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Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn
In 2057, when the world is starved of oil and the whole globe is in the unrelenting grip of the World Council, NYCPD detective Nick Garvey has his plate murderously full, contending the assassination of the Vice President and four Secret Service agents; the vicious power struggle between President Lenora Allison and the Supreme Leader of the World Council, Jason Beck; the off-duty avenging of the brutalization of his estranged daughter by her live-in thug; the kidnapping of his granddaughter when he gets too close to the truth about Jason Beck’s world-domination dirty tricks; and his confrontation with President Lenora Allison which leads to their joint setup in front of a firing squad; but other than that…
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 27, 2019
When I first read the description for Carl H. Mitchell's Sundown: engineering gives the devil a sunburn, I was not sure what to expect of the novel. It seemed to have a little bit of everything: conspiration, detectives, political crisis, environmental problems, and dystopian setting. Each of these things sounded good on their own, but I was somewhat skeptical of how they would all fit together. However, the novel turned out to be a well planned and extremely well-written journey, that grips the reader from the very first pages and holds tight throughout the fast-paced ride, which lacks no excitement.
Sundown is set some years in the future, in the world ruled by an international World Council. Due to the release of a biological weapon that has destroyed more than half of the world's oil, The United States, like other countries, has deteriorated into a place where people make their own laws and no justice is guaranteed. Streets of New York are ruled by paracops, neighborhood gangs that look out for their own and outnumber the actual police force. Politicians struggle in the middle of the energy crisis, and all means are acceptable in their fight for power. In the middle of all this, Nick Garvey, a New York City detective, is trying to solve the murder of the vice president, and investigate a child kidnapping network that's been plaguing the city since the one-child policy was announced by the world council. the story mostly follows Nick as he gets drawn deeper and deeper into the world of political conspiracy, while also struggling to mend ties with his estranged daughter.
I enjoyed following Nick Garvey and the progress he made in his investigation. Actually, what I most liked about this book was that the main characters, both heroes and villains, were well developed and had their own personalities, goals, and ambitions. Even the several supporting characters had their agendas, and it was fun reading the occasional chapters or paragraphs from their point of view. None of the characters felt flat, or their parts in the story forced. Also, the world-building was magnificent and extremely detailed.
There were some parts, which I found a bit difficult to follow but they mostly had to do with things I'm not familiar with, like electrical engineering. Describing how the energy grid over Manhattan worked and how it was built, certainly showed knowledge and research of the subject, but it didn't make things any clearer for me. Also, some chapters that provided backstory for the novel's world, could have been shorter. They were well-integrated into the writing but sometimes it felt there was too much information and not all of it was necessary. Other than that, I really didn't find many faults with this novel. Even the editing was good, I noticed only a couple of small errors.
All in all, this book was a positive surprise. I enjoyed reading it, and not once did I feel I needed to push myself forward. Instead, I was pulled in by the story and wouldn't mind reading more about Nick Garvey and his investigations in the future. This book definitely deserves 4 out of 4 stars, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fast-paced detective stories and doesn't mind a wide cast of characters.
Sundown is set some years in the future, in the world ruled by an international World Council. Due to the release of a biological weapon that has destroyed more than half of the world's oil, The United States, like other countries, has deteriorated into a place where people make their own laws and no justice is guaranteed. Streets of New York are ruled by paracops, neighborhood gangs that look out for their own and outnumber the actual police force. Politicians struggle in the middle of the energy crisis, and all means are acceptable in their fight for power. In the middle of all this, Nick Garvey, a New York City detective, is trying to solve the murder of the vice president, and investigate a child kidnapping network that's been plaguing the city since the one-child policy was announced by the world council. the story mostly follows Nick as he gets drawn deeper and deeper into the world of political conspiracy, while also struggling to mend ties with his estranged daughter.
I enjoyed following Nick Garvey and the progress he made in his investigation. Actually, what I most liked about this book was that the main characters, both heroes and villains, were well developed and had their own personalities, goals, and ambitions. Even the several supporting characters had their agendas, and it was fun reading the occasional chapters or paragraphs from their point of view. None of the characters felt flat, or their parts in the story forced. Also, the world-building was magnificent and extremely detailed.
There were some parts, which I found a bit difficult to follow but they mostly had to do with things I'm not familiar with, like electrical engineering. Describing how the energy grid over Manhattan worked and how it was built, certainly showed knowledge and research of the subject, but it didn't make things any clearer for me. Also, some chapters that provided backstory for the novel's world, could have been shorter. They were well-integrated into the writing but sometimes it felt there was too much information and not all of it was necessary. Other than that, I really didn't find many faults with this novel. Even the editing was good, I noticed only a couple of small errors.
All in all, this book was a positive surprise. I enjoyed reading it, and not once did I feel I needed to push myself forward. Instead, I was pulled in by the story and wouldn't mind reading more about Nick Garvey and his investigations in the future. This book definitely deserves 4 out of 4 stars, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fast-paced detective stories and doesn't mind a wide cast of characters.
April 14, 2018
In 2057 the world is much different from today. One man controls the world through the World Council, the successor to the United Nation. There are shortages of oil, television is limited to a few hours each day and limited to only a few channels, few cars are on the road because of the oil shortage, children are limited to one per couple hence baby snatching is rampant, the police force is very limited so there are civilians monitoring their own neighborhoods. One of these policemen is New York City policeman Nick Garvey who works with President Lenora Allison to stop the stranglehold of the leader of the World Council, Jason Beck.
Very well done writing gives us a picture of a future that could be if we do not control the megalomaniacs of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a combination mystery and science fiction.
Very well done writing gives us a picture of a future that could be if we do not control the megalomaniacs of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a combination mystery and science fiction.
October 21, 2019
The year is 2057. Most of the world's oil reserves have been decimated by a genetically engineered substance, leaving the rest in the hands of a tyrannical World Council run by despot Jason Beck. The NYPD is slowly losing control of New York City policing to World Council Population Police and neighborhood "paracops." And now the vice president has been assassinated.
Assigned to solve this murder, Detective Nick Garvey learns that President Lenora Allison may also be in danger. Nick's investigation will have far-ranging repercussions in New York, as well as across this entire dystopian world.
Full text of my review is HERE
Assigned to solve this murder, Detective Nick Garvey learns that President Lenora Allison may also be in danger. Nick's investigation will have far-ranging repercussions in New York, as well as across this entire dystopian world.
Full text of my review is HERE
September 8, 2021
Excellent detective thriller! I happen to know the author personally...I worked with him for years at IBM. Turns out Carl is as good an author as he was an IBM manager! This is a detective thriller along the lines of Nelson DeMille's John Corey series. The lead detective is Nick Garvey. How will detective Garvey figure out what the heck is going on?! The plot takes numerous twists and turns and keeps you wondering what will happen next and how will Nick handle the next situation. I thoroughly enjoyed this one...well done Mr. Mitchell!
February 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Twists and turns, great characters, a futuristic setting, and a touch of humor really make this a well-rounded book that is fun to read. You can find my full review here:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
November 12, 2018
I won this as a first read giveaway. It was really interesting but very convoluted and lots of characters to keep track of.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews