heads to the Northern Peninsular of Michigan, but wonders if it is to see Bella, see her safe, or confront her if she is Lokus.

Bella is driving home on terribly icy conditions when she is run off the road. Daniel arrives to rescue her from hypothermia, but she hides Fran, an artificial intelligence computer that she created using her defrocked father's design. She plans to unveil Fran at the Turing Competition in three weeks. However, Lokus knows Bella has a major find and plans to take it from her at any cost, including murder; only Daniel can keep the two females safe, but Bella does not trust him, although Fran seems to have faith in their man.

JIGSAW is a tense, science-fiction, romantic, suspense thriller that never slows down from the moment Bella is run off the road until the final confrontation with Lokus. The storyline is action-packed, but the relationships between Daniel and Bella, and Bella and Fran (think of Johnny Five is alive) make the tale spin as she needs him to survive, but distrusts him with her beloved Fran, a daughter to Bella. Fans will appreciate this fine tale that puts plenty of heart into the middle of a strong artificial intelligence story.

Harriet Klausner