The story opens with a crime scene that appears ordinary at first glance. A nerdy tech guy named Roddy Tebbit is found dead with a gunshot to the head, lying on his apartment floor. However, many things are unusual about the victim. He looks like a basketball player around 30 years old, but he is actually a Titan who has been dosed with T7 therapy, a treatment that only the ultra-rich can afford to maintain their youthfulness as genetically-altered elites of society. What's more, he is ninety years old, a fact that raises questions about the therapy's effectiveness.

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway | Hachette UK Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway | Hachette UK

But Titans are Cal’s specialty. In fact, his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any Titan—she’s Stefan’s daughter, heir to the Tonfamecasca empire. As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, he begins to unweave the complicated threads of what should have been a straightforward case, and it soon becomes clear he’s on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world. But Titans are Cal’s specialty. In fact, his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any Titan—she’s Stefan’s daughter, heir to the Tonfamecasca empire. As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, he begins to unweave the complicated threads of what should have been a s Having noted a few anomalies at the scene, Cal follows up with a janitor with a hair fetish, the apartment commissionaire, neighbours, a casual lover, and the source of Roddy’s take-out last meal: he’s thorough. Turns out Roddy was down as an organ donor, so the cadaver upcycling depot gets a visit. He was a researcher at the University, so the somewhat anxious dean, and some of Roddy’s students, are questioned. The book itself is a propulsive, near-perfect blend of classic noir with current sci-fi - I found the overall world-building quite similar to "Altered Carbon," or at least Season 1 of the Netflix series (I haven't seen Season 2 yet or actually read the book).An exemplar of its genre, Titanium Noir twists and turns between excellent fun and deep melancholy." — The New York Times Book Review Titanium Noir blends the best of the science fiction and crime genres to create something vibrant and new. Captivating from start to finish. Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he is surprised at first to see that the victim appears to be a rather typical techie. But on closer inspection, he finds the victim is over seven feet tall. Clearly, he is a Titan – one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically-altered elites. What if each dose resulted in the recipient becoming larger and heavier until they were several times the size and weight of an undosed human?

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway - Fantastic Fiction Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway - Fantastic Fiction

I don't read a lot of noir as I'm not interested in dark, gritty, or depressing, and noir can be all three. Cal Sounder's Noirish style of commentary on his investigation into the death of a man that it shouldn't have been possible to murder served to integrate a complicated and intriguing murder plot and a view of a future world that made the gap between the really rich and the rest even more impossible to close than it is today. Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he’s surprised by the routineness of it all. But when he arrives on scene, Cal soon learns that the victim—Roddy Tebbit, an otherwise milquetoast techie—is well over seven feet tall. And although he doesn’t look a day over thirty, he is ninety-one years old. Tebbit is a Titan—one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically altered elites. And this case is definitely Cal’s thing. The book is absolutely riveting, with an intriguing and darkly sarcastic tone. The short, entertaining dialogues keep the reader's interest intact. The way the twisty mystery unfolds is also satisfying enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. No es fantasía porque la ciencia es la que produce a estos Titanes. Élite de humanos super ricos que pueden pagarse el tratamiento que los vuelve jóvenes de nuevo, cura todas las dolencias y debido a la naturaleza de la técnica empleada para ello, también les hace crecer por encima de las medidas humanas, en altura, musculatura y apetitos. Ademas les hace inmortales, porque... porqué no?Titanium Noir is a beautifully twisted, fast-paced neo-cyberpunk fairy tale. The perfect blend of Raymond Chandler and William Gibson.” There are two strands to this story. The first is the murder of a Titan living the most unTitan-like life ever, living in a small apartment and working at the university instead of the glitz, glamour, and elitism that comes from being able to afford to be a Titan. It reads like a detective noir, as you would expect from the title. There are many rich, memorable characters, from the hard-as-nails female nightclub owner to the battered damsel-in-distress, the club singer with a heart of gold and the privelieged college boy struggling with his family’s expectations. It is all so familiar, and the added sci-fi element of the Titans and updated technology brings a freshness, so none of the characters is a cliche. Titanium Noir is a perfect blend of sci-fi and detective noir genres. Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway review: A visionary piece of

A pretty good detective caper set in the near future with good world building, interesting characters and a fast-moving pace. I think the cover is very cool, but a little misleading. There are no significant characters that are androids or robots etc here. Crime stories and detectives are not my normal genre. My first Harkaway. I think I want more... Cal Sounder is a man with a very specific job. Some might say he’s a cop, others may just refer to him as a detective, but really he’s more a medical private eye. He’s only hired whenever a Titan might be involved in a case. A chemically enhanced elite member of society who has forgotten mortality, and grown to eight feet tall, with the mass to match. Only those worthy of the serum (read: friends with the inventor/rights holder), and physical/mental fortitude to survive the process have access. So it’s definitely not good that one of them has been found dead, and Sounder has to mind his footsteps as he rummages through the evidence, lest he trip under the unimpeded footsteps of the very Titans he’s trying to exonerate. As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, he begins to unravel the complicated threads of what should have been a straightforward case, and it soon becomes clear he’s on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world. Titanium Noir is a tightly woven, intricate tale of murder, betrayal, and vengeance. But the SF element drew me. The writing is a tour-de-force. Such tight, descriptive, stylish prose, blending noir and Blade Runner-esque mean streets with a SFnal overlay. What kept me going was Cal Sounder's sardonic humor, as well as the sense that he was a good person at the substrate. Harkaway (né Cornwall, aka le Carré) is a revelation here, and caused me to create a new bookshelf - "nepo authors" - for him and other children of more famous writers, (Max Brooks, Joe Hill, Jeff Shaara and probably more still to be discovered*); not meant at all in a negative way, but more like " damn, I guess talent really is in the genes."The tone is set in the first few opening lines, in the sparse, take no prisoners, non conversation between Cal and the Captain as they head towards the crime scene. Cal Sounder is occasionally hired by the police as a specialist detective when certain sensitive cases need a special touch. Thanks to a controversial new gene therapy drug, T7, there are a few thousand elite Titans. Taller, stronger and bigger in every way, Titans are men and women rich enough to buy themselves out of death. So when one does turn up dead, Cal has the right insider knowledge and connections to investigate it without becoming public knowledge, especially because his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is not only a Titan herself but also the daughter of the man who invested T7, Stefan Tonfamecasca. But when a Titan turns up murdered, then even Cal must think differently to find a killer before they strike again. Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he is surprised at first to see that the victim appears to be a rather typical, milquetoast techie. But on closer inspection, he finds the victim is over seven feet tall. And even though he doesn’t look a day over thirty, he is actually ninety years old. Clearly, he is a Titan—one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically-altered elites. There are only a few thousand Titans worldwide, all thanks to Stefan Tonfamecasca’s discovery of the controversial T7 genetic therapy, which elevated his family to near godlike status. A dead Titan is big news... a murdered Titan is unimaginable.

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Cal Sounder is a private detective who serves as a consultant to the local police on all matters Titan. Cal has an in with the Titans’ founding family, a previous relationship with the daughter of the man who discovered the therapy, and that proximity gives him insight and access unavailable to average cops. When he’s called in on the death of an unusual Titan, a quiet and unassuming university professor, the case proves a classic noir mystery of twists, dead-end leads and surprise reveals. The saving grace could have been some of more interesting nooks and crannies hidden among the play of shadows. The danger of ossified power structures, controlled by larger than life players who are as close to immortal as one could get. The Titans’ vulnerability hiding within the intimate relations amongst the very people playing at Gods. Sounder could have mapped out the contours of the world, like an ant finding a picnic and making its getaway to bring on the might of the colony. But instead, the man just stayed in his lane and added a few details to the world. But again, he was quite guarded as if the Titans themselves could read his own thoughts. Sure he made some pretty strategic moves that helped solve the case, but the case never truly revealed anything. Power will do what it can to remain in power, and we must recognize that, maybe even respect it. Bingo. Didn’t need an overloaded case to make that claim.The mystery is well-crafted, and the characters are well-developed and engaging. The book takes us on a thrilling journey from opulent, affluent locations to the seediest bars and life-and-death cage matches. The world-building is excellent, and the story keeps readers guessing until the very end.