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Marcus Carver Sci Fi Crime #0
The Event Horizon Murder
A battle-scarred detective. A dead-end case. In a future of omnipresent cameras and digital disguises, can he find an elusive killer?
Law enforcement is in Detective Marcus Carver’s blood. And with the help of Chicago’s citywide surveillance, he excels at tracking and catching killers. But when a politician’s son is slain in the city’s blacked-out cyberpunk gang territory, Carver has everyone’s attention and no leads on the murderer.
His boss breathing down his neck doesn’t help Carver’s authority issues, but with the victim’s family growing desperate, Carver runs down every hint of a trail. And when his most promising lead evaporates, Carver finds himself out of clues and short on time.
Can Carver catch the killer before someone buries the truth for good?
The Event Horizon Murder is a thrilling science fiction crime novella. If you like stories about mass surveillance, futuristic cityscapes and hard-boiled detectives, then you’ll love Greg Hickey’s tense sci-fi whodunit.
Read The Event Horizon Murder to get lost in a gripping near-future mystery.
Law enforcement is in Detective Marcus Carver’s blood. And with the help of Chicago’s citywide surveillance, he excels at tracking and catching killers. But when a politician’s son is slain in the city’s blacked-out cyberpunk gang territory, Carver has everyone’s attention and no leads on the murderer.
His boss breathing down his neck doesn’t help Carver’s authority issues, but with the victim’s family growing desperate, Carver runs down every hint of a trail. And when his most promising lead evaporates, Carver finds himself out of clues and short on time.
Can Carver catch the killer before someone buries the truth for good?
The Event Horizon Murder is a thrilling science fiction crime novella. If you like stories about mass surveillance, futuristic cityscapes and hard-boiled detectives, then you’ll love Greg Hickey’s tense sci-fi whodunit.
Read The Event Horizon Murder to get lost in a gripping near-future mystery.
- GenresShort Stories
68 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 6, 2025
About the author
Greg Hickey
11 books145 followersGreg Hickey is a former international professional baseball player and forensic scientist, and endurance athlete and Amazon-bestselling author. His previous works include the novels Parabellum, The Friar’s Lantern and Our Dried Voices, the latter of which was a finalist for Foreword Reviews' INDIES Science Fiction Book of the Year Award. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 29, 2024
I was privileged enough to read this novella in a serialized form prior to it's publication. Each chapter was emailed to me by the author; one chapter a week. As this was a thriller, the suspense and OMG moments were heightened because I had to wait a week. This seldom practiced form of storytelling telling/publishing should be brought back as far as I'm concerned. The heightened suspense, the having something to look forward too made this reading experience incredibly special!
March 17, 2026
This was really interesting even if a bit short.
It felt like blade runner but in a short thriller. The mystery was great but what gripped me the most was the setting, that city full of cameras where there's no crime but for in one spot.
I love the detective solving that case, the ending was great too. I would love a full novel set in this universe.
If you like short stories with scifi vibes, CSI or noir thrillers this is for you. It's a super short read but highly entertaining.
It felt like blade runner but in a short thriller. The mystery was great but what gripped me the most was the setting, that city full of cameras where there's no crime but for in one spot.
I love the detective solving that case, the ending was great too. I would love a full novel set in this universe.
If you like short stories with scifi vibes, CSI or noir thrillers this is for you. It's a super short read but highly entertaining.
November 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this novella. I love mysteries both cozy and noir. The Event Horizon Murder is very The Maltese Falcon meets Blade Runner. It is a dark gritty hard-boiled drama set in a Blade Runner cityscape where every part of the city is wired with surveillance cameras except for one district, Stockyard Park a.k.a. the Event Horizon. Of course, the Event Horizon is the perfect place to get away with murder. And it's Detective Marcus Carver's good fortune to land the case when the son of a wealthy family turns up dead but dry of clues. Caver's asshole boss expects him to work miracles but every lead races to a dead end - until he discovers one mis-labled clue. Seriously, anyone who enjoys old time radio detective stories, CSI procedurals, or un-solved mysteries in general will enjoy diving into the world of this hard-boiled noir dystopian fantasy. It's a short read fifty-seven pages. Great for a quick weekend trip, or busy moms who don't get a lot time for long novels.
If you enjoyed this review please check out my book club discussions at blog at: https://pbjellybell.blogspot.com/
If you enjoyed this review please check out my book club discussions at blog at: https://pbjellybell.blogspot.com/
June 6, 2026
THE EVENT HORIZON MURDER by Greg Hickey is an adult, sci-fi, futuristic crime novella focusing on Chicago PD Detective Marcus Carver.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from first person perspective (Marcus ) THE EVENT HORIZON MURDER follows Detective Marcus Carver on the search for a killer but with no help, and fewer clues, Carver finds himself the target of the CPD, and a deep fake video tells another tale.
THE EVENT HORIZON MURDER is a fast paced, quick read; a dark yet intriguing short story of murder, $ex trafficking and deception. Regardless of his successes, Marcus Carver finds himself the victim of vengeance, sabotage and workplace betrayal. The premise is dark and captivating yet limited in sci-fi elements; the characters are questionable and desperate.
copy supplied for review
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from first person perspective (Marcus ) THE EVENT HORIZON MURDER follows Detective Marcus Carver on the search for a killer but with no help, and fewer clues, Carver finds himself the target of the CPD, and a deep fake video tells another tale.
THE EVENT HORIZON MURDER is a fast paced, quick read; a dark yet intriguing short story of murder, $ex trafficking and deception. Regardless of his successes, Marcus Carver finds himself the victim of vengeance, sabotage and workplace betrayal. The premise is dark and captivating yet limited in sci-fi elements; the characters are questionable and desperate.
copy supplied for review
June 18, 2026
Hard-boiled Detective Marcus Carver investigates a politician's son, under a lot of pressure. In a city where every place is wired for surveillance, the case takes him to the most dangerous district nicknamed Event Horizon, where gangs are beyond the law as they manage to stay out of the grid.
The findings are darker and darker, and I was really interested, especially when the detective seemed to be caught in a trap of manipulation. However, the ending was frustrating for me. Either a sequel should be published soon or, in my view, the novella shouldn't have been published until we know how the detective manages to get out of it.
The findings are darker and darker, and I was really interested, especially when the detective seemed to be caught in a trap of manipulation. However, the ending was frustrating for me. Either a sequel should be published soon or, in my view, the novella shouldn't have been published until we know how the detective manages to get out of it.
December 29, 2025
An exciting murder mystery procedural, with hard-boiled Detective Marcus Carver investigating the murder of a politician’s son. His jerk of a boss is breathing down his neck, since those above are putting pressure on him to get the case solved. With some help with a few of his colleagues, he follows clues, doing the leg-work necessary to find the killer. I enjoyed the story except the way it ended. I assume it is to set up the next story, but I don’t really like being left wondering why this outstanding detective is treated badly and what happens to him next.
July 3, 2026
This is an excellent book and I really enjoyed reading it. It is set in the future in the city of Chicago and is both a Science Fiction and Crime novel. It is the starter book in a series and I am definitely going to read the next book in the series. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes either Science Fiction, Crime or both genres.
April 14, 2026
The story moves fast and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the ending.
Detective Marcus Carver is a great character and I found myself rooting for him, especially with his boss breathing down his neck.
If you enjoy noir thrillers or sci-fi with a CSI feel, this is a great quick read
Detective Marcus Carver is a great character and I found myself rooting for him, especially with his boss breathing down his neck.
If you enjoy noir thrillers or sci-fi with a CSI feel, this is a great quick read
June 8, 2025
It is a great first-in-series/origin story!
July 7, 2025
Fast-paced murder mystery set in futuristic Chicago with Blade Runner vibes. Hoping Murder in Retrograde takes place immediately after because that cliffhanger was kinda crazy!
October 8, 2024
The Event Horizon Murder
Greg Hickey
For the record the freebie offered was a court scene that featured the cross-examination of an officer’s testimony. The interesting aspect of it all is that the pair are on a cordial first-name basis out of court.
The book is being offered in serial format as a chapter by chapter download via e-mail not unlike Dickens’ serials printed in newspapers. In Dicken’s case it ensured he got payment for his work as he wrote before copyright ensured his works would not be pirated. Finally the whole book is offered as a single download.
Carver describes the process of giving evidence in court as making him feel dirty.
The Event Horizon of the title is supposedly a black hole area of Chicago created by locals taking down the CCTV Surveillance cameras in their slum neighbourhood. It is a high crime area.
The story leaves one feeling betrayed as the Detective involved was framed.
Greg Hickey
For the record the freebie offered was a court scene that featured the cross-examination of an officer’s testimony. The interesting aspect of it all is that the pair are on a cordial first-name basis out of court.
The book is being offered in serial format as a chapter by chapter download via e-mail not unlike Dickens’ serials printed in newspapers. In Dicken’s case it ensured he got payment for his work as he wrote before copyright ensured his works would not be pirated. Finally the whole book is offered as a single download.
Carver describes the process of giving evidence in court as making him feel dirty.
The Event Horizon of the title is supposedly a black hole area of Chicago created by locals taking down the CCTV Surveillance cameras in their slum neighbourhood. It is a high crime area.
The story leaves one feeling betrayed as the Detective involved was framed.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews