Ex-KOP [Hardcover]

Warren Hammond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

In this hardboiled science fiction thriller, Juno, having been booted off the police force, is barely getting by as a low-level bagman and photographer for the scandal rags. But it gets worse: his wife is in critical condition at the hospital and Juno doesn’t have the money to pay her bills. Desperate for cash, Juno agrees to help his ex-partner, Maggie Orzo, solve a difficult case. A young girl sits on death row, accused of brutally murdering her own parents. She’s confessed to the murders, but Maggie isn’t buying it, so she sends Juno out to get some answers.

Working with Maggie, Juno comes into contact with her new partner, Ian. As dirty as they come, Ian is eager to rise in the police force no matter what the cost. Somehow Ian, a vicious serial killer, and the girl on death row are all connected. It is up to Juno and Maggie to find out how before more people die.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This hard-bitten follow-up to Hammond's 2007 science fiction noir debut KOP, set in the 28th century on the technologically backward world of Lagarto, offers further evidence of his considerable talents. A former member of the Koba Office of Police, Juno Mozambe has been forced into retirement by corrupt detective Diego Banks, who murdered Koba's previous police chief. Now a sleazy, broke PI, nothing but a drunken old has-been, Mozambe reluctantly lets his ex-partner Maggie Orzo hire him to exonerate Adela Juarez, a young woman about to be executed for murdering her parents. Orzo suspects her current partner and rival, Ian Davies, of framing Juarez. Mozambe struggles through a mire of corruption and violence to get the answers and protect his own loved ones. Koba is a tough town full of desperate people, and Hammond makes full use of this richly imagined society. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

After getting fired, aging detective Juno of the economically depressed colony planet Lagarto has been making a scant living photographing scandals for the papers. His wife is hospitalized after what Juno only wishes were an accident, and all his money goes to her medical bills. So when his ex-partner, Maggie, offers to hire him to investigate a murder case she believes her new partner, Ian, is falsifying, he agrees, despite already knowing what bad news Ian is. While Maggie works the case of a sadistic serial killer, Juno tracks down the truth, discovering that his case and Maggie’s are linked parts of a sickening undercover operation, and that Ian is even more dangerous then he thought. Ex-Kop is even better than Kop (2007), involving as it does all the best elements of an sf crime thriller: engrossing, high-stakes case; a fascinating setting; and a downtrodden, dogged hero whose worthiness outshines his flaws. Readers can only hope Hammond gives us more stories of Juno and his jungle world. --Krista Hutley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765312743
• ISBN-13: 978-0765312747
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,538,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story with Compelling Characters, October 1, 2008

By 

Book Lover "Book Lover" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ex-KOP (Hardcover)

As a reader of Hammond's first novel, KOP, I pre-ordered Ex-KOP and read it in two days. I loved it!

There are so many themes that Hammond plays with here: an aging detective (Juno) who fights the good fight when he can but has made more than his share of bad choices, a younger and more idealistic detective (Maggie) who still believes that Juno has "the right stuff" in him, and a world beset by poverty and crime.

But at the heart of this story, as with KOP, in my view, is the relationship between Juno and Maggie. The book begins with the descent of Juno, and while Maggie may have no other choice than to turn to him, you could look at her attempts as giving him an opportunity to redeem himself.

Hammond's writing is raw and unadorned, and he is much heavier on psychological insight than on flowery passages. People comment frequently on the "noir" aspect of his writing, but I see hope glimmering through as well. I am eager to see where he takes these characters.

A great book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This sequel does not disappoint., October 11, 2008

By 

Pax Rolfe (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ex-KOP (Hardcover)

Like another reviewer, I had read KOP and pre-ordered Ex-KOP. It is as good as the first and I can't wait for the third. All the elements are there: deep interesting characters, a complex environment, and a plot that doesn't try to out-think itself. BTW- anyone have any good guana recipes?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong mix of hard-boiled mystery with dark SF, September 11, 2009

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ex-KOP (Hardcover)

Juno Mozambe was a corrupt cop. Now that the ex-chief of police is dead, Juno is out of his job as chief enforcer and trying to make a living with blackmail, private detecting, and anything that will pay the bills. Juno has a lot of bills...mostly starting with the cloned spine he's having grown for his wife. So, when the one honest cop on the force asks for his help, Juno sees a chance to make some money. He doesn't want to lie to her, but Maggie has plenty of money.

Maggie Orzo wants to solve the mysterious case of the mysterious serial killer, even though Juno promises there's no future in pursuing off-worlders. Residents of Lagarta do well not to mess with the off-worlders. Lagarta was poor, a backwater whose fate was made worse by its one-time wealth. But when Maggie's partner busts every finger on Juno's right hand and then threatens his wife, Juno has no choice but to escalate the matter. If Ian wants Juno to back off, Juno intends to do the opposite.

Author Warren Hammond creates a compelling noir world of constant rain, bugs, tent cities, and incredible technology that's simply out of reach for even affluent members of Largarta society. Juno, conflicted between his one-time goals, his need to keep his wife alive despite her wishes, and the evil things he's done along the way, makes for an intriguing and sympathetic character. We know from the start that there can be no total victories on Lagarta, and wonder whether even an incomplete victory is possible in the face of the opposition Juno and Maggie face.

The combination of hard-boiled detective fiction with Science Fiction is an increasingly popular sub-genre, and EX-KOP is an example of how well this can work. Certainly the parallels between Lagarta and third world countries in today's world are obvious. In a couple of places, however, it seemed to me that Hammond took shortcuts. Getting Ian to pay for the decryption Juno needed was clever, but I couldn't understand why Ian would want the files decrypted (or why he never asked for the plain text). I was also expecting a deeper explanation for Ian's transformation from a weak crybaby to the brutal man he became.

EX-KOP is strong science fiction. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for more by Hammond.