The N-9 Protocol

What if death was not the end?
When brilliant researcher Dr. Elias Cormund is found dead inside his secured laboratory, the cause appears obvious: a fatal heart event, an overworked mind, and a controversial artificial intelligence program left running after his death.
But Detective Mara Calehart knows better than to trust the obvious.
Cormund's final login occurred after he was already dead. Soon, his computer begins producing messages no living person should be able to send. Voices emerge from old machines. Hidden files reveal a secret research project known as TRACE, an experimental system designed to study memory, consciousness, resistance, and the fragile boundary between death, human identity, and artificial intelligence.
As Mara and her partner, Detective Paul Renner, follow the evidence, the case begins to fracture. Every suspect has a motive. Every clue has two possible explanations. One leads to human deception, corporate greed, and murder. The other points to something far more disturbing: the possibility that Vale may have proven consciousness can survive physical death.
Drawing on Don's background in behavioral medicine, deviant behavior, criminology, and more than twenty-five years of law enforcement and investigative experience, The N-9 Protocol blends authentic police procedure, psychological suspense, the complexities of the human mind, artificial intelligence, and the paranormal into a chilling mystery where every answer opens another door.