Book series offer readers a unique opportunity to explore a writer’s vision over the course of two or thee volumes and sometimes more. The second book in The Machine Murders series is now available. The Machine Murders: Desert Balloons by CJ Abazis, translated into English by Kalliopy Paleos, follows Interpol data scientist Manos Manu as he arrives in the United Arab Emirates to solve a series of murders that have shaken the Middle East.

A Dubai balloon festival is attacked by the worst social engineering exploit the world has seen, a prime moment to be working for Interpol.

Interpol’s Singapore back office has proven world-class, with a machine learning team of the best engineers from around the globe – including Manos’ girlfriend Mei. Tested under pressure in the field, his custom system is nothing short of brilliant, but this time, his arch-nemesis is not simply a killer, not even a web of determined developers, scattered across the world. His enemy is his very own nature. For more information about the book and its author, visit www.themachinemurders.com.

The first book in the series, The Machine Murders: Island Buoys by Abazis, translated into English by Kalliopy Paleos, was published by software company Publisto Ltd. (Amazon/Audible 2021) in its first foray into the commercial thriller market. In the book, Manos Manu visits the Greek island of Mykonos to attend a friend’s wedding. During his stay, he witnesses the hunt for a serial killer who abducts and kills his victims, passes a chain through their bodies and drops them at sea as buoys with the word “free” written on them.

Clues are plentiful as the local police focus on boat rentals, hotel reservations, DNA samples, and last sightings of the victims, but the case continues to baffle them while it also garners attention on social media. Though technically on vacation, Manu, a data scientist who gave up a lucrative job in Silicon Valley because he “wanted to run multiple models on human actors,” now works for Interpol in Singapore, and decides to help the investigation. His problem? The machine learning system he has developed to track killers via their use of online media is untested, the datasets he needs are lacking, and suspicion follows him whatever he tries to do. His wealthy friends also view him with pity for joining law enforcement, the Greek police don’t understand a thing about his methods, and his bosses in Singapore think he spends too many resources and is placing the entire program under the unnecessary scrutiny of the global media.

As the victims multiply, the crisis deepens and the machine learning models of Manu’s system uncover correlations impossible to fathom. Although the events described in the book are fictional, similar machine learning technologies are now used by law enforcement agencies around the world tracking calls, clicks, online pauses, and suspect behaviors. It should be noted that CJ Abazis manages a software company in Athens, Greece. More information about the book is available online: https://themachinemurders.com.

The books mentioned above are available online.