Customer Reviews

She Murdered Me with Science

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a great deal of fun reading She Murdered Me with Science. David Boop takes all the rich atmosphere of noir detective fiction and seasons with the superscience and global conspiracies of the pulp tradition that Indiana Jones rose from. His hero is a weary detective, maybe not too weary to dream of making the world a better place -- assuming he lives that long. From the moment he discovers an eccentric industrialist in his office, he's kept on the move by a variety of villains -- or possibly allies with deeply mixed motives. It's a classic series of chases, detection, and shifting explanations on the way to a spectacular climax. She Murdered Me with Science is great summer reading.

Those glorious golden age sci-fi pulp magazines have now been reincarnated with the introduction of five trade paperback science fiction novels of galactic adventure, save-the-world suspense, and the merged technologies of magic and science. "She Murdered Me With Science" showcases David Boop's storytelling talent in a tale of intrigue when a disgraced scientist turned forensic analyst uncovers a conspiracy to take over the United States. With their brightly colored 'pulp magazine' style covers, all five of these new titles from Flying Pen Press are enthusiastically recommended for fantasy and science fiction enthusiasts, and would make enduringly popular addition to community library collections.

This is the first novel from the author and it definitely brings a twist to the pulp detective genre. The book features an interesting and flawed lead character that is often struggling with his own inner demons as often as he is struggling against the antagonists. Liberally sprinkled with sci fi elements and conspiracy theories, the story zooms alongs and exposes a deepening plot filled with a wide range of unique characters that all have their own agendas. Boop has found ways to weave historical events and people into his fictional story to give it a sense of place and purpose beyond a casual pulp adventure and it lays a foundation universe for hopefully many more Noel Glass adventures to come. Definitely a suggested read.

In She Murdered Me With Science, David Boop creates an intriguing alternate version of our time. Weaving a cast of colorful and memorable characters within a noir style, Boop succeeds in creating a story that is easy and fun to. The novel flows well, utilizing the noir-ific flashbacks, damaged protagonist, beautiful femme fatale, and circuitous plot bringing you along for the ride of Noel Glass's life. I enjoyed the science fiction aspects of an alternate time-line while still integrating historical figures, political and contemporary events, and blending actual historical facts to increase the believability of the world - it really could have happened.

Noel's world collapsed while at NMIT when an explosion killed several people including his fiancée'. We find Noel 14-years later disgraced, broken, barely aware of his surroundings or even care what his life has become. This part takes place in Industrial City, a bleak place between Colorado Springs and Denver. I have traveled I-25 many times, looking for the exit, but seem to be gone now. Glass' only friend, who happens to be his neighbor in his broken down room to rent, is a Japanese man going by the name of Wan-Lee. The name confused me, until I read on his site how many Americans couldn't distinguish Asians, in the Old West, and gave them similar names. Their games of Go provide symbolism and balance to guide Noel. Boop's interweaving of Asian and back-alley cultures lend a real feel to the city.

Noel is a believable and flawed person. His life is a roadmap of potholes through disgrace and strives toward redemption. Along the way, Noel finds an evil organization #seeking world domination of course#, and interacts with interesting supporting characters and actual historical persons. Glass struggles through the miasma of his life, trying to find out what really happened at NMIT and what is happening all around him now.

How does he know who to trust or what to believe? Why are the CIA and Russian Secret Service interested in what he is doing? How does his Japanese sidekick #Wan Lee# fit into the puzzle? No Noir can be complete without the femme fatale, played so ably by Ms Merlot Sterling, a sultry blues singer that is poured into her dress. Oh did you forget the two Mayan hit men, the masks and back-story come straight from history aptly adapted to the current timeline.

This is an excellent and fun read. I highly recommend the time. However, be warned, you will not want to put it down, so don't start it unless you can commit to enjoy.

The joy of pulps is how some are so hard to categorize, case in point this terrific novel set in an alternate 1950s. It's part detective story, Hitchcock chase thriller and all out pulp adventure all rolled into one.

Noel Glass is a disgraced scientist whose experiments with microwaves went horribly awry and killed six of his colleagues, including the woman he loved. Disgraced and banished from the scientific community, Glass, fifteen years later, is self-employed in Chicago as a private detective; a rather unique gumshoe in that he uses his genius intellect to help the police with difficult cases. Keeping in mind the setting is the 50s before forensic sciences were even known, let alone available. Glass is very much the science-detective to his small number of associates.

When a wealthy industrialist approaches him and reveals that tragedy that ruined his life was no accident, but a manipulated murder, Glass finds is propelled into the most important case of his career. In the process he becomes framed for murder and branded a spy and traitor. Suddenly he's being hunted by the C.I.A., the F.B.I. and the Army as one of the most dangerous men in country. The only positive note in the entire affair is the fact that he not alone in his dilemma. Accompanying him as he races across the South West attempting to evade the authorities, are a Japanese entrepreneur with extraordinary martial arts skill named Wan Lee and a gorilla of gunman named Vincent.

Before their journey is reaches its conclusion, these three will deal with Russian sleeper agents, the assignation of Joseph Stalin and the many tentacles of a super secret organization bent on destroying the world so as to rebuild it into some technocratic utopia. Oh, and there's also a beautiful femme fatale songstress somehow involved with it all. Talk about throwing in the kitchen sink, this book has it all and then some.

The writing is brisk, peppered throughout with colorful slang true to the era. It's pacing is very Saturday matinee cliff-hanger, as Glass if forever falling into one dangerous situation after another and having to extricate himself any way he can, either with sheer brute strength or his exemplary mental prowess. All the while trying to solve the riddle of his past.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year and David Boop is a writer you need to put on your radar. He's fresh, original and laces his work with a spirit of zany, madcap fun that is truly infectious. Be good to yourself this Christmas season and pick up a copy of SHE MURDERED ME WITH SCIENCE. You can thank me later.

Take Dick Tracey, Sam Spade, Joe Palooka and James Bond, mix them with some knowledge of chemistry, physics and history, and you'll have Noel Glass. Batman couldn't ask for more interesting villains to fight. This book is non-stop action from start to finish. I very much enjoyed it, and hope to see this private eye again.

Very entertaining read...the love child of Sam Spade and Flash Gordon. Some of the lingo/characterization might be somewhat offensive to modern sensibilities, but it has that retro thing going on.

I am often perplexed by the largess and fame that some of the big names in Sci-Fi and Fantasy garner when I buy the first book in their signature series and find myself disappointed. I read a lot of fiction and I recognize when someone has taken one idea and tried to make a trilogy out of it. Then there are the writers who have a grand scope and vision for their stories but they read like technical manuals. The best in the business such as Larry Niven, Alan Dean Foster, Simon Green, Jack L. Chalker, David Farland and Piers Anthony, to name only a few, suffer from neither of the aforementioned qualities and David Boop's "She Blinded me with Science" is a book that belongs among the ranks of those distinguished authors works.

It was Larry Niven himself who once said that it is a sin to waste the readers time and David Boop does not disappoint. From the extensively researched period slang to the science to the very funny humor throughout the book to the story itself I thoroughly enjoyed my time in his Universe. And then, just when I thought David had provided me with simply nothing other then an excellent reading experience he ups the ante by providing a quite plausible explanation to one of the mysteries of our modern technological society that has puzzled me for quite some time and which I had not thought of myself nor seen discussed elsewhere among other fiction or non-fiction sources.

Two thumbs up!

Detective Noir and Pulp Sci-Fi have never been so damn fun! This alternate history thrill-ride is fast paced and comedy laced~impossible to put down! Boop has created a bevy of fascinating and entertaining characters who are easy to care about even as you giggle at the outrageous situations in which they find themselves while pitted against the evil-doers angling to destroy the world...and the plot to end it all is one that will absolutely blow the reader's mind! Full of witty narration and snappy dialogue, this book rings with the edgy charm of the classic pulps while offering a hindsight perspective on history (however rewritten) which ingratiates the reader to the events surrounding Noel Glass's adventure. A superb read, highly recommended!

She Murdered Me With Science has all the twists and turns and backstabs you'd expect from a hard-boiled mystery, with just a little bit of sci-fi thrown in. Don't make any mistake about that - though the book is presented as a mixture of the genres, it's more mystery than sci-fi. Sure, there's a death ray and a super-soldier treatment, but the technology doesn't get much wackier than that.

Which isn't a knock against the book at all. This thing moves like a train and doesn't stop until the last page, with colorful characters and crazy situations coming at you non-stop. And the dialogue! The writer talks about the research he did into period slang, and it shows in every page. I loved reading this thing.

I was a little disappointed in the final fate of Noel's water car (the bit of new technology that kicks the story off). It almost felt like Boop realized near the end that he needed some sort of closure on that point and dealt with it in the way that would be least disruptive to the universe he was building, so as to make the sequel easier to write. It felt dismissive.

But other than that, a great effort by Mr. Boop. Here's hoping there's a sequel coming down the pike soon. Also, I would have read this sooner if there was a Kindle version available.