4 out of 4 stars
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Carl H. Mitchell has delivered a unique crime/mystery novel, Sundown:Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn. It is the year 2057 and the world's oil supply has been severely depleted by a bioengineered DNA strand that turned the oil into an unusable sludge. The world has been drastically changed by this development including the minimilization of the medical field due to strict regulations being placed on bioengineering and DNA research, The loss of resources for the production of electricity has left this in short supply. President Allison has had a solar grid built over the city of New York, if this endeavor works the world will once again have an infinite supply of electricity. The Vice President is murdered and the intrigue begins. Who would benefit from the failure of the grid and who would stop at nothing to undermine the President's project for a better world?
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book was the many relatable characters. Nick, a detective for the police department is well developed and his seemingly bumbling demeanor makes him a very endearing character. Two other characters stood out for me as well, Half-Penny, a teenager who worked for a group of people who kidnaps infants but is arrested by Nick, and another youth who Nick encounters during the investigation of the death of the Vice President. These characters brought a great dynamic to the story and their dialogue endeared this book to me.
This book stood out in another way as well, the author has brought some dystopian elements to the story. The world's resources are greedily controlled by a group that has touted uniting the world while manipulating the laws to help them maintain control of the remaining resources. This has wrought negative changes to the world, especially where law enforcement is concerned. Different factions of police are now being implemented within the various levels of government and within the separate communities. This makes for interesting tensions in the book.
The main critique I had for this novel was the cover. With such a catchy title , I thought the cover was a little dull. I think this could be a detriment to the overall sales of the novel.
I awarded Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn four out of four stars for it's one-of-a-kind ideas, excellent dialogue and action. I recommend this book to audiences who enjoy a fast-paced read with a simple plot but plenty of stuff packed in to keep the pages turning. There was no explicit violence, even though this is a crime novel, and another surprise, no vulgarity or course language. All readers of mystery and crime would enjoy this novel.
Lastly, this novel was well edited and I only found a couple of very minor mistakes. Entertaining, simple and unique, I hope you enjoy this little gem.
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Sundown
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