Customer Reviews

Mathew Swain: The Deadliest Show in Town

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I like punchy dialogue and Mike McQuay writes some snappy bits of verbal sparring that constantly make me giggle! I agree that these Mathew Swain books would all make enjoyable films. Robert Rodriguez or Richard Linklater (both being from Texas) would be the ideal directors for its southern-fried sci fi vibe.

This is another enjoyable entry in the Swain series. The plot is notable for containing a very early description of what would later be called "virtual reality" and Mquay once again supplies an abundance of funny one-liners and witty rejoinders, all set in an evocative post-nuke Texas! If Blade Runner and the Fifth Element had been set in Houston, it might look a little bit like this...

This is cyber-punk before there was such a thing. The future that McQuay paints..."where ghettos are war zones, the rich hide behind six inches of armor plate, and the cops work for the highest bidder"...is compelling and his use of language is superb. These Mathew Swain books are dedicated to Raymond Chandler and its a very apt choice; Mike McQuay has created the perfect futuristic private eye, a wise-cracking cynic cut from the same cloth as Sam Spade and The Continental Op.