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Trouble Walked In
A search for a missing woman exposes a conspiracy that could threaten an entire planet.
Cassandra Blake, an employee for the Ascension Planetary Holdings Group—the largest and most powerful corporation in Nova Columbia—has gone missing. And her sister wants to know why. When questions need answering on Nova Columbia, Detective Ezekiel “Easy” Novak is the man folks turn to. But what begins as a routine missing person case quickly turns into something much bigger and more sinister, with implications that could affect the entire planet. It seems Cassandra wasn’t just investigating her employer. She had uncovered a secret effort to excavate and exploit an ancient alien artifact known only as The Seraph. Soon, Easy finds himself trying to unravel a conspiracy that may implicate not only Ascension but the highest echelons of the Terran Confederation itself.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for Trouble Walked
“Anyone who loves everything from The Big Sleep to Blade Runner, or needs a fix while waiting for the next installment in The Dresden Files or Monster Hunters International, will feel right at home between these pages.” —Upstream Reviews
Praise for Mike
“After co-writing Dead Six and Swords of Exodus with Larry Correia, Kupari makes his solo debut with this space opera that is bound to attract fans of Mike Shepherd’s Kris Longknife series or Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta’s War books. An excellent choice for both teen and adult sf readers.” —Library Journal on Her Brother's Keeper
“A big, sweeping space adventure, with heroic characters you care about. Mike Kupari is an awesome storyteller.” —Larry Correia on Sins of Her Father
Mike Kupari is the author of debut science fiction novel Her Brother's Keeper, as well as coauthor, with Larry Correia, of the best-selling Dead Six military adventure series including Dead Six, Swords of Exodus, and Alliance of Shadows. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and enlisted at the age of seventeen. Kupari recently returned from his second active duty overseas with the U.S. Air Force, where he was an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He also served six years in the Army National Guard. Kupari has worked as a security contractor with several firms, did a tour in Southwest Asia with a private military company, and is an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
Cassandra Blake, an employee for the Ascension Planetary Holdings Group—the largest and most powerful corporation in Nova Columbia—has gone missing. And her sister wants to know why. When questions need answering on Nova Columbia, Detective Ezekiel “Easy” Novak is the man folks turn to. But what begins as a routine missing person case quickly turns into something much bigger and more sinister, with implications that could affect the entire planet. It seems Cassandra wasn’t just investigating her employer. She had uncovered a secret effort to excavate and exploit an ancient alien artifact known only as The Seraph. Soon, Easy finds himself trying to unravel a conspiracy that may implicate not only Ascension but the highest echelons of the Terran Confederation itself.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for Trouble Walked
“Anyone who loves everything from The Big Sleep to Blade Runner, or needs a fix while waiting for the next installment in The Dresden Files or Monster Hunters International, will feel right at home between these pages.” —Upstream Reviews
Praise for Mike
“After co-writing Dead Six and Swords of Exodus with Larry Correia, Kupari makes his solo debut with this space opera that is bound to attract fans of Mike Shepherd’s Kris Longknife series or Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta’s War books. An excellent choice for both teen and adult sf readers.” —Library Journal on Her Brother's Keeper
“A big, sweeping space adventure, with heroic characters you care about. Mike Kupari is an awesome storyteller.” —Larry Correia on Sins of Her Father
Mike Kupari is the author of debut science fiction novel Her Brother's Keeper, as well as coauthor, with Larry Correia, of the best-selling Dead Six military adventure series including Dead Six, Swords of Exodus, and Alliance of Shadows. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and enlisted at the age of seventeen. Kupari recently returned from his second active duty overseas with the U.S. Air Force, where he was an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He also served six years in the Army National Guard. Kupari has worked as a security contractor with several firms, did a tour in Southwest Asia with a private military company, and is an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2022
25 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Mike Kupari
15 books53 followersAn Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in the US Air Force, Mike Kupari also served six years in the Army National Guard. He grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and enlisted at the age of seventeen. He has worked as a security contractor with several firms, did a tour in Southwest Asia with a private military company, and is an NRA certified firearms instructor. Mike is recently returned from his second active duty overseas with the U.S. Air Force.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 25, 2022
One of the somewhat unexpected superb novels of recent times - read the sample for the e-arc offered by Baen and got hooked so got the e-arc on the spot and read it in a sitting more or less; a combination of the traditional first person detective narration (not quite noir but in that style) and traditional sf (ancient possible civilizational changing artifacts) with the usual tropes - the hero with a backstory, the sidekick secretary with the cool skills (hacking here), the intriguing, mysterious and beautiful client (Trouble of the title), corrupt corporations, cynical academics exploiting confused youth to promote their violent woke Neo Corbynist ideology (!!), idealists who think they fight the good fight against corruption until the going gets tough, a sinister trillionaire reminding one of a Bill Gates a few decades from now, charismatic cultists etc However all fits together wonderfully in a great storyline that just moves and forces one to turn pages and see what happens. A great ending which completes the storyline perfectly but with scope for more stories in this universe (definitely would love such and get and read them asap)
Overall, excellent stuff and one of the top 10 for the year quite unexpectedly
Overall, excellent stuff and one of the top 10 for the year quite unexpectedly
November 26, 2022
Tougher one to rate; I could have gone four stars, and I read this one in scattered bits amidst Thanksgiving celebration so it was a fractured read, so don't read too much into my rating. You could find it a completely different experience than I did. I was really looking forward to this one on the basis of a strong 5 star review from Liviu. There were definitely some interesting bits. It was a detective/sci fi book (which I have liked many of over the years). As a detective novel I definitely felt like it was just a 3. As a Sci-fi novel, it was a bit stronger for me, maybe 3.5. However, I did finish it, and found myself wanting to know how it was all going to end, so that was well done. A solid 4 for keeping my interest up. Seems like I quit almost half the books I start these days. At this point in my life I have read too many really good books, so merely OK books don't keep my interest. I didn't quit this one so that means it had something going for it beyond being a mere three stars. Gah, I'm not sure really how to fairly rate it so I'll stick with three stars, but if you're interested in it go ahead and give it a whirl. I did definitely want to finish the book and see how the story ended.
April 2, 2025
2025/04/02 Notes:
Narration by Derek Dysart - Solid Narration
I bought the audiobook when it popped up on a sale. It looked like the kind of story I may enjoy. It had a great intro and a predictable plot progression. It was like watching one of those made for cable movies: fun & ridiculous. I thought it was interesting to see how the author created well-developed characters for the story, but forced in a sloppy romance thread. I mean, it's the kind of thing you'll read in a noir style mystery, but it wasn't necessary.
Narration by Derek Dysart - Solid Narration
I bought the audiobook when it popped up on a sale. It looked like the kind of story I may enjoy. It had a great intro and a predictable plot progression. It was like watching one of those made for cable movies: fun & ridiculous. I thought it was interesting to see how the author created well-developed characters for the story, but forced in a sloppy romance thread. I mean, it's the kind of thing you'll read in a noir style mystery, but it wasn't necessary.
September 27, 2022
I really enjoy a good detective story but when you add science fiction it make an even more compelling and entertaining story. Private Detective Ezekiel “Easy” Novak usually works on cases involving a cheating spouse, routine missing person, and other similar stuff. Easy lives and works in Delta City, Nova Columbia a place where most are “willing to accept injustice because it is convenient and safe.” Easy is contacted by Dagny whose sister Cassandra has been missing for a few months. He is reluctant to take on the case because of the organization the sister is working for. It could mean real trouble for him and his agency. Cassandra told Dagny at their last encounter that she suspected something weird was going on with her organization and that she was being followed. She gave Dagny an electronic key, but to what is the question. Dagny convinced Easy it would be worthwhile to take on the case. And so the adventure begins. Ancient and potentially dangerous alien artifacts, a crazy rich man’s folly, and a cult following add to the mix of mystery and intrigue to the story line. The characters are interesting and to some extent quirky adding another layer of dimension. The scenery descriptions lay a foundation for the story’s success. Enjoy!
September 12, 2022
Actually I cannot remember how long it was since I read a book that was not part of a series. I do not think it has been a deliberate choice from me to read book-series specifically. It just happened. Anyway, this is a standalone crime mystery in a futuristic setting.
I found this book quite good. Very good actually. It is not some vanilla science fiction story dressed up as a crime mystery. It is a good old-fashioned crime mystery that happens to transpire in the future and a good one at that. It almost starts of as a text book example of some how-to-write-crime-detective-mysteries basic formula with the hot lady walking into the not too busy lone private investigators office. The first couple of chapters made me think of characters like Mike Hammer and for me that is a good thing.
The story and plot that drives the book is solid. The book is overall very well written. The characters are not at all bad. There is no rubbish political preaching and the romance parts of the book (he is a PI so of course he has to pick up at least one girl) is just right and doesn’t intrude on the rest of the story.
The science fiction part of the book is also not allowed to intrude on the actual crime/mystery/investigation bits of the story. As I wrote this is a good old-fashioned crime mystery. When the science fiction elements comes more into play towards the end of the book they blend into the story in a natural way. Very well done as far as I am concerned.
If I should complain about something, just for the sake of it, would be that I would have liked the book even better if the main protagonist would have been a bit more “hardboiled”. He is no pushover but still, a bit more Dirty Harry style would have been nice.
Oh, yes, one more thing. Why is it so popular to invent German names in novels and why is it so unpopular to actually check if it makes sense. Bauhaus Gaststätte does not make sense. Gaststätte (which means hotel/restaurant) always comes first in German and even then, Gaststätte Bauhaus would only make sense if it was located in a place called Bauhaus or had some other relation to something else named Bauhaus.
Well, that was nitpicking. The bottom line is that this was a very enjoyable crime mystery. A solid four star book.
I found this book quite good. Very good actually. It is not some vanilla science fiction story dressed up as a crime mystery. It is a good old-fashioned crime mystery that happens to transpire in the future and a good one at that. It almost starts of as a text book example of some how-to-write-crime-detective-mysteries basic formula with the hot lady walking into the not too busy lone private investigators office. The first couple of chapters made me think of characters like Mike Hammer and for me that is a good thing.
The story and plot that drives the book is solid. The book is overall very well written. The characters are not at all bad. There is no rubbish political preaching and the romance parts of the book (he is a PI so of course he has to pick up at least one girl) is just right and doesn’t intrude on the rest of the story.
The science fiction part of the book is also not allowed to intrude on the actual crime/mystery/investigation bits of the story. As I wrote this is a good old-fashioned crime mystery. When the science fiction elements comes more into play towards the end of the book they blend into the story in a natural way. Very well done as far as I am concerned.
If I should complain about something, just for the sake of it, would be that I would have liked the book even better if the main protagonist would have been a bit more “hardboiled”. He is no pushover but still, a bit more Dirty Harry style would have been nice.
Oh, yes, one more thing. Why is it so popular to invent German names in novels and why is it so unpopular to actually check if it makes sense. Bauhaus Gaststätte does not make sense. Gaststätte (which means hotel/restaurant) always comes first in German and even then, Gaststätte Bauhaus would only make sense if it was located in a place called Bauhaus or had some other relation to something else named Bauhaus.
Well, that was nitpicking. The bottom line is that this was a very enjoyable crime mystery. A solid four star book.
April 30, 2024
This book was ok. If you like cliche noir detective films, or those Star Trek next Gen eps in the holodeck, then you’ll probably like this book. The dialogue was really stilted to me though. Every drink is stiff and he asks the leading lady if she “comes here often” multiple times (albeit humorously I hope). He starts at least twenty sentences saying “Hell, even…” and it got old quick to me.
The first two thirds of this book really don’t feel like you’re in space at all. Sure, cellphones are called handhelds, there is the occasional service robot, and taxis are auto taxis, but that’s the only real difference. There are lots of long car rides across town, and dialogue of people talking about the plot while riding around. Then, the last third of the book is more “sci-fi” and it could’ve been in, like, Nevada, and nothing would have changed at all.
I found it really strange that we are in the future, humans have colonized multiple planets, and still young kids are goth and the detective wears a suit and fedora. This feels like it’s in the eighties or nineties.
I didn’t really see any character arcs? Did they grow as people? I’m not sure. Easy has a “perfectly” gruff, but tactful, and manly, and respectful personality. The damsel who isn’t in distress (cause she has a gun too) is flawless from the get go. The evil billionaire is… evil. I’m not sure what I expected. (Side point, the fade to black scene was weird. This detective spends the beginning of the book telling us his character traits and morals, and then spends the rest of the book doing the opposite.)
To be fair Cassandra was cool, wish we saw more of her. Lily was another character who I wish we had more screen time with. The alien was creative and fresh. The moral questions it raised I really enjoyed. Buuuut, it just didn’t check all the boxes I wanted.
The first two thirds of this book really don’t feel like you’re in space at all. Sure, cellphones are called handhelds, there is the occasional service robot, and taxis are auto taxis, but that’s the only real difference. There are lots of long car rides across town, and dialogue of people talking about the plot while riding around. Then, the last third of the book is more “sci-fi” and it could’ve been in, like, Nevada, and nothing would have changed at all.
I found it really strange that we are in the future, humans have colonized multiple planets, and still young kids are goth and the detective wears a suit and fedora. This feels like it’s in the eighties or nineties.
I didn’t really see any character arcs? Did they grow as people? I’m not sure. Easy has a “perfectly” gruff, but tactful, and manly, and respectful personality. The damsel who isn’t in distress (cause she has a gun too) is flawless from the get go. The evil billionaire is… evil. I’m not sure what I expected. (Side point, the fade to black scene was weird. This detective spends the beginning of the book telling us his character traits and morals, and then spends the rest of the book doing the opposite.)
To be fair Cassandra was cool, wish we saw more of her. Lily was another character who I wish we had more screen time with. The alien was creative and fresh. The moral questions it raised I really enjoyed. Buuuut, it just didn’t check all the boxes I wanted.
November 4, 2023
I needed something fun that would help me through a headache, so I looked up what was up on Baen. I found this book, which promised to be a bit of Sam Spade or Mike Hammer (it isn’t Dirty Harry like the blurb says). It was alright, with the main character giving his colorful commentary on everything. But at times it felt forced and sounded silly.
We follow the main character from hacker dens & dance clubs, to high end corporate enclaves to solve the mystery of Cassandra Blake. The corporations run everything and local government is weak. There is an early hint of alien ruins, which kept it going for me. But as we bounced around the city, I didn’t really care much about the PI, Easy Novak. His backstory was dull (ex-military & divorced, no kids - basic PI). Now his assistant was a lot more interesting & seemed to have many more clues than the PI. Her I liked.
_Titanium Noir_ is another book along this same vein. I think that book nailed the inner dialogue and atmosphere better. _Trouble Walked In_ didn’t flow as well. I like that authors are taking hard boiled PI’s and putting them into sci-fi worlds. I’d like to have the dialogue and overall book flow more fluidly.
We follow the main character from hacker dens & dance clubs, to high end corporate enclaves to solve the mystery of Cassandra Blake. The corporations run everything and local government is weak. There is an early hint of alien ruins, which kept it going for me. But as we bounced around the city, I didn’t really care much about the PI, Easy Novak. His backstory was dull (ex-military & divorced, no kids - basic PI). Now his assistant was a lot more interesting & seemed to have many more clues than the PI. Her I liked.
_Titanium Noir_ is another book along this same vein. I think that book nailed the inner dialogue and atmosphere better. _Trouble Walked In_ didn’t flow as well. I like that authors are taking hard boiled PI’s and putting them into sci-fi worlds. I’d like to have the dialogue and overall book flow more fluidly.
August 24, 2022
Hitchcock in space. I like Kupari's writing style even if the story wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I would still read anything he wrote at this point and would recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery story. The author spins the story well with multiple intrigue points and conflicting groups all battling it out in the massive city on another planet. I don't want to get spoilery, but it all revolves around control of an ancient artifact and how a common PI is going to manage to save the planet if not the entire universe.
October 2, 2022
Trouble Walked In by Mike Kupari is a crime/SF novel set on a space colony, where Detective Ezekiel “Easy” Novak begins investigating a missing person. Things become more dangerous when they involve an alien artifact and a large corporation with questionable ethics.
This was an easy to read, enjoyable mystery with natural characters and an interesting SF element. It started a little wobbly, with some clunky dialogue, but didn't take long to pick up. Reminded me a bit like some of Eric Brown's books in style and approach. A good read though.
This was an easy to read, enjoyable mystery with natural characters and an interesting SF element. It started a little wobbly, with some clunky dialogue, but didn't take long to pick up. Reminded me a bit like some of Eric Brown's books in style and approach. A good read though.
April 15, 2023
It's ok. I think of most of it as a mainstream detective novel (with a fantasy sex scene). I guess I was craving more shiny scifi tech along the way. The ending is certainly more "out there" scifi. I was finding some typos around the end. I was worried this was just the start of a series but it wrapped itself up, although I could see what was coming. Heard about it from Brian Lee Durfee on youtube.
October 19, 2022
Great to start as the classic Noir private Dick scene, lol
What a great story! Always like a man with a 44 and a true heart. The Dame, wow! The alien and the sisters plight as heart rendering and hoping for a happy ending.
What a great story! Always like a man with a 44 and a true heart. The Dame, wow! The alien and the sisters plight as heart rendering and hoping for a happy ending.
December 12, 2022
Noir SF!
A wise-cracking detective, a beautiful woman, a mystery to be solved and an alien artifact, these are the ingredients Kupari stirs into this outstanding novel.
A great read, a different, utterly alien alien, and oh yeah, lots of trouble.
A wise-cracking detective, a beautiful woman, a mystery to be solved and an alien artifact, these are the ingredients Kupari stirs into this outstanding novel.
A great read, a different, utterly alien alien, and oh yeah, lots of trouble.
June 7, 2022
Absolutely fantastic. It's Chinatown by way of Blade Runner, with shades of Arrival and the best hardboiled crime novels.
September 26, 2022
A very good scifi mystery.
April 19, 2023
Philip Marlowe/Sam Spade character seems out of place in sci -fi alien novel. Just made me want to re-read Raymond Chandler.
August 27, 2024
3.5, good combo of two different genres.
Vid review on channel. https://youtu.be/Aa-OoO5Ar9E?si=UxkgS...
Vid review on channel. https://youtu.be/Aa-OoO5Ar9E?si=UxkgS...
May 27, 2025
Kupari is a good storyteller and world-builder.
July 25, 2022
As you can tell from my rating (5 stars) I enjoyed Trouble Walked In. I received an eARC from Baen Books in return for a review (thank you). I don't agree, however with the publishers description of this book as a cross between Easy Rawlings and Dirty Harry; in stead, I would describe it as a cross between a noirish/hardboiled private investigator and a caper/heist, told in a science fiction setting. The PI element is driven by a sister searching for her missing sister, who works for a large, "evil" corporation, and hires private dick Ezekiel "Easy" Novak. (Here is the parallel between Easy Rawlings and Easy Novak).
I prefer my noir to be dark and gritty, and Trouble Walked In, is not that dark, which I think many readers will prefer. The book is very engaging and moves along quickly. Ancient alien artifacts, espionage, and global intrigue make for a fun, and recommended read. [See Amazon or Goodreads for a synopsis of the book, if that's what you are looking for.]
I prefer my noir to be dark and gritty, and Trouble Walked In, is not that dark, which I think many readers will prefer. The book is very engaging and moves along quickly. Ancient alien artifacts, espionage, and global intrigue make for a fun, and recommended read. [See Amazon or Goodreads for a synopsis of the book, if that's what you are looking for.]
June 1, 2025
This reminded me a bit of The Icarus Hunt but not as good. I enjoyed this and would read more by this author, however the noir aspect of the story seemed to fade after a while, and it turned into more of a regular space mystery.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews