About the Author

Paul Petrucci is an information technologist by day and a writer by night. Like his protagonist in Prodigal Logic, he lives on a floating home in Seattle, a short kayak trip from the University of Washington campus.

The premise for a thinking computer evolved from his work with expert systems (a branch of artificial intelligence). The question "what would happen if a computer could solve a mystery" turned to "what would happen if it worked too well."

Many of the other themes of the novel arose directly from Paul's personal pursuits. He enjoys European history and architecture, and especially loves searching for "old stones" -- that is, cathedrals, forts and castles. His interest in philosophy and metaphysics brings perpetual delight to himself and perpetual frustration to his wife Astrid. And he has had an interest in Psychology since his undergraduate days as a Psyche major at the University of Maryland.

Prodigal Logic is Paul's first novel in the Ray Gabriel Floating Home series. His next one, with the working title of Pretzel Logic (with a nod to Steely Dan), will take place largely in Seattle's floating home community, with its ready-made eccentric characters and capacity for intrigue.