The Doomsday Brunette

Nuclear Bombshell #2

by John Zakour, Lawrence Ganem

The hilarious sequel to The Plutonium Blonde.
In the year 2057, the last freelance private investigator, partnered with an experimental A.I. named Harv, solves cases involving androids, future tech wizards, and all sorts of mayhem...

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Audiobook, Detective, Comedy, Fiction

356 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

From the Author's Website

John Zakour is a humor/sf/fantasy writer with a Master's degree in Human Behavior and slowly plugging away at his Ph.D. He has written zillions (well, thousands) of gags for syndicated comics and comedians (including: Rugrats, Grimmy, Bound and Gagged, Dennis the Menace and Joan River's old TV show.) John also writes his own syndicated comic, Working Daze for United Media. John has been the regular cartoonist for Geek.com and has sold cartoons or gags to hundreds of journals and magazines. John is also a contributor to Nickelodeon magazine writing Fairly Odd Parents and Jimmy Neutron comic books. Recently he has started writing Simpsons comics for Bongo.


John’s first humorous SF mystery book, The Plutonium Blonde (DAW 2001, co-written with Larry Ganem and started of as an interactive web story for the Sci Fi channel) was named one of the top 30 SF books of 2001 by The Chronicle of Science Fiction who called it, “the funniest SF book of 2001”. His second novel, The Doomsday Brunette (DAW Feb 2004) has made the Locus best sellers list. The third book in the series, The RadioActive Redhead, also made the SF best seller list.

Besides his novels John has sold numerous short stories to anthologies and magazines. John has written the dialog and song lyrics for Frogwares Software computer game Around the World in 80 days. For something a bit different John writes skits for the Harlem Rockets basketball team.

In the past, John has written and helped develop the first year and season of the comic book and animated series: Caramel Crew, for Mobtoons. John also has written for the independent SF TV show, “Realm of the Mind”. John also helped develop an animated sf horror series, called Prime Squad for MUV Technologies in India. His romantic comedy, Skin Deep about an ordinary guy who can’t believe the hottest girl on campus is actually in love with him has won a couple of writing awards. John has also written for Ebru tv.

John use to be a database programmer / web guru / science writer for NYSAES.

When he's not writing or studying John likes to play softball, watch TV and hang out with his wife and son. He use to do judo and karate, but those have been replaced by tai chi and archery.

Reviews

[Bryan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book is not quite as entertaining as the first one, but it does seem to be setting up a little less slapstick goofiness and a little more depth of character. That does bring this books rating down from the first one but still worth four stars mostly for reasons I'll get into below. However, I think the potential new depth will give the series the ability to entertain longer than just pure goofiness would.

The characterizations of Zach the PI, and his companion computer HARV is the one seeming to deepen. This is done by letting HARV have more and more personality. Excused in the text by HARV first reading all the detective fiction in Earths history and then deciding he's going to become a partner PI with Zach based off his impression of Ellery Queen. Amusing actually to hae the imaginary HARV pattern himself after the imaginary Queen.

The gags are still fast and frequent. Again hardly any page goes by without a nutty comment or a outrageous pun or cultural reference. I kept trying to remind myself to note a few down to put into the review, but having literally just finished the book moments ago I now can't think of any. Either that is my current state of mind or the books are fluffy enough that they just leave an emotional impression and nothing else.

One other difference between this book and the first is that the case is much more convoluted. It features multiple red herrings, crimes, sidetracks, and finally a surprise reveal of, not one, but two hidden twists. The added complexity made the very end of the book feel a bit slow which largely accounts for the lost star. In any case it was enjoyable to read and I was able to start and get into it quickly in spite of my recent reading funk. Thank you, by the way for your comments of encouragement.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you say about a book that is dedicated to Ellery Queen, DC Comics, and MAD magazine? You can definitely state that The Doomsday Brunette is not hard science-fiction. Indeed, the only science in it is pulp magazine science or "weird science," if you will. But the novel takes place in the far-future where droids, blasters, hoverjets, and cloning are commonplace.

This novel series, more "Myth-Adventures" in science-fiction than Robert Asprin's own Phoule series, is a fabulous romp through witty badinage, call-backs to other media, and send-ups of the classic hardcore private eye books of Chandler and Hammett. In this "episode," the last PI in the world tackles a murder mystery involving one of a group of superhuman, genetically engineered female quadruplets. By the time this "impossible" murder is solved, the femme fatale of the title has become rather the epitome of the name. Of course, by that point you may well wonder which of the magnificent four super-celebrities is the aforementioned woman of danger.

In this novel, even more than the first in the series, I particularly enjoyed the humorous twists on familiar lines and themes from other media. Here's a sampling: "My work here is done" (classic line from B westerns that was always misused by my former art director in the same way it is in this book--p. 14), "As you wish" (no Dread Pirate Robert, but it is spoken at least once with regard to a certain kind of "princess," if not a bride--first appearance,p. 23), "Hang onto your hats, it's going to be a bumpy ride" (a supermodel usurps the famous Bette Davis line, p. 35), twin cousins equal the "Patty Duke" syndrome (identical cousins that you find on p. 40), "the solid waste hit the ventilation shaft (well, the more Anglo-Saxon original was here before the movie Airplane but I can't hear references to this without thinking of that scene--p.67),and the MAD magazine fold-in clue (p. 252).

Fans of Chandler, MAD, and absurdity won't want to miss this ...er..."bumpy ride."

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: I read and reviewed this book in 2007. Copying over review from Amazon.

Overview and Synopsis: Zachary Nixon Johnson is the last private eye on Earth - and he wouldn't have it any other way. When he receives a call at 3 am from Ona Thompson - the richest being on the planet - he really has no option but to do as she directs and come to her complex. There he finds her in the company of her siblings - Twoa, Threa and Fora. Of course, there is a problem - Fora is dead. This is made even more problematic because the Quads (as they are called) are nigh-invulnerable, having been genetically created by their genius father to be beautiful, intelligent and superior in every way. This resulted in their skin being slightly purple, but that only enhances their charm.

Zach has to discover who killed Fora, and how it was accomplished. This is easier said than done, since it appears that almost everyone had not only the desire to murder her, but also means and opportunity.

Characters: The book is filled with terrific characters - most notably the Quads themselves. Ona inherited her father's wealth, so she is a super-model and play-girl. Twoa is a super-hero - seriously - cape and everything. Threa is a fairy queen - she even has nymphs to follow her around. Fora was (to Zach) the most normal as an anarcho-goth who preached the dangers of materialism in New Vegas.

HARV - Zach's computerized personal assistant - develops a keep interest in detecting in this novel and begins to change his appearance as a result, with often quite amusing results.

Then there is W, the ancient butler who specializes in table setting; Opie, the silver-back mountain gorilla who has been genetically altered to have human intelligence and is a fan of practical jokes; the Pfauhans, who are identical "twin" cousins named Sturm and Drang who look like Teutonic power houses but have a shocking secret . . . as well as the return of Randy, Carol, Electra Gevada and Tony Rickey. There is also an amusing character in the person of the coroner, whose name has slipped my mind at the nano - he refuses to call anyone by name, as he feels that would personalize people and keep him from doing his job properly. Zakour has a true genius when it comes to creating memorable and interesting characters!

Review and Recommendations: These books are wonderful works of cross-genre fiction, mixing science fiction with PI noir in a delightful concoction that is sure to please fans of both types of books, as well as fans of a well-concocted bit of word play. Zakour has a lot of fun with language and it shows in his writing. This book is a definite "don't miss" from me!

[Joshua Palmatier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to "The Plutonium Blonde" which I really enjoyed. The premise is that the main character is the last private detective in the world, so it's set in the future, but it has that noir detective kind of feel to it. So SF detective noir. I'd seen the books in the series on the shelf a while ago but hesitated to buy them.

I should not have hesitated. The first book rocked, and the second one does as well. It continues the adventures of Zach, with a new case, this time dealing with four genetically engineered superwomen, each of which is nigh-invulnerable! So if their nigh-invulnerable, how did one of them end up dead? That's what Zach is hired to find out, more or less. *grin*

I love the characters, I love the tongue-in-cheek glimpse of the future, and I love the writing. The first book had an annoying habit of naming everything "New" something, such as New New York, kind of a gimick, but that wasn't present here. The sequel is also much more . . . settled I guess. The authors are more comfortable with their characters and world and it shows in the writing. I do admit that there was a long section at the beginning of this book where the pacing and such lagged tremendously. The first book was fast, fast, fast all of the time. This one was more like a detective novel, in that we're introduced to the main suspects one at a time when Zach goes to visit them . . . and that's the part that dragged on a little. But not enough to make me stop reading.

I'd definitely recommend this series to everyone. Each book is it's own case (as far as I know) so you don't have to read them in order, although they do reference back to older cases for some of the jokes and such.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome sequel! I thought the first book was over-the-top pulpy brilliance but this second fare is more of the same but with some interesting characters. The Quads are the highlight of the show and they are bloody fantastic:

1) The story is similar to Plutonium Blonde: Pulpy, hilarious, tongue in cheek, over-the-top SF goodness. It was a rollercoaster from start to finish and the last 1/3 of the book is batshit crazy is a fun way :)

2)Zakour's writing style and dialog is great; fun, sarcastic and laugh out loud. The Threeo and Harvey are the best examples.

3) As I said, the characters are super fun. The Quads are great, especially Threeo and her Nymphs. Everytime she spoke I giggled like a little boy.

I am getting more and more hooked with this series and I can't wait to read the others oh man...that's what I will do right now.

Onward to The Radioactive Redhead!

[Daniel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (and the prior entry in this series) is a lot of fun, with some surprising depth belied by the tone. This book felt to me a bit like a detective noir novel with a voice simiar to that of the Hitchhiker's Guide's Douglas Adams and a near-future setting that is a perfect match for the plot.

We pick up with our main character, Zach Johnson - the last private eye on Earth - being called late at night to a murder scene. He becomes embroiled in multiple layers of intrigue as he and his supercomputer sidekick / friend named HARV dig into the many secrets in a family of genetically-modified socialite sisters. This plot continues to make unexpected twists and take us to believable, unique sci-fi settings. Throughout this book, I found Zach's character development to be one of the biggest draws for me to keep reading. The plot moves pretty quickly and is very interesting in its own right, but the way Zach makes mistakes as well as jokes, has references to the novels that inspired this one, and most of all his very appropriate air of exhausted semi-optimism feels perfect for a private eye.

The authors do a great job of finding a unique and interesting voice in this novel. It never takes itself too seriously and is always willing to poke fun at Zach as well as the plot. The often-hilarious quips and narrations to which we're treated are intermixed with some vivid and talented scene-setting. Here's a great example:

"We landed in New Vegas shortly thereafter. True to HARV's word, it was raining about as hard as I've ever seen it, like the sky itself was angry. The New Vegas strip somehow looked even brighter in the torrent, its neon essence magnified by the water in the air. Each raindrop was like a prism in a death plunge, turning the neon glow into a cascading spectrum, before splattering into the huge multicolored puddles that were the city's streets and walkways. It was like someone had stuck a Jackson Pollack painting into an electric outlet."

This descriptive flair is a wonderful touch to have in a novel that is trying to walk a very fine line of paying homage to some truly serious detective noir novels that have come before it while adding something new and individual to this work. This struck home for me, and the way the plot continued to expand and shift as it developed was extremely satisfying. This book is a very specific niche, but I think many readers who take a chance on it will be pleasantly surprised upon finishing it (although you should read the first one first - it's even better).

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these books
Very funny

[Alex Coombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important context: I read the 2016 revised edition, as published in 2018 by Jabberwocky.

Summary:

The Doomsday Brunette is a worthy (if not quite as witty) sequel to the first book in the Nuclear Bombshell series. The jokes come fast and fluidly, and rarely feel forced. However, there are flaws in both plot and publication that unfortunately drag this book down, including frequent typos and somewhat shoehorned plot points. Overall, this is a fun read for sure, but I was disappointed by the lack of care shown in this publication.

Pros:

This work sees the return of many of the supporting cast from the first novel, and most of them see touches of growth. The relationship between the main character, Zach, and his neurally-linked AI sidekick HARV develops further in a natural manner, building on the growth already shown in the first novel. Zach's begrudging friend in the police also makes a return, and plays a bigger role here than previously. We also see some more moments between Zach and his fiancée, who was sorely lacking in personality in the previous work.

Speaking of improved female characters, I very much enjoyed the Quad sisters, and felt like the authors put more effort into developing (at least some) of their female characters into more 3-dimensional people. Of course, given the genre that is being parodied (hard-boiled noir detective fiction) there's an expected amount of objectification of women, and that is present here, but I feel like this book walks the line of acceptability in a much more competent manner.

Cons:
This particular edition contained a foreword that it includes a sub-plot regarding Zach's mother that was part of the first draft, but was cut from the original. Whilst this never harmed the novel, the scars from the sub-plots excision and subsequent re-insertion are very visible; the entire story could have happened without it. It was still endearing, and added some new flavour to Zach, but it's bearing on the overall plot was minimal.

Ok, now for the elephant in the room - this is, by far, the WORST proof-read publication of any novel I have ever read. Littered with typos and random punctuation marks that significantly change the meaning of some phrases, I was frankly shocked by the fact that something like this made it to e-press. At one point, two pretty important members of the supporting cast just... change their names? They go from "the Pfauhans" to "the Soons" and then back again with no rhyme or reason, leaving you (the reader) to piece together who the hell these Soons are. Stuff like this really affects the reading experience, and definitely dragged the book down for me. I will be writing to the publishers to address this.

Conclusion:

This is a fine novel, very fun and action packed, filled with the witty comedy of the first, and including some much needed character development. However, the poor proof-reading and the somewhat clunky inclusion of the mother sub-plot definitely ground the book down from a solid 4/5 to a very middling 3/5.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zakour, John. The Doomsday Brunette. Nuclear Bombshell No. 2. Daw, 2004.
The last private investigator in 2057 and his AI partner Harv solve a mystery with high-tech villains. There is also an old butler called W and an uplifted gorilla named Opie. The cover art is retro 1950s pulp fiction paperback, and so is the parody-homage of the story. This is the kind of book that is written by someone who knows his audience probably won’t take either genre seriously if he plays it straight and yet demands that all the genre expectations be met. It is okay if you think Tarantino meets Douglas Adams would be fun.

[Adrian Halpert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doomsday Brunette is what I might call a "popcorn read". The story was fun, the characters were fun, it was a good way to spend an afternoon. However, as I was reading I couldn't stop thinking that it felt like a poor man's Douglas Adams story. I was also a bit disappointed that it wasn't as descriptive as it should have been. Right off the bat, we're introduced to a zany future society, but the descriptions we're given are somewhat sparse and miss the opportunity to show us how wild this future really is.
Overall, not bad. It was enjoyable enough that I plan to read the others in the series eventually.
3/5 Stars

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Help me read more books

This a very amusing book, though as always, I figure it's probably much more enjoyable due to the graphic audio version being read. I had this book for quite a while as an ebook, and never got around to reading it. When it showed in a humble bundle, and it was the graphic audio version, I figured it's got to be something, because those guys don't skimp on quality. And, man, was that right.
As always, a great showing from the graphic audio folks, and the book was very enjoyable as a result. Liked this one better than the first one in the series, so now it's time to go read the next one.

[Greg Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is ridiculous... but what else could I expect from a book with such a title? I picked this up from a thrift store because of the name and cover art, but didn't realize at the that it was a sequel. Well, I decided to dive in anyways, and was not disappointed.

This book is an odd cross between sci-fi, genre fiction, and detective noir. At times the clichés were a bit, nay... waaay too much. Also, if I read the word "nano" one more time I think I'll puke. But all in all it was just original enough to (loosely) hold my interest, and sometimes even surprise me.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if I want to keep this. Will hold until later.

This book is a standard PI style book, set in a hyper-future world reminiscent of shiny robot 50s movies, with a good dash of over-the-top. It's a good popcorn read.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I watched Ona walk toward the dining room door, I couldn't help thinking that I wouldn't be surprised at all if somebody had tried to kill her. In fact, I was surprised it had taken so long.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun mix of a hard boiled “last private eye on Earth” working within a futuristic timeframe. Humans are still selfish.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first one more.

[Somanxo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Witty , but gets a bit drawn out

[Jim Crigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous fun.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an entertaining romp, and I didn't feel too out of the loop for not having read the prior book. Lots of jokes, nothing too serious.

[Lenora · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥

[Debbie Wert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous, silly and good old fashion sci-fi mystery.

[Ford Prefect · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is like popcorn. This second book keeps on delivering more of what we got in the first!

[Ines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ona, Twoa, Threa and Foraa Thompson were enhanced at birth by their brilliant scientist father to become super-humans. Known as the "Quads", the famous four sisters don't get along since the death of their father, and are therefore adored by the media. The mystery starts when Ona Thompson invites her sisters for dinner and things don't go exactly as planned as Foraa ends up dead - but not before leaving an encrypted message behind. Ona hires Zach to find the killer or to at least prove her innocence, but it's the computer HARV that gets excited at the possibility of solving the puzzle and play the detective. But even though it seems to be just a murder, it may well be that Zach has to save the world. Again.

It is always great when you enjoy the first book of a series (The Plutonium Blonde) and the second one is as good as the first! I loved this "locked room mystery", and to me it felt like an homage to the likes of Agatha Christie. But there's where the comparisons end because if the familiar twists and turns are all there, the silliness of several characters and the brilliant interaction between Zach and HARV will make you laugh out loud and prevent anyone of taking the story too seriously. These mysteries are hilarious and Zach is an amazing character - I wouldn't want him any other way, despite of what his girlfriend probably has to say about it.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one better paced than the first, which makes sense, since it often seems that the second book in any series is better. The author has already set up the world so they can spend less time on that this go around. I did find it annoying when he kept reexplaining things from the first book, such as who was who and such, it just never seems to flow right and this book was no exception.


Overall the characters and the world they have created seemed more natural and to flow better and the story seemed to unravel and progress naturally without feeling forced, except for the above mentioned explanation of things from the first book....oh and the use of the word nano instead of minuet or second.

And while I didn't find the resolution of the mystery that big of a surprise, it was a lot of fun how they got us there and it didn't feel rushed or tacked on just as a way to tie up the loose ends.

I can see how reading to many of these in a row could burn you out on the series, but so far as a sporadic break from heavier reading I am really enjoying this series.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

GraphicAudio is a fantastic concept really, a throw back to the old radio dramas of the 30s and 40s, making use of modern technology to create amazingly well produced full cast audiobooks. With the right source material, it's going to be a gold idea every time.

John Zakour's series about the last Private Eye is wacky, ridiculous and hilarious - a perfect match for GraphicAudio and a stunning, highly entertaining package over all.

The twists and turns never really stop from the first page onwards, and underneath the anything goes humour is a very cleverly crafted story that plants seeds early on and pays them off with style. It's not long but the pace never slackens and the ending ties everything up in a very satisfying way.

Highly recommended.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first Zach Johnson book years ago, when it was new. I didn't even know they made a series of novels until about a month ago. Great stuff. Doing a hard-boiled, science fiction, detective, comedic series sounds like it can be tough, but Zarkour and Ganem pull it off well.

An interesting mystery, that kind of drags in the middle. But the characters are so entertaining you hardly notice. (I think it helps that the book is a fairly short 350 pages.) Once things pick up, the book takes a ton of twists and turns, maybe too many, in fact. But again, you're having so much fun reading the characters you forgive the plot flaws.

Not a perfect novel, but a damn good time nonetheless.

[Made DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Zach Johnson, the last detective on Earth is called in to investigate the murder of a woman who is nigh invulnerable, all hell breaks loose.

Set in the near future, the Doomsday Brunette is an excellent modern-day pulp fiction novel of humor and action. This is the second novel in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone work. Perfect for light, yet enthralling reading.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the pulpy, tongue-in-cheek yet "reverent" sci-fi PI story that Zakour has created. He shows respect to both genres but absolutely leaves his fingerprint on them, making something that is uniquely his own. They are always fun, often laugh out loud. The real relationships and banter between his characters makes me feel right at home.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable novel. I thought the pastiche of pulp sci-fi and detective worked together very well and avoided the heavy, over-the-top clichés that I feared going in. There were a few places where I laughed out loud. Very well-done, and I will definitely read more in this series in the future.