Future Noir that will leave you wanting more
In a not-too-distant future, Private Detective Marcus Carver is hired by a space mogul to investigate his neighbor and fellow space tech rival for carbon combustion violations. While touring the house under the guise of an energy checkup he learns of the mogul’s missing head of security. When the missing man turns up dead and Carver comes clean about his identity he begins to work with Naomi Battle, Elliot Schuyler’s rival, to find the killer. But after a series of incidents that hit too close to Battle’s compound, Carver’s combustion case turned whodunnit has suddenly morphed into a search and rescue mission. Carver embarks on a breakneck trip through Tong territory, raging wildfires, deadly snipers and more as he attempts to save not only his neck, but that of a crucial witness that could bring the Tong gang down.
Murder in Retrograde is the newest release from author Greg Hickey. Having dipped his toe into several different genres in the past, Hickey nails the Noir theme and seamlessly meshes it with future elements for a fresh take. On the surface, Murder In Retrograde felt very much like an old school noir complete with hardboiled wisecracking gumshoe, self-important rich CEOs, and snarky and beautiful femme fatales who are not as dumb as they look. With that solid base, Hickey then throws this setting about 70 years into the future, and the landscape now includes drones and holographic projectors that can make anything, including your face, turn into practically anything else. The “holohead” concept alone made for a nice plot point that I am not sure has been done before and made “hiding in plain sight” the name of the game for Carver in his efforts to evade the Tongs and get his charge to safety. While the series is set mainly in California, Carver is based out of Chicago and takes several trips back to the windy city throughout the course of the book, again reminding the reader of the “near future” setting.
I am looking forward to more Marcus Carver, whether the cases are in California, his home turf in Chicago or any other location. Murder In Retrograde is a fast-paced novel that has me wanting more of this character and this future noir setting.
If you like Noir genre mysteries or a near future setting with gadgets that will have you in awe and wanting a few for yourself, Murder In Retrograde is a strong start to what I hope will translate into a series featuring Marcus Carver.
Full disclosure – I was provided with a copy of this book by the author; however, I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.
Jennly Reads 