Marilyn's Mystery Reads

NORM LLC–what does that even mean?

Rebecca and Mark Higgins are feeling overwhelmed by life.  Mark has a demanding job, a boss he doesn’t respect, and work keeps piling on.  Rebecca is taking care of Maddy, their beloved daughter who is on the Autism Spectrum Disorder scale.  She’s a wonderful child, but her special needs and problems at school leave Rebecca exhausted at the end of each day.

When Rebecca and Mark finally manage to have a night out, Mark’s boss Derek and his wife are sitting at the next table.  They invite themselves to join Rebecca and Mark, start off by listing the impressive things in their lives (private boarding schools for their children, vintage Targa car, etc.), and then move onto their latest acquisition, their plus one as Derek puts it.  It sounds so wonderful, an AI companion to do whatever the owners wish. With a little prodding the Higginses purchase one.

They call their NORM LLC Mr. Man, an attempt to personalize the strange thing that was delivered to their home.  He will do the laundry, make breakfast, even drive to pick up groceries and do errands.  It sounds perfect, doesn’t it?  Except that even their most innocuous statements are picked up by Mr. Man, and then strange things start happening around them.  When Rebecca says that she’d like to sue Jackson, their annoying neighbor into the ground, and the next day he’s found beaten to a pulp in his home, Rebecca and Mark start to wonder what is going on.

The Delivery is a novella that gives readers a glimpse into what life would be like if all our wishes, said and unsaid, were answered.  That sounds like a dream, but it can easily turn into a nightmare, as the couple discover.

Gregg Hurwitz’s latest is a huge departure from his much-loved Orphan X series.  Here he presents the reader with an ordinary family, faced with ordinary problems, who think they have found the answer to their busy, over-scheduled lives.  But, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.  As someone who is already a bit nervous about all that AI can do, The Delivery strikes close to home.

You can read more about the author at this site.

Check out the complete Marilyn’s Mystery Reads at her website.  In addition to book review posts, there are sections featuring Golden Oldies, Past Masters and Mistresses, and an About Marilyn column that features her opinions about everything to do with mystery novels.