Hammond's gritty, futuristic detective story is full of morally gray characters, ambiguous alliances, necessary betrayals, and a lot of heart. In 2762, cops Juno and Paul harnessed the idea of organized crime to bring a kind of peace and prosperity to their impoverished colony planet, Lagarto. Working with the Bandur crime family, they took control of Koba and the Koba Office of Police (KOP). More than 20 years later, Paul, now chief of police, assigns Juno to a murder case that lands him in danger with the newly elected mayor. Behind a facade of purging corrupt government officials, starting with those at KOP, his honor is planning the worst crime of all. Lagarto is a vivid setting for this tale of hope borne of despair, a fully realized world as important to the story as the characters. Juno, the focal character, is a sympathetic, desperate hero trying to do what is right in a world where right is often criminal. Although the story sometimes becomes convoluted, it's a thrillingly dark read. Hutley, Krista
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
Acorrupt policeman, an overgrown jungle city that gets only five hours of sun between 17-hour nights, and battling crime gangs set the extremely noir scene for Hammond's solidly constructed, fast-paced SF debut. In 2787, the impoverished colony planet Lagarto is a dead end, its economy destroyed by a trade imbalance that favors rich offworlders while natives go hungry. In Koba, Lagarto's largest city, aging street cop Juno Mozambe clings to the power and bribery gained by strong-arm tactics in his youth. His friend Paul Chang, chief of the Koba Office of Police, senses that rivals want them removed. As Juno teams up with new partner Maggie Orzo to investigate a murder by an apparent serial killer, he and Paul must also stop their long alliance with the Bandur cartel from being exposed. Hammond's writing is workmanlike with occasional terse highlights, offering rewards to fans of both crime novels and science fiction. (July)
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From
Hammond's gritty, futuristic detective story is full of morally gray characters, ambiguous alliances, necessary betrayals, and a lot of heart. In 2762, cops Juno and Paul harnessed the idea of organized crime to bring a kind of peace and prosperity to their impoverished colony planet, Lagarto. Working with the Bandur crime family, they took control of Koba and the Koba Office of Police (KOP). More than 20 years later, Paul, now chief of police, assigns Juno to a murder case that lands him in danger with the newly elected mayor. Behind a facade of purging corrupt government officials, starting with those at KOP, his honor is planning the worst crime of all. Lagarto is a vivid setting for this tale of hope borne of despair, a fully realized world as important to the story as the characters. Juno, the focal character, is a sympathetic, desperate hero trying to do what is right in a world where right is often criminal. Although the story sometimes becomes convoluted, it's a thrillingly dark read. Hutley, Krista