Undernet: 1

A unique blend of consciousness theory, satire and contemporary science fiction, The Undernet is a fast-paced thriller set in the cultural wasteland of modern Los Angeles.Decadent Uncle Ray dies of an apparent heart attack, just minutes before Arthur French walks in the door from Tucson, Arizona to start his new career as an artist. This sets into motion a series of unfortunate interactions with the men and women of Ray’s life —Sharon his unstable girlfriend, Marc, his steroidally-enhanced lawyer, and the mysterious Detective Turing, a voice on the phone which Arthur soon discovers is in fact a computer program that Ray built to influence the Federal Reserve’s prime lending rate. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Turing insists it’s not self-conscious, just highly suspicious about the death of its creator.Teaming up with the manic (if oddly self-effacing) computer program, Arthur investigates the circumstances behind Ray’s death, uncovering a plan, and an entity, of mindbending comic proportions.

The author lives in Los Angeles and does a lot of walking.