The Cliffs of Palos Verdes

by David Bueche

When a mind-altering drug promises godlike power, one broken detective becomes humanity’s last defense.Private investigator Jake Cutter has seen the worst of Los Angeles—from cheating spouses to corporate corruption—but nothing prepares him for the case that begins with a young scientist’s mysterious death. The deeper he digs, the more he uncovers a biotech empire pushing the limits of human consciousness—and a charismatic cult leader ready to unleash it on the world.

Alyssa Bancroft, once the rising star behind the project, has turned against her former employers. Haunted by what she helped create, she’ll risk everything to destroy it before it rewires humanity itself. Together with Jake and a sharp-tongued bartender who knows more than she lets on, the trio must navigate a deadly maze of power, lies, and addiction before time—and free will—run out.

Dark, gritty, and crackling with tension, The Cliffs of Palos Verdes is a high-stakes noir thriller about obsession, control, and the price of playing god.

The Cliffs of Palos Verdes proves the most dangerous experiments begin in the human mind.

Genres: Mystery

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2025

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book as part of a #goodreadsgiveaway.
To be clear, nobody asked for my review or opinion, but here it is anyway.
----------
The characters were good, and the dialogue is snappy and fun. Through the majority of the book I was compelled and entertained and interested.

That said, the villain made dumb illogical choices. He just lets the hero go when he has no reason to do so.
Jet had the means, opportunity, reason, and even precedent to kill this nosy detective, and it would have been effortless.
Instead he takes Jake back to his facility Jake was trying to burn down and just, drops him off there. Presumably because he assumes Jake parked nearby. Good guy Jet, I guess. But very dumb.


The story itself was okay, but a lot of the tension relied on worldwide events that the main plot had zero overlap or involvement with. So it felt like big global threats would happen at (in)convenient moments, just to make it feel intense or throw a wrench in the gears.

I also wasn't much of a fan of the particulars of the ending. Obviously, large spoilers here.

The character death felt like a hasty afterthought meant to add more emotion, and it didn't feel justified by the rest of the book.

In so much of the book, there's this comical, light-hearted, lucky, plot-armor thing that's established. You have to suspend a fair amount of disbelief to accept that they get away with what they do, and that's great if that's the tone you're going for.

But to have that set as the context, and then suddenly switch it up for "life sucks" realism, it actually feels unbelievable, not based on reality, but based on the standard of "action -> consequences" set thus far.
If the stakes had felt deadly for the whole book, then fair, but just before this was a "come see the boss" scene that ended with barely a warning, and just following this, they literally escape a nuke in a motorboat, so we went right back to generously suspending disbelief.

The death in question also handily tied up the author's loose ends.
If you're going to tease a love triangle, at least make the hero express their choice, and have them deal with the potential fallout in the other relationship. (Then kill the one they've chosen, not before. >:)

As a recent release, it's still a bit riddled with typos: I found 20+.
They're mostly just punctuation errors during dialogue, but someone saying, "You'll never make out in time," had to be a personal favorite.
This is said while a LITERAL NUKE is approaching, so it's like saying there's not even time to get a quick smooch before being annihilated, which for some reason I found amusing.

So overall it had some issues, but I was engaged enough to finish it, so that at least speaks well for it.
2.5/5 stars from me.

[Steven Finkelstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been many noire novels and movies set in Los Angeles, but this one feels different in the best of ways. Though it’s traditional noire, it’s also about cutting-edge technology. Jake Cutter is a private investigator in the City of Angels. He thinks he’s seen it all, but he’s seen nothing yet.

A young scientist mysteriously dies, and Jake is on the case. The more he finds out, though, the stranger the situation becomes. There’s a cult leader who wants to unleash a new form of technology created, in part, by a woman named Alyssa Bancroft. Alyssa teams up with Jake to try and stop the tech she created from changing humanity for the worst. Sharp dialogue, plenty of action, and the seedy backdrop of Los Angeles all work to fuel a neo-noire novel that’s memorable and compelling.

[ZebraDebra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cliffs of Palos Verdes is a riveting noir novel that keeps the reader on edge from beginning to end. It follows the adventures of private investigator Jake Cutter. He thinks he’s seen it all, but he is not prepared for what awaits him in Los Angeles. Alyssa Bancroft is desperately trying to stop the biotechnology she helped create from being the cause of doom for humanity. The author has created vivid characters with believable dialogue. His descriptions of Los Angeles are very accurate. I love how one keeps wondering how the story will unfold. What started as a mysterious case of death ended up being the possible worst ending for humanity. If you enjoy thrilling twenty-first century noir novels then you will not want to miss this one.

[CarlitasFox · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unputdownable novel
When it comes to thriller stories, “The Cliffs of Palos Verdes” has a bit of everything connected to obsession, excess and the dangers of playing god.
Private investigator Jake Cutter is now in charge of solving a mysterious death but he discovers important and dangerous information that changes his idea about the limits of human consciousness.
It’s an interesting story that touches controversial topics that leave readers with a lot to think about life and life experiments. I liked the idea written here and the denouement of the story. David Bueche’s writing style is exquisite, it’s clear and very descriptive. I highly recommend it.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Let me say I’m happy with my decision. This thriller is so well written that it’s impossible to put it down. The plot is dark but amazing and made me reflect on many current issues in which pharmaceutical companies and drugstores are taking control of many aspects of our lives, and how grim the outcome could be.
The characters are brilliant and the dialogue believable. I liked it because there was some suspense throughout the entire story and several shocking unexpected twists and turns to the plot.
Without any hesitation, I shall be adding this author to my favorites.

[Yvonne Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had an interesting premise with the mind altering drug. Some of the story didn't really seem to flow well with me. The detective seemed to make some questionable decisions. It seemed strange that the "villian" let him go.
Thanks for the free book.