A Voice in the Mind

After technology robbed Randy Hutton of his livelihood, will it also claim his mind?

Isabella Hutton was the up-and-coming star at Breakthrough Systems, leading a project that would help artificially intelligent computer systems work with their human counterparts. All the smart machines needed, she reasoned, was a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of their human coworkers. And so, she loaded her software with the accumulated knowledge of the human mind.

Her husband, Randy, however, had fallen on hard times. He had lost his management job in customer service, “a victim of technology” as his manager had put it when he let him go. Randy, however, described it as being ousted by little more than a glorified answering machine.

After a time, a growing evil in Randy’s head, a disembodied voice, made it clear that he need look no further for his revenge than his wife. Soon, violence erupted all around Isabella.

Nicole Veles, Isabella’s new friend, began to suspect that Randy was behind these tragedies, but would it make any difference? Because by the time Nicole came to this belief, husband and wife were deep in the Colorado wilderness, and Randy had murder on his mind.

Pre-Order from these Retailers for Delivery on April 29, 2025.
Click Here.

Editorial Reviews

... a supercharged story of discovery and psychological tension.

Isabella Perez-Hutton is involved in developing software that will help users integrate more smoothly with AI technology. Her role as an intermediary between computer and human is in direct opposition to her husband Randy’s experience of losing his job to high-tech, his management position dissolved by automation.

Isabella isn’t just involved in high tech, however. Suicide and murder enter the workplace to challenge her with tragedy as her husband, Randy, struggles with voices in his head that mandate revenge and torment his waking hours with nightmares.

Isabella’s new friend, Nicole Vele, suspects something is going on between Randy and the advanced tech Isabella works with. As she gets to know Isabella, Nicole finds herself in an increasingly dangerous position as her investigations and insights lead to terrible conclusions.

Bruce M. Perrin crafts a thriller that is psychologically astute and filled with depth. Its characters represent logical and sometimes unexpected connections not only between disparate personalities, but shifting reactions to the presence of AI in daily lives. Its intrigue uses these changing relationships to drive a thought-provoking series of events whose outcomes are anything but predictable.

Packed with action, a “string of unfortunate occurrences,” and an evolving plot that poses death as a solution to problems, the contrast between Nicole’s pragmatic investigative psyche and Isabella’s preoccupation with career that puts both women’s lives in jeopardy makes for a supercharged story of discovery and psychological tension. A Voice in the Mind represents not just another solid ‘Mind Sleuth’ foray into murder, but a delicate dance between intention, perception, and illusion. - D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

A complex techno-thriller which will keep you guessing till the end.

I enjoy a good techno-thriller. And that’s what you get with this smartly plotted novel from the pen of Bruce M. Perrin. It’s the story of Isabella Hutton who works with AI and, also, her husband, Randy. She’s the highflyer; he’s not doing so good, having lost his job to ‘technology’.

In terms of plot, it’s very good. In fact, the premise is rather clever. The author also knows his stuff in terms of AI systems, computers, chatbots, etc. etc. This is important in a techno-thriller, the fans of them well-known for knocking any book that’s not 100% technically correct. I also liked the protagonist ... She’s smart, very determined, but with a softer side to her; as a result, she’s rather likeable.

Overall, I’m happy to recommend this novel to techno-thriller fans. I suspect they’ll enjoy getting lost in a world of AI ... - A Wishing Shelf Review