Hep Cats of Boise Omnibus by Al Hess

Hey hep cat! If a story about rogue AI, speakeasies full of illegal disability tech, and a jazz era subculture sound copacetic to you, you're in the right place. There's deadpan humor, creeping dread, a moody winter atmosphere, and the sunniest AI assistant you'll ever meet (who is very insistent that he doesn't want to kill you, no matter what his peers are doing.)

This omnibus contains the entirety (so far) of the Hep Cats of Boise series by Al Hess:

#0.5 - Em's Gator Club

#1 - Mazarin Blues

#1.5 - Gin Cat Jive

#2 - Sable Dark

From Book 1:

Introvert Reed Rothwell is part of a subculture of art deco enthusiasts, pushing back against bland mainstream society and its mandated technology. Stuck with an AI assistant in his head is bad enough, but when he's inflicted with a forced upgrade to a new beta version, named Mazarin, the navigator starts to take on feelings and opinions of his own.

When rumors spread of beta navs turning on their pilots, Reed is determined not to become a victim. Mazarin hasn't become violent yet - the AI is sympathetic and understanding - but with beta participants coerced into slitting their own throats, it's only a matter of time before Reed is next. The AI megacorporation already has an unhealthy interest in Reed, and all the beta testers who have sought help for their navigators have disappeared.

Desperation drives Reed further into the art deco subculture where he meets a handsome bad boy named Jax, who is not only the exact kind of romantic support Reed needs right now, but he has connections to illegally terminate Reed's AI. But Mazarin has never tried to harm Reed - he loves Reed.

Grappling with ridding himself of intrusive technology, the morality of hurting his self-aware AI, and avoiding the attention of a company that wants to sweep Reed's existence under the rug might be too much for one hep cat to handle.

Rep: gay, bi/pansexual, gray ace, and non-binary characters; M/M and NBi/NBi romance
Autistic main character with anxiety/panic disorder

CWs: blood, death, brief biphobia, hospitalization, stalking, profanity, M/M and NBi/NBi open door sex and sexual elements, anxiety/panic disorder, depression, alcohol use, house fire, mentions of people (offpage) being coerced into suicide, several brief violent scenes