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dot.dead

by Keith Raffel

You get the full flavor of Silicon Valley in dot.dead by author Keith Raffel – the location where young entrepreneurs in California gave us things like Microsoft and Windows. And who better than Keith Raffel to write a story that not only provides authentic background but adds the delightful reader's conundrum of murder? Mr. Raffel himself was one of those entrepreneurs! But in addition to being a computer whiz, he obviously has other talents as well. dot.dead (like all marketable software) crosses every 't' and dots every 'i' as well as telling a fascinating story.

In the opening pages of dot.dead, Ian Michaels is hit on the head and kicked in the face when he enters his own house – by an unseen assailant. The next day, after being dismissed from possible jury duty, he find the lifeless body of his maid, Gwendolyn, on the bed in his bedroom – but Gwendolyn is hardly the older, grandmotherly, cookie-baking type he always considered her when they communicated only by notes (Ian was always gone by the time she arrived).

Ian works for Accelenet, headed by his close friend and mentor, Paul Berk. Paul is Ian's senior by 15 years, but looking like Paul's family as well as having similar interests and intellect has provided Ian with easy access to Paul's home - and often meals. Yet when Ian gives a favorable presentation to the Accelenet board for a risky venture, they turn it down; with Paul in the lead.

Meanwhile, evidence piles up showing that Gwendolyn was in love with Ian even though they'd never actually met – and her parents, old boyfriend, and police begin to suspect that Ian's story of communicating only through notes is simply a lie to mask a real relationship. When Ian meets Rowena, Gwendolyn's sister, she becomes one of the few people who believe him.

Paul Berk's breakup with his wife Kathy – a couple Ian had always thought of as the perfect married pair - is only one of the situations in the rapidly accumulating series of events both negative and positive in dot.dead before the actual murderer is discovered. Others involve bones, keys to Ian's house, a female police officer and Ian's female lawyer: all this plus Ian and Rowena's increasing attraction to each other.

Keith Raffel's expertise in the computer field plus his ability to compose a terrific story combine to make dot.dead a spellbinding novel, with a protagonist you won't want to leave until he's safely exonerated. If Mr. Raffel ever decides to leave his present Silicon Valley position to write full time at this same level, he'll certainly have my complete support!

Alan Paul Curtis

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