2 Bloggers 1 Book - Titanshade

I've been wanting to read this book forever but you know how things go.  You have plans, you get more books, plans get pushed aside even though you have the best of intentions.  So I'm really glad that Stormi and I made plans early in the year to read this one come April.  And hey, guess what?  We did!  So read on for my thought  and then hop over to Stormi's  @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: Titanshade

AUTHOR: Dan Stout

PUBLISHER: Daw Books

PUBLISHING DATE: March 12, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: 

This noir fantasy thriller from a debut author introduces the gritty town of Titanshade, where danger lurks around every corner. 

"Take a little Mickey Spillane, some Dashiell Hammet, a bit of Raymond Chandler, and mix it with Phillip K. Dick's Blade Runner; add a taste of CJ Box, and Craig Johnson, and you've got a masterpiece of a first novel." --W. Michael Gear, New York Times bestselling author. 

Carter's a homicide cop in Titanshade, an oil boomtown where 8-tracks are state of the art, disco rules the radio, and all the best sorcerers wear designer labels. It's also a metropolis teetering on the edge of disaster. As its oil reserves run dry, the city's future hangs on a possible investment from the reclusive amphibians known as Squibs. 

But now negotiations have been derailed by the horrific murder of a Squib diplomat. The pressure's never been higher to make a quick arrest, even as Carter's investigation leads him into conflict with the city's elite. Undermined by corrupt coworkers and falsified evidence, and with a suspect list that includes power-hungry politicians, oil magnates, and mad scientists, Carter must find the killer before the investigation turns into a witch-hunt and those closest to him pay the ultimate price on the filthy streets of Titanshade. 

MY THOUGHTS: I actually did a double take to see what genres Goodreads had listed for this one. Going into it I expected a lot of sci-fi and mystery, and while I got that while reading it, I also saw tropes and elements consistent with fantasy and urban fantasy.  Basically, I think Titanshade encompasses all of these genres and if you like mysteries and are looking at venturing into more sci-fi, like me, then definitely look no further.

Carter is a homicide cop in Titanshade, a strange town surviving on the oil industry.  Once night Carter receives information that a Squib diplomat has been killed and there are some possible compromising circumstances making the murder that much more messier.  Seems the squibs were looking at a new way to stoke Titanshade's existence with a new fuel source.  Carter has some dark secret in his past which seriously damaged his credibility as a cop.  Because he is not supposed to be dealing with the media or politics, he is assigned a new young partner - a mollonkampi named Ajax.

Titanshade is a basically a noir tale wrapped up in political intrigue, law enforcement procedures and strange alien creatures.  However, at the heart, I found it to be a tale of redemption and trust.  Due to the incidents in Carter's past, he doesn't really trust anyone.  He initially is leery of working with Ajax, but during the course of the book, grows to realize how important a trusting partner can be.  Even though they continually ribbed each other through the book, their relationship changed and I since I know there is a second book in this series, I'm thrilled to see where it heads.  It may sound cheesy but I kind of envisioned Law & Order:SUV's Stabler and Benson.  Except one is an alien being.  Carter also has a connection to an "candy" activist (aka prostitution) and he will do everything with his power to make sure she isn't framed for a crime she didn't commit.

I also found the mystery well developed.  As it unraveled, I had some inklings what was going on but was surprised about quite a few elements at its conclusion.  And did I mention how action-packed the ending is?  It's perfect for people who want to excitement and high energy in their books.  My only complaint is that I felt there could have been a little more detail on what happened after the mystery was solved.  However, maybe that's coming in book two.

So overall I really enjoyed Titanshade.  Not only was it a great read for a sci-fi newbie like me, I also found the book to have a lot of heart.  If you've considered giving this one a go in the past, then I'd say go for it!

RATING: 4 PAWS