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git commit murder #1
Git Commit Murder
If Agatha Christie ran Unix Conventions
The BSD North conference draws some of the smartest people in the world. These few days will validate Dale Whitehead's work-or expose him as a fraud.
When a tragic death devastates the conference, only Dale suspects murder.
Computer geeks care about code.
But do they care enough... to kill?
The BSD North conference draws some of the smartest people in the world. These few days will validate Dale Whitehead's work-or expose him as a fraud.
When a tragic death devastates the conference, only Dale suspects murder.
Computer geeks care about code.
But do they care enough... to kill?
262 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2017
28 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 1, 2017
This isn't a story for everyone, but if you are the right audience (and you know who you are), this book is an excellent combination of wit, storytelling, and mystery.
The main character is beautifully developed, the cast and locations fleshed out, and the pacing is great.
A new favorite mystery for me, and I just may have to get it in paperback too.
The main character is beautifully developed, the cast and locations fleshed out, and the pacing is great.
A new favorite mystery for me, and I just may have to get it in paperback too.
June 18, 2017
I considered attending BSDCan in Ottawa this year. Instead, I stayed home and read this murder mystery set at a fictional version of this conference.
It was very enjoyable, and very readable. I almost gave it 4 stars for how delightful the premise is. I honestly have no idea if it would be so enjoyable if you are not familiar with the tech industry.
There is an innocent quality to this book that I associate with people who enjoy British murder mysteries who decide to write a murder mystery. As is often the case with such books, the unmasking of the murderer left something to be desired.
It was very enjoyable, and very readable. I almost gave it 4 stars for how delightful the premise is. I honestly have no idea if it would be so enjoyable if you are not familiar with the tech industry.
There is an innocent quality to this book that I associate with people who enjoy British murder mysteries who decide to write a murder mystery. As is often the case with such books, the unmasking of the murderer left something to be desired.
July 3, 2019
As a computer geek, the book had me from the title. The reason I gave it four stars is because there are a number of times where I thought "okay, we get it" when the author mentioned the main character sweating through another shirt or being nervous with another human interaction. That said, the story moves quickly and kept me engaged. I enjoyed the story!
The printing could use some spelling corrections though. There are a number of typos in the beginning, they seem to go away near the middle, then near the end pick up again.
The printing could use some spelling corrections though. There are a number of typos in the beginning, they seem to go away near the middle, then near the end pick up again.
March 28, 2017
Good show, good sir.
Ok. I bought this book under false pretense.
shelf GIT technical book. What I actually got was so much better. A main character many of us techno geeks can partially identity with. SOs to many in the tech community. This is easily the cleanest fiction I've read by him. I was even a bit misty during the auction.
Ok. I bought this book under false pretense.
shelf GIT technical book. What I actually got was so much better. A main character many of us techno geeks can partially identity with. SOs to many in the tech community. This is easily the cleanest fiction I've read by him. I was even a bit misty during the auction.
January 21, 2024
A very geeky murder mystery that takes place at a developers' conference. If don't know what CVS, Subversion, and git are, then this isn't the book for you. But if you do, and if you've spent any time around programmers, sysadmins, or Unix nerds, you'll recognize a lot of the characters.
I thought the viewpoint character, laden with flaws from body issues to social anxiety to crippling ADD, rather endearing, even if he is a borderline caricature.
I've taken off one star because the resolution to the mystery was quite unsatisfying. So don't read it to find out whodunit and why. Read it for the characters, the surrounding atmosphere, and general geekery.
I thought the viewpoint character, laden with flaws from body issues to social anxiety to crippling ADD, rather endearing, even if he is a borderline caricature.
I've taken off one star because the resolution to the mystery was quite unsatisfying. So don't read it to find out whodunit and why. Read it for the characters, the surrounding atmosphere, and general geekery.
October 26, 2020
Quite entertaining, but not big lit by any means. It's a romping stomping story, with a believable and approachable main character.
That's all that's written and it doesn't pretend to be anything more. As such, I gave it a high mark just because I think it accomplished what it set out to do.
That's all that's written and it doesn't pretend to be anything more. As such, I gave it a high mark just because I think it accomplished what it set out to do.
April 24, 2022
I started this expecting a little corny mystery - a Murder mystery about git? Worth trying, maybe it'll be funny.
I actually really enjoyed it, no joking about it. Couldn't put it down for the last quarter or so.
I loved seeing events through Dale's eyes - most parts familiar, some an interesting glimpse of a very different experience than I've had. The setting and events were real to the point of making me swear Michael was describing cons I've been to, and the tech was detailed enough to feel real without being in the way.
I might be a little disappointed if Dale isn't in any other books by Lucas. I haven't looked yet, but that's about to be the next opened tab in my browser.
Edit, minutes later: there is a follow up with Dale, and just reading the synopsis, he obviously is going to Penguicon. I'm sold already.
I actually really enjoyed it, no joking about it. Couldn't put it down for the last quarter or so.
I loved seeing events through Dale's eyes - most parts familiar, some an interesting glimpse of a very different experience than I've had. The setting and events were real to the point of making me swear Michael was describing cons I've been to, and the tech was detailed enough to feel real without being in the way.
I might be a little disappointed if Dale isn't in any other books by Lucas. I haven't looked yet, but that's about to be the next opened tab in my browser.
Edit, minutes later: there is a follow up with Dale, and just reading the synopsis, he obviously is going to Penguicon. I'm sold already.
January 16, 2022
It's an OK mystery but the characters are all kinds of poorly written.
Edit: after a few months of reflecting I decided that I hate this book. Protagonist sucks, motive sucks, characters suck.
There are some redeeming qualities though.
One: the setting at a software conference was unique and the author successfully captures the weird cultural nuances that permeate software development - I just wish it was explored by a more competent story teller.
Two: the protagonist is from Michigan. It has very little actual impact on the story and in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter - I just think there needs to be more books where people are from Michigan.
Edit: after a few months of reflecting I decided that I hate this book. Protagonist sucks, motive sucks, characters suck.
There are some redeeming qualities though.
One: the setting at a software conference was unique and the author successfully captures the weird cultural nuances that permeate software development - I just wish it was explored by a more competent story teller.
Two: the protagonist is from Michigan. It has very little actual impact on the story and in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter - I just think there needs to be more books where people are from Michigan.
June 28, 2017
A well-crafted, classical whodunnit at a software developers conference. The premise is brilliant; the awkward main character suffers from social anxiety and attention deficit order and very well executed; the author knows his technology, so the technobabble is solid. Also, genuinely funny and surprisingly humane.
Strongly recommended to programmers; must-read for people who obsess over version control. For non-tech readers this remains a solid murder mystery with a welcome look into the head of somebody who isn’t neurotypical. The fourth star is for that.
Strongly recommended to programmers; must-read for people who obsess over version control. For non-tech readers this remains a solid murder mystery with a welcome look into the head of somebody who isn’t neurotypical. The fourth star is for that.
June 30, 2021
This is a book for a very specific audience, but for that audience it is pure gold.
July 3, 2019
To be perfectly honest, I was concerned when I was recommended this book to read. I am a Linux end user, and I'm familiar with BSD, and I even once was a BSD GUI-facing end user. I just don't have the depth of programming ability to get to a command line and start fixing things at terminal level without an inordinate amount of hand-holding.
So it started, for me, as an amusing 3 then 4 out of 5 that turned "unputdownable" about a quarter of the way in. M. W. Lucas beautifully portrayed the intense social anxiety of the main character, Dale Whitehead, on the ADD medication and then the mind-jarring experience being off the medication. The main character's journey through this novel was a beautifully intimate understanding of that inner world and the concerns of a sufferer just trying to get along in an overwhelming world.
The murder mystery was entertaining, the characters were wonderfully flawed, and the processes of investigation using the digital landscape were clear enough for me as a person who's always looked at that world from the outside in. For a person on the inside of the programming culture, I think it would be an entrancing murder mystery. While I did get tripped up by a few issues missed in the final proofreading pass, this story is an immersive read.
This is a Do Not Miss! read for classic murder mystery fans who love free and open-source systems, and a recommended read for everyone else. Also, I consider it has a good reread factor, so it's definitely a book to add to a personal library.
So it started, for me, as an amusing 3 then 4 out of 5 that turned "unputdownable" about a quarter of the way in. M. W. Lucas beautifully portrayed the intense social anxiety of the main character, Dale Whitehead, on the ADD medication and then the mind-jarring experience being off the medication. The main character's journey through this novel was a beautifully intimate understanding of that inner world and the concerns of a sufferer just trying to get along in an overwhelming world.
The murder mystery was entertaining, the characters were wonderfully flawed, and the processes of investigation using the digital landscape were clear enough for me as a person who's always looked at that world from the outside in. For a person on the inside of the programming culture, I think it would be an entrancing murder mystery. While I did get tripped up by a few issues missed in the final proofreading pass, this story is an immersive read.
This is a Do Not Miss! read for classic murder mystery fans who love free and open-source systems, and a recommended read for everyone else. Also, I consider it has a good reread factor, so it's definitely a book to add to a personal library.
April 19, 2019
I'll admit that I'm not one for reading murder mysteries. The last mysteries I've read had characters like Encyclopedia Brown or Jack McGurk as the protagonist. So I'm not qualified to tell if this is a by-the-numbers homage to Agatha Christie (who gets mentioned several times in this book, so I'm inclined to believe if it is it's intentional). What I did find was a murder mystery set in a place that I am intimately familiar: a computer conference. Michael's attention to detail of the conference and the overwhelming confusion possibilities there made me forget at times that this was a mystery. I could sympathize and identify with Dale's plight as he struggles with the barrage of friendly banter and the overall confusion that permeates a conference. It seems an unlikely place to stage a murder mystery but it works and works well.
Unfortunately like most murder mysteries talking about the plot is akin to giving away the secrets within, but suffice to say I found the whole book enjoyable. I could tell that I was enjoying it when I got sucked into the "one more chapter" vortex about 80% of the way through.
Unfortunately like most murder mysteries talking about the plot is akin to giving away the secrets within, but suffice to say I found the whole book enjoyable. I could tell that I was enjoying it when I got sucked into the "one more chapter" vortex about 80% of the way through.
July 15, 2024
Readers might well find themselves hooked by the first quarter mark of this book, as this reader was. Neurodivergent readers will also surely appreciate the intense and vivid portrayal of main character Dale Whitehead's social anxiety. And neurotypical readers might be better able to empathize with one such, especially one requiring ADD medication along with the jarring experience from being off it. An intimate understanding of a programmer's inner struggles as Dale tries to make his way in an overwhelming world, far more willing and able to deal with function calls and parameters than people.
Anyone who has ever attended a technical conference will surely relate to the delightfully varied ensemble cast of characters (or, rather, suspects) along with bad coffee, middling buffet meals, and awkward conversations trying to pass time in line. The murder mystery elements were gripping, especially the last few dozen pages. Readers ought to cheer as the pieces finally knit together in Dale's brain. And for his finally coming to find his place within a community of his peers.
Anyone who has ever attended a technical conference will surely relate to the delightfully varied ensemble cast of characters (or, rather, suspects) along with bad coffee, middling buffet meals, and awkward conversations trying to pass time in line. The murder mystery elements were gripping, especially the last few dozen pages. Readers ought to cheer as the pieces finally knit together in Dale's brain. And for his finally coming to find his place within a community of his peers.
May 23, 2018
Really well written, and very believable. The main character is a slightly grey-hat hacker, looking for his way into the source trees of both the 10% most used server OS on the planet, and the 10% most used Web publishing engine. Not for nefarious reasons, just... because he can. He's at a BSD conference as a speaker, when his room-mate is murdered during the morning keynote... and our hero has the tools to find out who did it.
If you've ever been to an IT conference, you are likely to recognise many of the characters in the story.
What's more funny is that the thread that ties the book together is git, now the defacto version control system of the internet and the running joke is they don't want to move to it!
If you've ever been to an IT conference, you are likely to recognise many of the characters in the story.
What's more funny is that the thread that ties the book together is git, now the defacto version control system of the internet and the running joke is they don't want to move to it!
March 24, 2022
A interesting murder mystery story aimed at a particular audience. If you are in the target group it is a good read.
Pros:
You really get into Dale's mind and character. The story has a good flow and is never predictable - even if it has some classical elements. It is very unique in its setting and atmosphere.
Cons:
The reveal wasn't as good as I had hoped.
Target audience:
If you've ever been to a tech conference, played around with BSD or open source, endured internal struggles with food, or suffer from social anxiety
Pros:
You really get into Dale's mind and character. The story has a good flow and is never predictable - even if it has some classical elements. It is very unique in its setting and atmosphere.
Cons:
The reveal wasn't as good as I had hoped.
Target audience:
If you've ever been to a tech conference, played around with BSD or open source, endured internal struggles with food, or suffer from social anxiety
December 31, 2021
Hilarious and terrifying. It just hits too close to home.
Our hero Dale is more comfortable in cyberspace-a little too comfortable finding his way into where he doesn't belong-even amid his technical peers. But he manages to get himself to the conference, talk to people, have a drink, witness murders.
Murdered?!
A must read for fellow dorks, but still enjoyable for everyone. Dale's anxiety is a great optic for striving through average and impossible days.
Our hero Dale is more comfortable in cyberspace-a little too comfortable finding his way into where he doesn't belong-even amid his technical peers. But he manages to get himself to the conference, talk to people, have a drink, witness murders.
Murdered?!
A must read for fellow dorks, but still enjoyable for everyone. Dale's anxiety is a great optic for striving through average and impossible days.
January 3, 2019
This book combines the thrill of a murder mystery with the ordeals of living with social anxiety. The writing keeps things exciting while also breathing authenticity to the technical parts, without falling into being cryptic. This makes it a great reading for those savvy in open source software, without being inaccessible to a wider audience.
February 12, 2019
The book is supposed to be a detective, and it has a detective story, but it's only a small part, far from enough. Another small part is conversation fragments about BSD, git, and networks. I feel that the main character's thoughts about himself and missing social skills occupy the majority of the book — way too much space for their "importance".
July 26, 2018
If you don't know what "git", "commit", or "subversion" have to do with each other then this isn't for you. If, however, these are a part of your daily life along with IRC, code reviews, software cons then you will probably enjoy this one.
April 26, 2023
i didn't expect this one to be so enjoyable, quite a surprise: a solid amateur detective story in the style of those classical english murder mysteries. the ending is a bit weak imho, but overall a great entertaining read.
April 19, 2018
Wasn't the deepest of plots but was a fun read.
March 17, 2020
I feel so seen!
This was an entertaining murder mystery, with a very relatable main character, and I swear I knew half the people at that conference.
This was an entertaining murder mystery, with a very relatable main character, and I swear I knew half the people at that conference.
April 30, 2021
git pull origin masterpiece
git >> svn
A very rare and relatable work. Gets a bit over the top at times, but not to the point of breaking immersion.
git >> svn
A very rare and relatable work. Gets a bit over the top at times, but not to the point of breaking immersion.
March 15, 2023
The mystery was good but I hate the protagonist so much I couldn't really enjoy it.
August 27, 2024
A very entertaining BSD UNIX nerd detective novel!
August 31, 2020
I approached this book with a little concern - I only know enough about computers to be dangerous, and I was afraid I'd be lost in technobabble.
I shouldn't have worried. Michael Lucas guides people like me through a BSD convention almost flawlessly as we follow nerd Dale Whitehead, an introvert forced to spend time with others.
Dale is a fascinating character who suffers from major ADD and struggles to handle every day situations. He's engaging and you will find yourself rooting for him through the book.
The mystery is well done and in the end, after solving the mystery, Dale is accepted as he is.
If you like cozy mysteries, turn off your computer and read this book.
I shouldn't have worried. Michael Lucas guides people like me through a BSD convention almost flawlessly as we follow nerd Dale Whitehead, an introvert forced to spend time with others.
Dale is a fascinating character who suffers from major ADD and struggles to handle every day situations. He's engaging and you will find yourself rooting for him through the book.
The mystery is well done and in the end, after solving the mystery, Dale is accepted as he is.
If you like cozy mysteries, turn off your computer and read this book.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews