The Missing Variable

The Missing Variable is the first novel in The PREDICT Trilogy, a speculative thriller exploring a world where artificial intelligence is used to anticipate violent crime before it happens.

In this near-future society, the PREDICT system analyzes vast streams of behavioral data to determine who will commit murder before the act occurs. When the system identifies a future killer, intervention begins immediately. The process is presented as objective, data-driven, and nearly impossible to challenge.

But when the system issues a prediction that doesn’t make sense, the certainty behind predictive justice begins to unravel.

The Missing Variable introduces readers to the world of PREDICT and the people forced to confront the consequences of a system that claims it can know the future. As questions emerge about what the system sees—and what it might be missing—the story explores deeper issues about technology, accountability, and the limits of prediction.

This first installment in The PREDICT Trilogy sets the stage for a larger story about the relationship between artificial intelligence, justice, and human choice.