Murder in Retrograde by Greg Hickey is a science fiction thriller novel set in a dystopian future where the environment has collapsed but big corporations are still competing for who can win the public relations game. Cyberpunk and noir detective fiction have gone together since Blade Runner with some of my all-time favorite novels pulling from the combination. So, I’m the kind of audience this book is aimed at. 

Murder in Retrograde’s premise is that the future is devastated by global warming to the point that it is a felony to burn fossil fuels. Private Detective Marcus Carver is invited to a billionaire rocket executive’s home and told that his next-door neighbor’s estate have violated this rule. Marcus is suspicious from the start that this is just a way for his employer to strike against a rival but takes the job, soon finding himself involved in a complicated cover up involving murder, gangs, and cybercrime.

There’s strong Raymond Chandler influence throughout Murder in Retrograde with Marcus Carver resembling Phillip Marlowe in many respects. He is a private detective abiding by his own code but surrounded by corruption that disgusts him. He’s willing to bend the rules but is not going to break them for money or a pretty face, which mystifies most of the characters around him. I like this take on noir because rather than heroic, it makes us question just how much the protagonist is good versus stubborn.

The conspiracy that Marcus deals with is also one that is just grounded enough in the scifi environment that watching it untangle is fascinating. There’s Tongs, the DA’s office, radical environmentalists, competing corporations, and put-upon servants who aren’t paid nearly enough to deal with this crap. A lot of this could happen now but Greg Hickey envisions use of things like eco-friendly technology, smart houses, self-driving cars, holographic technology, and faked video to complicate the mystery. 

The supporting characters are also an interesting collection with a wide variety of classes and identities. Everyone acts in a realistic motivation ranging from money to respect. I also appreciate that the author remembers a fundamental truth that many detective fiction writers forget: people lie repeatedly then don’t necessarily confess when they are confronted with the “truth.”

In terms of darkness, I think this is medium in terms of cyberpunk. There’s only a handful of murders throughout the book but the implications are those who attempt to do anything about them are tilting at windmills. The lowered level of violence and corruption versus, say, Cyberpunk 2077 does make each of them count, though.

The line between science fiction thriller and cyberpunk is a thin one but I think Murder in Retrograde hits squarely in the center. The world is one ruled by incredibly rich people who are above the law, the cops are useless, and technology has not made things better but only given both new ways of oppressing the little guy. The goal of the protagonist is not so much justice as to gum up the works of the system enough to sour their victory.

In conclusion, this is a great novel if you’re looking for a near-future murder mystery with a likable protagonist in a dystopian but plausible future. It is extremely enjoyable and I look forward to future adventures of Marcus Carver.

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