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.

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Harkaway’s depiction of the world is visceral and believable, the inequalities of today’s society extrapolated brilliantly to include a separate race of apparently superior humans. And his plotting is impeccable too. The reader is constantly one step behind Sounder, who is, in turn, one step behind the bad guys. It’s a morally grey world where no one really comes out smelling of roses, but Sounder’s moral compass just about leads him in the right direction by the end. A detective tries to investigate a killing in a dystopian city where the haves and have-nots are divided by more than just money. . . . Surprising and gratifying.” Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over. Our hero, Cal Sounder is a hard-boiled Gumshoe who uses the same kind of similes to describe the world that Philip Marlowe might have done if he'd been investigating a murder in a world where the truly wealthy had access to a drug that could extend their lives indefinitely and make them physically larger each time that they took it.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. Titanium Noir [is]a funny, voice-y book full of fantastic sentences that, as the youths say, absolutely slap. It’s the kind of writing that reminds you that poetry and detective fiction have a lot in common. . . .An exemplar of its genre, Titanium Noir twists and turns between excellent fun and deep melancholy.” Harkaway again delivers a satisfying, slightly out of the ordinary story. Think a mash up of The Maltese Falcon meets Superman. Cal Sounder is an independent police consultant called into investigate unusual cases. In this moment, it is the possible murder of a Titan. What is a Titan you ask? Titans are ordinary humans injected with T7 that reverses the aging process and in so doing makes the recipient bigger, stronger, and almost immortal. Only the wealthy few and well protected can afford the treatment. So how did one of them end up dead of a gunshot? Sounder follows in the steps of other famous gumshoes think Sam Spade or Mike Hammer, in hunting down the killer. Clues that lead him to ex-lovers, bad cops, bad guys, good bad guys, both ordinary and Titan, and finally to the most dangerous and powerful Titan of all. This Titanium fueled who-done-it will not disappoint. If you like noir mysteries, characters like Sam Spade, Mike Hammer with a touch of Harrison Ford in Blade Runner, then get in line for a shot of Titanium Noir. 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.

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway: 9780593535363

As Cal delves deeper into the investigation, it becomes evident that the roots of the crime run deep and threaten to shatter his world and the lives of those around him. The story’s second strand is Cal’s relationship with the Titans, especially Athena and her father, Tomas. Obviously, everything is connected; this is a story about a dead Titan, so it makes sense the man who invented T7 appears in it is right, but it also provides us with a deeper look at Cal and why he dislikes the Titans so much. Every tale gets in the case takes us closer and closer to the truth without giving away who killed the Titan until right at the very end. As someone who loves crime stories, I was satisfied in all aspects. I can see it as the start of a series, and I would be an immediate devotee, but I would also appreciate it if it remains as a stand-alone; the ending is that good. 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. 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. A highly entertaining, satisfying blend of classic detective noir and inventive speculative fiction’ the Guardian En este contexto una historia de detective (no del todo) privado y un crimen que resolver bordeando ambos lados de la linea que separa los humanos vulgares de los titanes.A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. 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. 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.

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

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on May 16, 2023. T7 injections turn ordinary humans into super beings. It’s incredibly expensive, highly desirable. It can save one from all sorts of physical challenges but your intellect doesn’t improve. Maybe that’s offset by living a few hundred years. Maybe?! Titanium Noir is a lot more noir than titanium, at least to start with. That balance tilts later on, but the book remains a mystery, a detective story, a procedural, much more than an allegory or modern myth (however much it is those things too). I had a lot of fun with this book. I highly recommend it to mystery fans, Noir fans, Speculative Fiction fans and anyone who is looking for a well-told tale that entertains you while making you think about how the world works. Titanium Noir blends the best of the science fiction and crime genres to create something vibrant and new. Captivating from start to finish.

I loved Cal and the all the Titan stuff was terrific. However, it also works wonderfully as a crime/detective novel and I was completely engaged in a very dark murder investigation. An exemplar of its genre, Titanium Noir twists and turns between excellent fun and deep melancholy.”— The New York Times Book Review A fusion of scifi-fantasy and crime noir. Detective Cal Sounder works with the police as a special investigator and is called to the scene of a 'socio-medical crime,' the murder of a Titan named Roddy Tebbit. Titans are regular humans who have received at least one infusion of Titanium 7, which is a treatment that stimulates rejuvenation of the body. Only the rich can afford it and it's sort of the fountain of youth people have been searching for for millennia. In the process of this rejuvenation, Titans also grow much taller and stronger, hence the name they've been given, like they are some kind of gods. The victim, Roddy, is at least 7 foot tall.

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway review: A visionary piece of

Titanium Noir is a fun, twisty detective novel with a big science-fiction idea at its center. Harkaway puts a new spin on classic noir themes.” Learning to live with a body that’s been extended is no joke. Some (not many) have had several T shots over time—a long time. There are only a few thousand Titans worldwide, thanks to Stefan Tonfamecasca's discovery of the controversial T7 genetic therapy, which elevated his family to godlike status. T7 turns average humans into near-immortal distortions of themselves—with immense physical proportions to match their ostentatious, unreachable lifestyles. A dead Titan is big news . . . a murdered Titan is unimaginable. But these modified magnates are Cal's specialty. In fact, his own ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any—she is Stefan's daughter, heir to the massive Tonfamecasca empire. 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.

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