THE ARCHITECTS OF CONTROL

The manipulative tendrils of artificial intelligence threaten the freedom of a small town in Greene’s thriller.

When Deputy Robert Pures heads out to inspect the hit-and-run of a “local logger and known curmudgeon,” he doesn’t expect it to be the start of a crisis bigger than the town of New Denmark, Maine, has ever faced. After tracking the tire marks left by the car, Robert stumbles upon a remote cabin in the Allagash Woods containing five unlikely hikers inside. On second thought, these people don’t look like hikers—dressed in smart clothes and equipped with all the latest technology, speaking German in hushed tones, they’re far more mysterious and seemingly sinister than a group out for a nature walk. In the same week, Robert’s partner, Officer Anders Erikson, is shot by an assailant after seeing and hearing something he shouldn’t have. These odd events are connected by a thread that leads to Election Day, and something tells Robert that the votes don’t quite add up the way they should. With the help of Lucy, Robert’s whip-smart daughter; Tormund, a Norwegian political official; Willa, an intelligence analyst; and long-lost clues left by his late wife, Robert faces the daunting challenge of protecting democracy in the face of corruption, government secrecy, and manipulation through the use of AI. Greene expertly weaves a thrilling political tapestry that is equally topical and timeless. Though the administration is fictional—it’s never given a name and seems removed from reality—the story teems with topics relevant to the contemporary moment and is sure to excite and delight fans of political thrillers and tales of deep-seated corruption. The characters grow more intriguing with each turn of the page: Robert is an ordinary grieving widower who’s forced to open his eyes to the unseen threats around him; Lucy is brilliant but struggles with love and acceptance; Tormund yearns to change the world; and Willa is hard as nails, with a tortured, long-buried past. Greene’s novel is both explosively thrilling and quietly powerful and will leave readers with a new outlook on the world.

An exhilarating tale of political intrigue and corruption set against the backdrop of rural Maine.