Red Planet Noir [Paperback]

D B Grady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2009

Winner of the 2010 Indie Book Award for Science Fiction.

Michael Sheppard was the best private eye in New Orleans, and then his wife left him. He finds solace in the bottle and his career in the toilet. Nights at the casino pay the bills, until they don't, and leg breakers start knocking at the door, and knocking out his teeth.

When he's hired by a bombshell heiress to check out a murder on Mars, it's a chance for a new start. But as the case unfolds, he makes enemies of cops and gangsters alike in an investigation racing from stately mansions to smoke-filled speakeasies, from deserted ice colonies to mining towns on the asteroid belt.

All he wanted was a paycheck to clear some gambling debt. Now Michael is the key figure in a murder conspiracy that's left a vacuum in the halls of power, with the labor union, mob and military vying for control of Mars.

RED PLANET NOIR is for science fiction and hardboiled mystery fans alike. Living on Mars can be murder.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

When the phone rang, I was half-drunk, half-dressed, half-asleep, and half expecting it to be the phone company reminding me that the bill was past due. I didn't have any money because I didn't have any clients, and I wouldn't have any clients if they cut my line, which I had told them only last month and the month before that. They were becoming a nuisance.

So I pulled on a shirt that wasn't very dirty, but smelled of Scotch and strippers, my signature cologne, and pressed the Answer button. A figure flickered on the telephone screen. The phone company only hired brunettes, because that's what the owner liked to fool around with, and only hired men, for the same reason. She was neither, and carried her curves as if to prove the point.

"Mike speaking," I said, fishing a lighter from my shirt pocket.

"Mike Sheppard, the private investigator?" she asked...

About the Author

D.B. Grady is a graduate of Louisiana State University and lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife and family. He is a former U.S. Army paratrooper and a veteran of Afghanistan. Previous publications include short stories and essays. RED PLANET NOIR is his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Brown Street Press (November 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964167433
• ISBN-13: 978-0964167438
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

D.B. Grady is a graduate of Louisiana State University and lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife and family.

He is a former U.S. Army paratrooper and a veteran of Afghanistan.

Previous publications include a novel, short stories, and essays. Grady is a member of the Authors Guild and is represented by Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Stellar Debut Novel, December 15, 2009

By 

D. E. Mack (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Red Planet Noir (Paperback)

Private eye Mike Sheppard has lots of personal and professional problems, and lots of incentive to go to Mars to investigate the murder of a beautiful woman's father. But he has no idea what he's getting into.

This story is a unique take on the hard-boiled detective story. Sheppard is truly a "fish out of water" -- a 1940s-style PI wisecracking his way through a perilous investigation on the Red Planet sometime after Earth's apocalypse. (And Mars is a "no smoking" planet, at that -- not a good place for a chain-smoking PI.) However, underneath all the jokes (including a running one-liner I loved about his need for "a smoke"), there lurks a wounded man. Sheppard is likable for both his humor and his vulnerability.

With an obvious facility for words, a great sense of humor and a unique voice, D.B. Grady has written a story that has both emotional depth and a sense of high adventure. There were several points where I laughed out loud (unusual for me) and a couple of parts where I thought I'd weep (during a chapter of backstory about Mars' history -- an unusual, but well-crafted, departure from the first person narrative). The plot is a page-turner, gripping you more the farther you get into it.

I would only note that the clues (including the one that solves the murder) were somewhat easy for me to spot (but I write mysteries and read a LOT of them). In addition, the ending while noir-ish, is not typical noir. Even so, the story is highly enjoyable and, while the protagonist may follow the old-style model, the story is anything but formulaic.

I highly recommend this book and hope to read many more Mike Sheppard mysteries.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting debut, November 30, 2009

By 

Kris Gallagher "krisgal58" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red Planet Noir (Paperback)

Down-on-his-luck private eye Mike Sheppard jumps at the chance to travel to Mars for a high-profile case involving a death under suspicious circumstances. He expects to escape his many problems on Earth, but instead encounters murder, mayhem, and mysteries that threaten his life and seem to point to a larger conspiracy. A combination of hard-boiled detective tradition and science fiction elements, the story is fast-paced and exciting. The writing is top notch, the minor characters are wonderful, and the character of Mike Sheppard is sympathetic and attractive. Hope for more very soon from D.B. Grady.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read..., November 25, 2009

By 

CalebK - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Planet Noir (Paperback)

Excellent read! D. B. Grady's control of language and narrative worked hand and hand to bring a story full of science fictional imagination, sprinkled with beads of familiar realism.