REVIEW: A KNIFE IN THE DARK

Jack the Knife...

I'd seen a review or two for this novella and it sounded like a perfect mix of different things that I love, so it was only a matter of time before I picked it up. 

HOW I RATED IT 

4/5 This science fiction, detective thriller is a fun romp through a futuristic city which felt both familiar and fresh.

CHARACTERS

The main character is Jack Tarelli, a former Police Detective who still works as a Private Eye even though he's now into his sixties and his body had taken quite a beating over the years. He's a flawed characters with some interesting nuance to his backstory. He's gruff and tough, but also has a tortured past that continues to haunt him and serves as a motivator for the work that he takes on. He also struggles with a certain level of alcohol addition and I felt as though this aspect of his character was handled quite well, especially for a book in this genre. Beneath his hardened exterior and his character flaws, Jack is fundamentally a character who wants to do good in the world and that makes him a character who's pretty easy to root for. He also felt delightfully reminiscent of a character that Bruce Willis might portray. The story is also told from his first-person perspective which made it pretty seamless to connect with him since we experience the world and the plot through his eyes and are given his internal commentary on everything. As you might expect with a murder mystery, there is a decent-sized cast of characters with varying levels of innocence or suspicion tied to them in regard to both the crime being investigated and just their moral alignment overall. Each of these members of the supporting roster felt memorable and distinct. In typical noir fashion, some are not what they initially seem to be. I did feel as though they were all a little archetypal in terms of how comfortably they fit into certain genre conventions, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

PLOT/TONE

This is a classic noir story told in a futuristic setting, which made for a fantastic combination. As many stories in this genre begin, things kick off with a murder most foul. In this case, the victim is the son of an industrious billionaire who's refused to be intimidated by a powerful criminal entity within the city. Along the way, Jack collects clues about this opulent family, visits the crime scene, meets prickly cops, minces words with a sultry woman, and gets into some high-stakes action sequences including some close-quarters scraps, a shootout, and a (hover) car chase. None of that is at all outside the norm of what you might expect from this type of story,  but frankly, I found the familiarity of the narrative to be quite enjoyable. It helps that it is all executed very well. The pacing is fast, but not breakneck, giving ample time for readers to follow Jack's stream of consciousness as he simmers over the details of the case as well as for each of the side characters to show their true colors. As one might hope, there are plenty of fun twists and turns as the mystery unfolds which help to maintain a sense of intrigue and unease. I liked that the story takes advantage of it's setting to deliver some plot shakeups which would only be possible in science fiction. 

SETTING/WORLD

This is perhaps the aspect which most sets this book apart from other detective thrillers. The story is set in a futuristic city on a planet very similar to Earth. Hover cars fly above the streets between towering buildings, robot butlers greet the guests of their wealthy masters, and technology has advanced to a point where forensics has had to revert back to traditional detective work since biological data from crime scenes can no longer be trusted. It's maybe not the most original science fiction world to ever be created,  but the way that the setting impacts the story being told is rather brilliant. There aren't any long exposition dumps, but little details about the world are doled out within the context of where Jack is at with the case. At any given moment, we know exactly what we need to for the story to make sense and are left with enough open questions to feel eager to learn more. There's also a delightful sense that nearly anything is possible since this world has so many things that ours does not. The blending of these fictitious technologies with the familiar beats of a detective noir was handled expertly and I loved the attention to detail that the author displays when combining these elements. There's also some nice variance in the world itself despite the entire story taking place in one city. There is the grandiose home of Jack's employer, a seedy borough of the city, Jack's drab apartment, a condemned building, and lots of rainy streets in between. I loved the moody atmosphere and would definitely love to read more classic detective stories set in different time periods and settings now that I've had a taste of how well it can be combined with the science fiction genre. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books like this. 

eBOOK

I like the dark, simple cover that this book has and think that it really fits the tone of the story within. The digital pages are well composed, but there's nothing outside what is expected to note in terms of formatting. I will say that I appreciated the short chapter lengths though. In a story like this one, the brevity of each section keeps a sense of forward momentum, so I think that the structure of the novella was of great benefit to the story being told. 

CONCLUSION

If you like science fiction and you like detective noir stories, then you absolutely must give A KNIFE IN THE DARK a chance. It doesn't do a whole ton to distinguish itself from other books in the genre, but it does make good use of it's futuristic setting, weaves a satisfying mystery, and executes on it's overall premise quite well. 

(+) A layered main character who I was instantly able to connect with.

(+) The sci-fi setting was super fun even if it wasn't wildly unique.

(+) An awesome supporting cast. 

(+) The neo-noir plot progresses at a satisfying pace with lots of fun twists and high-stakes action sequences. 

(+) This novella tells a complete story, but also leaves a hook for another case. 

( ) There aren't a lot of risks taken when it comes to the characters, narrative, or worldbuilding, this is a book that just knows what it wants to be and executes on that very well.