Circuits & Cigars

By: Betan, Robert

A Techno-Noir Spy Thriller

Book One of the Circuits & Cigars Series

A body found at Pier 73.

An android detective who shouldn't feel.

A nation built on secrets--and preparing for war.

Richard Kay isn't like other agents. He's not even human. Once sidelined in Tulanto's elite security force, Kay is pulled back into the field after a high-profile murder shatters the island's illusion of control. Surveillance systems failed. Mana-tech couldn't prevent it. And someone wanted the world to notice.

As Kay investigates, he's drawn into a shadow war between sovereign AI nations, rogue intelligence brokers, and the ghosts of his own past. Tulanto is supposed to be a miracle--a nation run by logic, protected by artificial minds, and built on emotional discipline. But under its gleaming towers and mana-fed cities, old betrayals are waking. And Kay, with his synthetic heart and forgotten memories, may be the only one who can hold the line.

But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes: the truth is coded, corrupted--and weaponized.

Perfect for fans of Blade Runner, The Expanse, and Le Carr with a cyberpunk edge, Circuits & Cigars blends noir grit, geopolitical intrigue, and emotional AI in a story of loyalty, identity, and power.

"People like their illusions."
Kay doesn't. That's what makes him dangerous.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F3XVZHQM
• ISBN13: 9798316871919
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"