Annabel Scheme, by Robin Sloan

I enjoyed "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" so much that I was eager to read other of Mr. Sloan's books.  Yet I almost didn't read this book because I didn't like the first sentence.   But I persevered and by the third page all my doubts were gone.   This is an outstanding, albeit weird book. The narrator is a computer server, sort of.  The hero, the mysterious Annabel Scheme is, well, mysterious.  The book is far too short.

It is a best books of the year candidate in spite of its awkward start.   This is a great read.