Descartes Demon by Ross Hightower and Deb Heim follows the story of Nik and Alix. Nik has created an advanced deepfake of Alix and named it Nicola. It all started as a private technical challenge, but it turned out to be hell for everyone. Deeply disturbed, Alix convinces Nik to shut down the project, but not before outside forces intervene with the intention of taking full control of Nicola’s powers. As things escalate, one of Nik’s contractors is murdered, Nik’s intern Kate disappears, and a ruthless enforcer known as the Technician and ominous Russian operatives all want Nicola. Nik and Alix must race against time to find Kate and stop Nicola from falling into the wrong hands. Can they do it before it is too late?

Authors Ross Hightower and Deb Heim are masters of writing thrillers that have you hooked until the end. I loved Nik's brilliance and the realistic approach taken by Alix. They are the perfect couple and complement each other really well. Nik feels guilty about what he has created, and Alix is the moral compass that leads him to the right decision. The pace is fast, and the character development is fantastic. I loved the worldbuilding and how it reflected the world we are heading toward. With deepfakes already destroying the lives and reputations of people around the world, I can easily imagine how technology like Nicola can bring some frightening changes to our world. I truly hope the authors have more to share about Nik and Alix because I loved them to bits. I cannot recommend Descartes Demon highly enough!

Descartes Demon by Ross Hightower and Deb Heim is a high-tech, cybercrime thriller with a touch of the supernatural. Nik Atherton is considered by many in the IT world as an absolute genius, and the highly successful cybersecurity firm Cerebus, which he founded, is at the cutting edge of security and network advancement. Nik’s latest project is the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bot called Nicola, who just happens to be the spitting image of his beautiful wife, Alix. Alix tells Nik that deepfake technology is dangerous and he needs to shut it down. But there are nefarious forces at work in the dark web and hacking world who are determined to get their hands on Nik’s code. When a sub-contract computer technician is murdered, and one of Nik’s summer interns goes missing, Nik, Alix, and a team of unlikely characters band together to solve a mystery. Fortunately, Nik has a secret weapon, a supernatural phenomenon which Nik has always termed as “figments” that have appeared to him since he was a boy.

Descartes Demon offers much more than just your run-of-the-mill thriller. Ross Hightower and Deb Heim ask some probing questions about AI, where it is heading, and what a technological future could hold for humanity. The characters’ discussion on the nature of reality was fascinating, and it resonated deeply with me. I particularly enjoyed Nik, who, although exceptionally wealthy and successful, truly was a computer nerd at heart and much more at home with screens filled with lines of code than in rooms filled with champagne and people. Although there is a deep philosophical undertone, this doesn’t detract from the excitement and action of a good old-fashioned murder mystery and amateur detective narrative. I loved the settings in that they decried the current political and corporate turmoil, corruption, and social unrest, and the inclusion of LGBTQ characters just reinforced this focus. This is a truly excellent crime novel, but it also gives readers much to ponder on, and for me, that is the true success of this novel. I highly recommend this read.