Official Review: Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a S...

[unamilagra]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn" by Carl H Mitchell.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In the year 2057, the world has experienced major shortages of both food and natural resources, leading to a widespread energy crisis and famine. Having been created from the defunct United Nations in order to help regulate the distribution of resources, the World Council and its leader, Jason Beck, have used their mission to increase their own power while slowly chipping away at the rights of individual nations and their citizens. All that may change when United States President Lenora Allison’s vision is completed: an overhead grid that will harness the sun’s power and bring back electricity to Manhattan. The world watches with bated breath to see how the grid will work. Will it mean the end of the energy crisis and the chokehold that the World Council has had on the world population?

When the vice president and four members of his security detail wind up murdered and dumped on the front steps of New York City Hall just days before the grid lighting ceremony, Detective Nick Garvey is put on the case and told to solve it as quickly as possible. The vice president’s murder is just the first in a series of shocking events that have Nick convinced that someone is willing to go to any length possible to stop the grid from being lit.

Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn by Carl H. Mitchell is a detective novel that is packed with action from beginning to end. There are a lot of characters in this book, and I was glad I took notes on them so I could remember who they were. The book follows many people’s perspectives, some good, some bad, and some who are maybe a little bit of both. The main characters are Nick Garvey and Jason Beck. Both of them are well developed, and their motives are well explained. I feel like there are a few minor characters that could have been eliminated from the book completely, but most of the secondary characters are interesting and contribute to the book’s intrigue. Humorous quips and sidebars keep the novel from getting too serious.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the plot. Its many twists and turns kept me flying through the pages. Despite the author providing perspectives from both good and bad characters, I was still completely blindsided by several developments. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the manner in which the author included the “history” that happened between present day and 2057. Rather than slowing down the plot with info dumps, key historical events were cleverly incorporated into the plot little by little in a way that increased the book’s suspense while answering the reader’s questions.

There are very few complaints I can come up with about this book. In addition to a few characters that could be eliminated, I did notice a few plot inconsistencies. For example, when one character is telling the detective about the boss of his organization, he states that he only saw him in person one time. Then he goes on to explain the habits his boss typically had in a way that made it seem like he had seen him with regularity. Overall though, any minor downsides of the book were heavily outweighed by the exciting plot, interesting characters, and touch of humor. I happily rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I found the book to be edited well, as I noticed only a few minor mistakes. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes exciting detective tales and futuristic settings.

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Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn
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[djr6090]

I read this book last year and found it just as you say. I hadn't noticed the gradual incorporation of the back-story, but now I realize it was there. That was a clever writing trick, and very obsdervant of you to bring out. Well written, thanks.

[NetMassimo]

Basically it's a detective story with a science fiction setting, or at least we hope it remains science fiction considering the catastrophic situation of that future. Seems really interesting, also considering your mention of the ending. Thank your for your informative review!

[Charlyt]

I like mystery and detective stories so I might like to read this one. The futuristic setting is interesting too. Thanks for a great review!

[unamilagra]

I read this book last year and found it just as you say. I hadn't noticed the gradual incorporation of the back-story, but now I realize it was there. That was a clever writing trick, and very obsdervant of you to bring out. Well written, thanks.

I'm glad you enjoyed the book as much as I did! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Basically it's a detective story with a science fiction setting, or at least we hope it remains science fiction considering the catastrophic situation of that future. Seems really interesting, also considering your mention of the ending. Thank your for your informative review!

Thank you for commenting!

I like mystery and detective stories so I might like to read this one. The futuristic setting is interesting too. Thanks for a great review!

Thank you for stopping by!

[Ekta Swarnkar]

It is an interesting detective story. I am thrilled to know that action has a major role in it. I am going to read this book some time. Thanks for the review!

[DC Brown]

I enjoyed this book as well! Thanks for a fine review!

[Tomah]

The premise is really interesting, and fans of detective stories with plenty of twists and turns should find plenty to enjoy. Maybe I'll look into it someday. Thanks for the review!

[Prisallen]

I enjoy action-packed books, especially if they have good characters, a good plot, and lots of twists and turns. Therefore, I'm going to have to take a look at this one. Thanks for your informative and well-written review!

[unamilagra]

It is an interesting detective story. I am thrilled to know that action has a major role in it. I am going to read this book some time. Thanks for the review!

I hope you enjoy it if you do end up reading it. Thank you for stopping by!

I enjoyed this book as well! Thanks for a fine review!

I'm glad you liked it as much as I did. Thanks for commenting!

The premise is really interesting, and fans of detective stories with plenty of twists and turns should find plenty to enjoy. Maybe I'll look into it someday. Thanks for the review!

Thank you for taking the time to comment!

I enjoy action-packed books, especially if they have good characters, a good plot, and lots of twists and turns. Therefore, I'm going to have to take a look at this one. Thanks for your informative and well-written review!

I hope you enjoy the book if you check it out. Thank you for commenting!

[AvidBibliophile]

Detective tales in futuristic settings, political murders, restricted individual rights, and an insatiable desire to harness solar energy! Now that sounds like quite the story indeed. Enjoyable review with lots of helpful impressions, thank you!

[Julius_]

As a fan of time travel novel, your review has made me so curious. I cant wait to see what hapens after the famine. Thanks for the review

[Nkoo]

This book appears to have some of the elements of a good read like action-packed, good plot with nice twists and turns as well as good editing. I should check it out already. Thanks for a beautiful review.

[unamilagra]

Detective tales in futuristic settings, political murders, restricted individual rights, and an insatiable desire to harness solar energy! Now that sounds like quite the story indeed. Enjoyable review with lots of helpful impressions, thank you!

Thank you for commenting!

As a fan of time travel novel, your review has made me so curious. I cant wait to see what hapens after the famine. Thanks for the review

Thanks for stopping by!

This book appears to have some of the elements of a good read like action-packed, good plot with nice twists and turns as well as good editing. I should check it out already. Thanks for a beautiful review.

I hope you decide to check it out. Thanks for your comment!

[Nisha Ward]

Oh. I like this plot and the way it incorporates a future that could be very real. It doesn't quite fall into the new solarpunk trend but I do love the way it centers around solar energy and the political stuff behind it.