A Review of The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues by Bard Constantine

My Book Review of The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues

Noir is alive and well in the future. The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues by Bard Constantine takes the atmosphere and sensibilities of a '30's detective novel and blends it well with sci-fi cyberpunk into a tasty and appealing cocktail.

The Troubleshooter begins where all good noir crime fiction should, with a slightly disreputable, down on his luck shamus, excuse me, private detective. In this instance, it’s Mick Trubble, a guy with money problems and a price on his head. The twist in the plot is this private dick works out of dystopian, post-apocalyptic sci-fi city called New Haven. Mick takes a case to pay off his debts, a high risk venture, almost guaranteed to get him killed. The deeper he investigates, the wilder things become as he finds mayhem, android killers, and dark secrets from his own past.

I loved the style and sensibilities of this novel, a cool hybrid of Blade Runner and the Maltese Falcon. The characters are tough and gritty, with a side order of sneaky. You can trust no one, and everybody has something to hide. The author does a nice job of creating this world, the noir and sci-fi blend seamlessly. The plot does a lot of twisting, but manages to keep the reader along for the ride (and at the edge of your seat once or twice), and comes to a satisfying conclusion with just enough left over to whet the appetite for a sequel.

I can recommend The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues easily.

You can find The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues on Amazon, Smashwords and other online retailers.