Going in, I know absolutely nothing about this book beyond it’s billed as a sort of 50s detective story.
That’s it, that’s all I’ve got on this one.
So, if you’ve been paying attention at all over the many years we’ve been doing this podcast or I’ve been doing these reviews, I dig detective stories…but generally only if they’re a bit off-kilter.
Examples being Dan Shamble, Scooby-Doo, Monk, and Psych.
Not a one of these detectives could be described as plain or boring, they all have some oddball twist.
Can the tale told in She Murdered Me With Science be fit into that same category?
Time to find out, gang!
As always, this is your official ***SPOILER ALERT***
We meet Noel Glass as a former scientist turned police consultant, cracking a case for the coppers.
We soon learn the reason for his current station in life is that he was at the height of his scientific powers, developing a world changing technology, when a test goes wrong and kills his fiance and a lab full of researchers.
14 years and a national disgrace later, Glass is living in a shitty apartment, working on experiments on the side.
Suddenly, a rich benefactor and his Russian body guard rope Noel in for a journey to find the truth that goes all the way to the top of the Government…and leaves a trail of bodies in the process!
How’s that for a fuckin’ set-up???
Right off the bat, I’ve gotta complaint though.
Wh-where’s the line of sequels?
Cause I want more of this, I wanna play around with this world that has tech beyond the age and find out how they deal with it.
I wanna wallow in the long gone detective vibes, because make no mistake, the description I had before diving in fits to a T!
This is, without a doubt, a pulpy, 50s, gumshoe, noir detective tale, but with a bit of 2000’s style and format.
And what I mean by that is that it has the more complex and sophisticated plotting of more modern novels and storytelling, and the length as well.
This weighs in at just over 300 pages, and the old school pulpy novels rarely hit those lengths, as far as I’m aware.
That’s not a knock against it either, if Boop had tried making this a quick 150-200 page story it would have suffered greatly.
The world he has to build, make cogent, and live in feels fleshed out and vibrant.
Any skimping on those details and it all falls apart.
The one place I would say he skimps a little too much would be on some of his descriptions of where the characters go and what they do inbetween the important bits.
It does come across a little bit montagey here.
I know that stuff is incredibly difficult to write, if you put too much into it you risk boring folks with just an endless list of menial actions and tasks that need to be done.
But put too little and it breezes by so quickly that you almost need to reread it a time or two to really make it sink in.
That aside, the pacing is otherwise great.
The cast of characters each have clear and distinct voices, an issue I’ve noticed a lot of the old books in this vein dealt with.
The whole thing is fun and interesting as hell, the world is ripe for more exploration, and I dig Boop’s style.
To answer the question posed above, Noel Glass kinda does fit the mold.
He’s not as off beat as a Zombie, Talking Dog, or Fake Psychic, but he is something of a wacky bastard thrust into a series of events that whip past him at a pleasing, though often breakneck, pace.
If you are into detective novels, I don’t think you can go wrong with this.
Let us know what you think of this review in the comments below or share this post on Twitter with the Hashtag #TNBBookReview.
Special thanks to @ACFerrell1976 for her continued editorial assistance.
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And finally, given the state of the world, do what you can to leave it a little bit better than you found it.
As difficult as that may be currently, it can have an impact far greater than you know.
Until next time, stay safe out there, gang.
