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Archive for category Mystery

Hard Magic, by Laura Anne Gilman (Luna, 2010)

Sep 1

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Urban Fantasy, Wizards, Mages and Spellcasters | No Comments

What do you do when you’re fresh out of college, unable to get a job that doesn’t involve a hairnet and a spatula, and magically talented? Well, if you’re Bonnie Torres, you get recruited by an enigmatic pair of magicians to help start the world’s first forensic paranormal investigation agency. That’s right, Bonnie and four strangers have just been tapped to start PUPI – Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations -, dedicated to investigating and handling crimes within the magical community. Unaffiliated with either the hidebound Council or the fractious lonejacks, answering to no one, neutral in a world where the tension between factions is increasing steadily.

It won’t be easy. Bonnie and the others have to learn to work with one another, trust each other, hone their specific strengths and blend their styles to work as a team. They have to create an entire system of magical forensics from the ground up, and earn the trust of a great many people unused to trusting anyone. They have to prove their worth and hold strong against those who’d shut them down before they ever get started. And when their first case comes, it’s a trial by fire for the unready, untested group, and it might just be their last.

If you’re familiar with Gilman’s Retriever series, you may already know where some of this is going; Bonnie and the PUPIs appear in the latter half of that series and become semi-regular secondary characters. Hard Magic serves as the background and origin story for PUPI, and gives us in-depth introductions to the various members of the team and their various specialties. It’s an interesting look at the world of the Casa Nostradamus from an all-new viewpoint, and it gives us some more understanding of a setting where Talents (magic-users) and fatae (non-human beings of all sorts) walk among us in secret. Gilman’s clearly having a lot of fun here as she walks her characters through the invention of a whole new (for them, anyway) system of magical investigation and analysis, something we haven’t seen much of in the urban fantasy genre. (The closest comparison I can make is to Jes Battis’ Tess Corday series, which is much more high-tech and organized in its execution.)

The mystery is solid, the characterization strong, the plot fast-paced, and the final product solid. This is a great start to a new series, a perfect jumping-on point for new readers and a satisfying expansion of the world first visited in the Retrievers series. I loved Wren and Sergei’s story, and I’m now hooked on Bonnie Torres and the PUPIs.

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The Doomsday Brunette, by John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem (DAW, 2004)

Oct 21

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Science Fiction | No Comments

Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance private investigator on Earth, is called upon to unravel yet another bizarre case in The Doomsday Brunette, his second outing. This time, he and his AI partner are summoned to the estate of Ona Thompson, one of the world’s four most perfect woman, in order to investigate the murder of her sister, Foraa. It seems that the Thompson Quads, four genetically-enhanced clones, have finally had the falling out people have been predicting for years. So who killed Foraa? Was it Twoa (the would-be superhero)? Was it Threa (the fairy princess)? Was it W, the ancient butler? Sturm and Drang, the identical cousin security consultants? Opie, the intelligent gorilla? Or was it indeed Ona, who inherited everything from her father/creator, leaving nothing for her sisters? Once Zachary starts digging, it becomes clear that everyone had a reason for wanting Foraa dead… including the murder victim herself.

Naturally, this means everyone wants Zachary dead, also. Luckily, he’s a hard man to kill. He’s had plenty of practice at surviving ridiculous odds. He’ll risk his life, his reputation, and his career to see justice done properly and earn that fat paycheck at the end of the case. Now if only he wasn’t caught between disgruntled aliens, and a doomsday device….

The Doomsday Brunette, like its predecessor, The Plutonium Blonde, is a wild and crazy adventure that blends noir detective fiction and far-out future SF to create a tongue-in-cheek, thoroughly enjoyable story. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is one of its best features, allowing it to stand out from all the other humorous science fiction murder mysteries out there. I know it’s a relatively small field, and all the better. Give this one a shot if you want some amusement.

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Down These Dark Spaceways, edited by Mike Resnick (SFBC, 2005)

Aug 6

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Fiction | No Comments

Another collection of original short fiction commissioned by the Science Fiction Book Club, Down These Dark Spaceways brings together half a dozen authors to spin tales of science fiction mystery, murder, and intrigue. They combine the fine art of the classic mystery with the fantastic trappings of science fiction, and the resulting blend is quite well-done.

In Mike Resnick’s “Guardian Angel,” a private detective is hired to track down and retrieve a teenage runaway who has, in the time-honored tradition of things, gone to join the circus. It’s a world-hopping adventure as our hero follows the traveling carnival in search of his target, dodging all manner of hostile people along the way. But the more he pursues this case, the more questions arise: why did the kid run away? What secrets are his estranged parents (one an interstellar criminal kingpin) hiding? And who’s trying to kill the runaway? The answers are there for the taking, if our hero can live long enough.
David Gerrold gives us an intriguing story of time travel and crime prevention in “In The Quake Zone.” An operative who travels the time-torn streets of Los Angeles over a variety of decades, acting to prevent various crimes before they can happen again for the first time, the protagonist finds himself inexplicably affected on an emotional level by his latest case: protecting the future victims of a serial killer. However, there’s something even stranger going on, and the answers lie in the future, or do they? This story is fascinating on a great many levels, not the least of which is its unusual setting, a Los Angeles where time has become fluid and changeable over the course of a century.

Robert Reed’s “Camouflage” takes place aboard the world-sized, galaxy-traveling ship of his Marrow setting. Here, a former Captain, long since resigned, disgraced, and gone into hiding, is pulled out of his centuries-long retirement to help solve a strange murder. In a ship where many different species and faiths coexist, and where immortality is commonplace, it takes a very special sort of desire to see someone dead and make it happen. The man known as Panir has spent a very long time staying hidden; should he refuse this job, the life he’s built for himself for be destroyed. As a result, he’s compelled to dig deep into the sordid secrets of a woman and her various interspecies marriages, until he discovers who’s been killing her past husbands, and why. Full of twists and turns and wild technology, this story takes full advantage of its setting to tell an unpredictable, fascinating tale.

In “The Big Downtown,” by Jack McDevitt, a female P.I. is hired to navigate her way through a tangled series of lies, cover-ups, and murder, to get to the bottom of a boating accident in which an up-and-coming artist died. Strongly reminiscent of Ross MacDonald’s Lew Archer stories (in my opinion), this one’s a classic tale of greed and betrayal, right down to the thugs who come to beat up our hero and scare her off the trail. However, the inclusion of high-tech elements such as AIs and holograms makes for even more fun.

Robert Sawyer’s “Identity Theft” is set on Mars, where it’s become common to have an entirely new, artificial body created, and one’s mind transferred into it. Just as common are the people who take advantage of the technology to go and hunt for ancient artifacts out on Mars’ surface, as part of a lucrative (if hazardous and unpredictable) industry. And of course, there are those driven to murder by what they find. When our hero is hired to find a missing husband, he quickly finds a dead body, and a bizarre mystery involving stolen identities, hidden artifacts, and plenty of lies to go around. It’s an interesting take on the nature of the human consciousness, and what makes a person truly alive and unique.

Add to this Catherine Asaro’s “The City of Cries,” about a runaway prince, and you have a thoroughly solid collection of science fiction mysteries for your pleasure. I was very happy with this collection, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this sort of crossover fiction.

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Murder by Magic, edited by Rosemary Edghill (Aspect, 2004)

Aug 6

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Mystery, Private Investigators, Short Fiction, Urban Fantasy | No Comments

As with Powers of Detection, which I covered several months ago, Murder by Magic mixes the fantasy and mystery genres for some interesting results. Twenty authors present their characters with magical, murderous dilemmas to solve, divided into five categories: modern, fantastical, historical, genteel, and unclassifiable.

Jennifer Roberson’s “Piece of Mind” teams a tired ex-cop with a woman possessed of an unusual affinity for animals to solve not just an old murder, but a secret that’s haunted the narrator for much of his life. It’s an intriguing setup for future stories, and I hope she’ll expand on the idea. “Special Surprise Guest Appearance by…” by Carole Nelson Douglas takes a look at the strong rivalry between several Las Vegas magicians, and the secrets one utilizes in her act. In “Doppelgangster,” Laura Resnick mixes the supernatural and the Mob for a somewhat tongue-in-cheek effect. If certain wiseguys are getting whacked, how can they be seen, alive and well hours or days later? And who’s killing them to begin with? Josepha Sherman’s “The Case of the Headless Corpse” introduces Raven and Coyote, agents of the Magical Bureau of Investigation. When they attempt to delve into the cause of death for the titular victim, their investigation leads them to a most unexpected culprit. The partners work well together, with a great sort of chemistry, and hopefully this won’t be their only appearance.

Diane Duane’s “Cold Case” showcases a policeman with a truly difficult job to do: work with the ghost of an elderly murder victim to determine who killed her and why, so she can move on to the next world. But the cop’s job may be harder than he expected, especially when the truth comes to light. While the way this story plays out wasn’t entirely unexpected, it’s still poignant and well-told, and it lends itself well to further exploration. Laura Anne Gilman seems to be turning up all over the place of late, and I couldn’t be happier. She’s always good for an entertaining story, especially if she’s focusing on Wren and Sergei, the main characters of her first novel, Staying Dead, as she is here in “Overrush.” Someone’s killing wizzarts, those magically-inclined people whose powers have driven them nuts, preying on a part of the magical population prone to accidents, burnout, and untimely ends. But who, and why? It almost pains me to note that Gilman doesn’t so much resolve this story as bring it to a close, leaving plot threads open for future development somewhere down the line. As a stand-alone story, it lacks closure, which is a real disappointment, as it’s otherwise a great effort. I love how Wren and Sergei work with each other, a partnership that threatens to become more, but both Staying Dead and Gilman’s contribution to Powers of Detection are better examples of her work than “Overrush.”

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller turn in “A Night at the Opera,” a clever tale highly reminiscent of the Thin Man series (right down to main characters named Nick and (De)nora). When a noted practitioner of magic turns up dead, with no clues as to who did it, Nick and Nora have to unravel the mystery. However, they may not be prepared for what they find, or how it all plays out, and what it means for the magical society they belong to. Lawrence Watt-Evans gives us “Dropping Hints,” where a young Duke must figure out which of five identical golems brutally killed its wizard master … right in front of him. Even having witnessed the murder, can the Duke tell one suspect from another in time to do any good? Meanwhile, in “Au Purr,” Esther Friesner focuses on a witch investigating the death of her sister by disguising herself as a housecat. It’s a risky maneuver, fraught with dangers mundane and magical. She’ll have to content with everything from rat traps to demons to piece this mystery together.

In “Getting the Chair,” Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the heroes of his new novel Dragon Precinct, Danthres and Torin. Once again, these two esteemed members of the Castle Guard have a dirty job to do: this time, figure out who killed a certain mage, as well as how and why. They realize just how bizarre a mystery it really is when the only witnesses worth questioning are the pieces of furniture enchanted into life by the mage prior to his death. This is a good, solid story, a police procedural that really takes advantage of the bizarre twists allowed in a fantasy setting while remaining grounded through good old-fashioned human nature. Torin and Danthres bring an everyman quality to their job that remains true no matter what world you’re on.

Mercedes Lackey looks once again at the unusual inhabitants of Victorian London’s Harton School for Boys and Girls, in “Grey Eminence.” Missionary’s child Sarah, and her best friend, native Londoner Nan, are in great demand for their strange abilities, but most of the time they’re able to keep things subtle and under wraps. However, the arrival of a feathered friend for Nan may change that, or it may just save them when things get really bad. It seems to me it’s been a while since we’ve seen this particular set of characters; I hope it’s not too long before they come back again.
All in all, Murder by Magic has some good stories, and a few excellent ones, making it worth picking up. Mystery and fantasy fans alike will find things to enjoy here.

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Powers of Detection, edited by Dana Stabenow (Ace, 2004)

Aug 3

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Mystery, Short Fiction, Urban Fantasy | No Comments

Murder, magic, mystery, and mayhem all collide in this sharp-edged collection of stories blending fantasy (or science fiction, in one case) and mystery (mostly murder), edited by Dana Stabenow. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time we see the two genres overlap, as there’s a long and respectable history of such things. Stabenow’s managed to bring together a nice, varied group of authors, some best known for their SF/Fantasy work, others better known for their mystery fiction.

Donna Andrews, who’s written two books thus far about a computer-bound Artificial Intelligence who solves mysteries, turns in “Cold Spell,” in which a wizard’s apprentice must aid her master in investigating a bizarre death up at the Duke’s castle. When a recently-captured prisoner up and dies from a wound to the chest, and there’s no way anyone in the room could have done it, it’s up to Gwynn to figure out how it happened. Clever and possessing a nice twist, “Cold Spell” lays the groundwork for what I hope to be more stories featuring these characters.

Simon R. Green returns to one of his most popular settings in “The Nightside, Needless To Say.” However, this story is a departure from the Nightside’s usual point-of-view protagonist, John Taylor. Instead, we’re introduced to Larry Oblivion, private investigator who’s come down with a sudden and severe case of death-with-temporary-amnesia, a condition which doesn’t stop him from investigating his own murder. In the Nightside, death isn’t always an absolute. But who killed Larry Oblivion, and why didn’t they let him stay dead? The answer may be much closer at hand than he thought.

Also returning to one of her more popular characters, Charlaine Harris supplies us with an all-new story of Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic barmaid and off-and-on girlfriend to a vampire. However, it’s not vampires she needs to worry about today. It’s fairies, who need her to help puzzle out how and why one of their own was killed. Was it revenge, or motivated by love, or greed, or something else? Sookie, now used to such bizarre goings-on, may be a reluctant investigator, but she’s still good at getting the job done.

Sharon Shinn looks at a school for mages, where the current Headmistress has to deal with a rash of bizarre, magical killings among the senior staff. Everyone, it seems, have a motive, even Camalyn herself, though the raw power and skill needed to pull off such attacks limits the suspects. The big question is, will Camalyn solve this mystery before she becomes the next victim? In “The Sorcerer’s Assassin,” Shinn has created a great setting, one only faintly reminiscent of what has become the quintessential school for magic-users, and I hope she’ll come back to it again soon.

Laura Anne Gilman bucks the trend by focusing on a mystery that doesn’t revolve around murder, in “Palimpsest,” a story starring magical thief Wren and her partner Sergei (who are also the main characters in Gilman’s first original novel, Staying Dead). When Wren is hired to steal (or rather “retrieve”) a painting, she finds herself caught in the middle of conflicting agendas and a dangerous conspiracy. Luckily, her quick wits and her partner’s keen instincts are more than enough to handle the job… right? With Wren and Sergei, Gilman has a near-perfect team, genuinely likeable characters who carry the story in part due to their charisma together. Think Thomas Crown Affair with a little Nick and Nora Charles, and you’re on the right track.

Mike Doogan’s “The Death of Clickclickwhistle” is the solitary science fiction offering, but it’s by no means any less enjoyable than the other stories. On a special mission delivering a number of alien diplomats to a long-awaited get-together, it’s up to a minor functionary to figure out just who – or what – just got killed, by whom – or what -, how and why. With thirteen alien species involved, some much more alien than the others, there’s a lot to work with. However, the true answers are as unexpected as they are intriguing. In space, diplomats play for keeps.

Stories by John Straley, Anne Perry, Michael Armstrong, Jay Caselberg, Anne Bishop, and Dana Stabenow herself round out this entertaining collection. There’s very little disappointment here, and some rather satisfying tales. Powers of Detection is definitely worth getting if you like mystery mixed with fantasy, or vice-versa.

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The Flaxen Femme Fatale, by John Zakour (DAW, 2009)

Jul 25

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Science Fiction | No Comments

Good news: No one has managed to kill Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance P.I. on Earth yet.
Bad news: It’s still early.

That’s about how you can sum up any day for our hero. And when a mysterious woman appears in his dreams and asks him politely not to try and find her, he’s surprised… but only a little. And when the military summons him to try and find their missing secret weapon, an impossibly-dangerous psychic named Natasha, who just happens to look like his earlier visitor, Zach has no choice but to take the case. Even though the death threats and assassination attempts start almost immediately. From laser-eyed librarians to battlebots, upstart slot machines to mind-controlled military, it seems like everyone’s out to get him. And that’s before Natasha literally turns the entire world against Zach as a small demonstration of her power and desire to be left alone. But does that stop him? Of course not.

Armed with GUS, a gun with a mind of its own, and HARV, a supercomputer who uses Zach’s mind more than he does, Zach sallies forth against all odds. Not even (temporary) death is enough to stop him from trying to find a solution that makes everyone happy, especially Natasha (who, like Greta Garbo, only wants to be left alone and not used as a superweapon anymore). From the New San Diego New Convention Center (home of the Comic-Con) to the UltraMegaHyperMart Grand Canyon, from New Vegas to a secret orbital station, Zach Johnson is on the case. And hardly anything has blown up. Yet. Lately. But things can change.

I’m always glad to see new books in this series come out, as there’s a serious deficit of comedic hardboiled science fiction adventures on the market, and John Zakour has filled that niche quite adeptly. It’s goofy, it’s quirky, it’s iconic in its own way, and it’s way too much fun. Like the rest, The Flaxen Femme Fatale borders on parody, but maintains enough good-natured charm to maintain an air of legitimacy. It may be a world full of robots, psychics, aliens, genetically-engineered superhumans, and wacky technology, where anything is possible, but it has the internal consistency and earnestness required to sustain such a setting.

There are a few elements which grate on the reader after a while — the usage of DOS, Gates, and Windows as swearing and exclamations comes to mind — but in general, there’s very little to complain about here. It’s exactly what it makes itself out to be: another exciting episode in the career of Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance P.I. on Earth… and it’s particularly fitting that his adventures have turned him into a media figure and a cultural icon in his world, even as they entertain us in ours. Here’s hoping the next book shows up soon.

Originally reviewed for SF Site, 2009

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The Automatic Detective, by A. Lee Martinez (Tor, 2008)

Jul 25

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Science Fiction | No Comments

Mack Megaton isn’t your average joe on the street. He’s actually a reprogrammed robot built for destruction and world domination who, upon gaining free will, gave up his creator’s megalomanical ways and has gone straight, earning his citizenship one day at a time as an honest taxi driver in Empire City, where weird science reigns supreme. He’s not hero material, that’s for sure. Heck, he barely understands people, and he can’t even tie a bow tie. His therapist thinks he needs to work on his manual coordination, as well as getting out to interact with people more often. But hey, it’s hard for a seven foot tall ex-doomsday machine to get comfortable with people, you know?

That’s why, when Mack’s neighbors are menaced and kidnapped by persons unknown, Mack surprises himself by investigating the matter on his own, tracking down leads and poking in all of Empire City’s darkest corners. Little does he realize that his quest to save some innocent children will take him down paths long hidden, and bring him face to faceplate with the secret origins and true purpose of Empire City and its founders… and his own true nature. Along the way, he’ll have to deal with robot thugs, mutant criminals, little green masterminds, talking gorillas, and a classy dame who’d rather make time with a hulking exemplar of technology like Mack than with normal man. He might even save the city from certain destruction, and find a better job than taxi driver before he’s done.

The Automatic Detective is a hard-boiled, hard-wired, hard-riveted, hard-hitting blend of classic detective stories and science fiction, giving off a distinctly retro-futuristic vibe as it plays up the conventions of old school science fiction and mystery. All of the elements are here: a rough, two-fisted gumshoe who’s too tough to quit and too stubborn to give up, a beautiful woman who’s much more than she seems, a nasty bunch of bad guys who’ll stop at nothing to silence our hero for good, and of course, innocents in need of rescuing. A. Lee Martinez has proven quite skilled at the art of turning genre conventions on their ear in the past, and with this book, he draws upon the most fascinating aspects of two very different genres to create something new and interesting. The only series even close to this in tone would be John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem’s Zachary Johnson books, and those have a more humorous focus than this, which takes itself seriously (albeit in a rather tongue-in-cheek, self-aware manner… one can’t be too deathly serious when dealing with talking gorillas, mutants, or robot detectives, after all.) In The Automatic Detective, Martinez has created a memorable protagonist and a setting that definitely deserves further exploration in the future. Martinez doesn’t seem to be the sort of author who repeats himself, so only time will tell if we’ll see more of Mack Megaton. Regardless, I’ll be looking forward to whatever this author does next.

Originally reviewed for SF Site, 2008

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The Blue-Haired Bombshell, by John Zakour (DAW, 2007)

Apr 21

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Science Fiction | No Comments

Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance PI on Earth in the late 21st Century, is having a typical Tuesday. You know, attacked by killer plants, nearly killed by traffic while rescuing a heiress’s dog, stalked by an ad agency, menaced by genetically-engineered ogres… the usual. And then things get weird. And dangerous. It seems that the issue of the Moon’s independence has once again come up for vote before the World Council, which makes this an extraordinarily suspicious time for three of the Council’s most visible members to be assassinated by a powerful psi known for her Moon sympathies. Zach, smelling more than a few rats, decides to take the case, pro bono, and off to the Moon he goes.

There, he has to juggle all sorts of problems and potential enemies, including the Moon’s leader, Boris Sputnik and innumerable sexy blue-haired women with amazing psi powers. Oh, and intelligent, gun-toting augmented gorillas. And battle droids. You know … the usual. Luckily, Zach has a few aces up his sleeve, including HARV (the supercomputer who lives inside his head and acts as an assistant), GUS (his new user-friendly if somewhat experimental high-tech gun) and Carol (his annoyingly powerful psionic teenage assistant). It’s a good thing, too, because Zach will need all the help he can get, because the fates of the Earth and the Moon are up for grabs. Either he avoids all kinds of certain death, finds an assassin, foils a fiendishly apocalyptic plan and gets the world’s most uncooperative sisters to work together, or the entire human race will face extinction. The worst part of all this? He’s not even getting paid for the case.

The Blue-Haired Bombshell is the fifth in this humorous SF/Mystery hybrid series, and it’s safe to say that John Zakour continues to turn out a highly enjoyably, always weird story. He takes the very best clichés and tropes from the mystery field (especially the wisecracking, hardheaded, square jawed, fearless protagonist) and mixes them together with outrageous science fictional elements (psionic powers, genetic engineering, shuttles to the Moon, ray guns, talking gorillas, teleportation, weird aliens, and so forth), and spices it all up with some slapstick humor and a healthy dose of action. The end result is an oddly-entertaining tale with a pleasantly retro feel to it. You’ll never be able to accuse this series of being great literature, but for sheer unadulterated fun, it’s hard to beat. I always enjoy installments in this series, and Zakour’s still doing a great job of carrying it solo, after the departure of co-author Lawrence Ganem following The Radioactive Redhead. I will suggest that newcomers to the series go ahead and start with the first book, The Plutonium Blonde, as this book draws upon characters and situations introduced in the first four books of the series. All in all, this is good fun, and worth checking out.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2007

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The Doomsday Brunette, by John Zakour & Lawrence Ganem (DAW, 2004)

Apr 21

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Mystery, Private Investigators, Science Fiction | No Comments

Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance private investigator on Earth, is called upon to unravel yet another bizarre case in The Doomsday Brunette, his second outing. This time, he and his AI partner are summoned to the estate of Ona Thompson, one of the world’s four most perfect woman, in order to investigate the murder of her sister, Foraa. It seems that the Thompson Quads, four genetically-enhanced clones, have finally had the falling out people have been predicting for years. So who killed Foraa? Was it Twoa (the would-be superhero)? Was it Threa (the fairy princess)? Was it W, the ancient butler? Sturm and Drang, the identical cousin security consultants? Opie, the intelligent gorilla? Or was it indeed Ona, who inherited everything from her father/creator, leaving nothing for her sisters? Once Zachary starts digging, it becomes clear that everyone had a reason for wanting Foraa dead… including the murder victim herself.

Naturally, this means everyone wants Zachary dead, also. Luckily, he’s a hard man to kill. He’s had plenty of practice at surviving ridiculous odds. He’ll risk his life, his reputation, and his career to see justice done properly and earn that fat paycheck at the end of the case. Now if only he wasn’t caught between disgruntled aliens, and a doomsday device….

The Doomsday Brunette, like its predecessor, The Plutonium Blonde, is a wild and crazy adventure that blends noir detective fiction and far-out future SF to create a tongue-in-cheek, thoroughly enjoyable story. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is one of its best features, allowing it to stand out from all the other humorous science fiction murder mysteries out there. I know it’s a relatively small field, and all the better. Give this one a shot if you want some amusement.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2005

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