Stars: 2.5 out of 5

Honestly, my reaction after finishing this book is "meh." 

I went into this book excited about the premise. An underwater city? Humanity averting the end of the world for once? This sounded so exciting! Unfortunately, we spend little to no time at all in the actual underwater city. And the worldbuilding isn't really fleshed out at all. So the mankind mostly lives underwater to stay safe from solar flares? Okay, I get get onboard with that if you explain to me how that works. How did we manage to combat the enormous pressure in the ocean depths? How do we deal with the endless night, the decompression, etc.? Our protagonist seems to zip in and out of the deepest ocean reaches to the highest mountain in a matter of minutes with no visible side effects. 

Also, how are those seascrapers built? That hints at significant advances in engineering and construction materials, especially considering that today we can barely explore the depths in what amounts to an extremely reinforced safe with small windows. Yet 100 years from now, after some major wars and natural catastrophes, mind you, humanity can build penthouses at the bottom of the ocean that are about 80% reinforced glass. I know this is sci-fi. I am ready to suspend my disbelief, but the author needs to throw me a bone - some kind of explanation is in order.

That's a trend for every scientific advancement in this book. Things happen because they need to happen for the story, and no thought is given to how feasible they are. This approach really undermines the credibility of the story and the worldbuilding starts to wobble and break around the edges. 

But the biggest problem with this book for me is that I couldn't care less for any of the characters. Quite frankly, they are all horrible human beings. 

The protagonist used to be a killer for hire. Yes, he killed for the greater good, or at least that's how he justifies it, but he is still a cold-blooded murderer. Add to that that he is on his fourth marriage and and his fourth kid. He's lost all contact with his previous wives after the divorce (apart from the one that was killed), and doesn't even know what happened to his children. He even mentions in the story that he is in the same country as his first ex-wife at one point, but has no desire to check on them. He basically ignores his current wife and avoids his daughter, because "children never interested him." What a wonderful human being! /end sarcasm.

And the woman he works for is even worse, especially if the story about her lying about the Killing Rock is true. Akira Kimura is a sociopath and a megalomaniac who has zero concern for anyone but herself. Her daughter is even worse. So the protagonist's constant devotion to Akira feels more and more twisted and sick, the further the story progresses and the more we learn about that individual. And his unwillingness to kill Ascalon also makes no sense at all.

In fact, the whole ending is a perfect example of a protagonist robbed of his agency. He didn't make the decision in the end, circumstances did it for him, which makes the payoff extremely unsatisfying in my eyes.

All in all, this wasn't a book I will remember. And this certainly wasn't on of the best books I read in 2022. It was okay. It kept me interested enough to finish it, but that's about it. I'm certainly not interested enough to pick up the next book in the series.

PS: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Midnight, Water City: I want this novel to be underwater Blade Runner, but so far it's mostly a bitter man giving us a lot of backstory about the people he meets.

Dialogue:

J: This book is incredibly boring, quite the accomplishment given its promise. A technicolor future world, an underwater city, a near apocalypse, a murder mystery. Why does it just feel like a bored depressed person narrating boring shit that happened to them in the past?

K: 100% This really should have existed in two timelines that converged at the end. Keeping the events in the present. . . If you read Tattoo or whatever that one is called, it’s pretty much the same structure. It works in that case, it doesn’t work here.

J: I enjoyed the quick trip to the Midwest Oklahoma garbage pile. Anything to change up the narrative and get things moving.

K: Yes, more of the book should have had those moments. Also it gave us a little look at why people are living in water cities.

J: Yes, I figured we learn all about the state of the world after the big meteor. But I still don’t really know how the world is different. He had 400 pages to show me and he didn’t.

K: There’s also the rather odd element that the whole asteroid was a hoax. It supposedly made the world better but I didn’t feel it showed that. I also couldn’t help but think this was some sort of commentary on climate change.

J: Yeah, that last bit is unsettling. And yes, I agree with you. This felt like a shitty dystopian world filled with scam artists, losers, assholes, and strong men. . . In other words, it’s felt like Hawaii in 2022.

Normalmente los libros detectives con ambientación de ciencia ficción o futurista añaden ciertos detalles cosméticos a la trama pero recurren a la manida investigación policial típica para desarrollar la novela en sí. No es el caso de Midnight, Water City, situada en un futuro relativamente cercano, pero en el que la parte más especulativa está inextricablemente trenzada con la propia narración, aunque el protagonista sea el arquetipo de detective de novela hardboiled.


El protagonista es un policía de 80 años (aquí intervienen las técnicas de rejuvenecimiento) que va ya por su cuarto matrimonio y que no descarta que este acabe también pronto. Pero el narrador tiene una característica muy particular y es su sinestesia, que le permite ver en color verde y rojo la muerte y los asesinatos a pesar de su daltonismo. Además, en su pasado fue el jefe de seguridad de la científica Akira Kimura, salvadora del mundo al detectar y destruir un objeto celeste que amenazaba con destruir el mundo. Así que cuando recibe un comunicado de Akira en el que le ruega su ayuda ya que teme por su vida, dirige sus pasos hacia el fondo del mar donde reside Akira (las construcciones humanas se han refugiado en los océanos debido a la contaminación). Cuanto más profunda está tu residencia, más dinero tienes y Akira, prácticamente considerada una semidiosa, vive en niveles abisales. No sorprenderá a nadie descubrir que Akira ya no está entre nosotros cuando llega a su apartamento.

No voy a entrar más en la trama de la novela, por no destripar los múltiples vericuetos en los que pasea Chris McKinney y que hacen que la novela sea muy entretenida. Con continúas referencias al pasado y a lo que aconteció sobre todo en los momentos en que se descubre el meteoro, las amenazas a las que ha de hacer frente el protagonista en su defensa de Akira o la insoportable superioridad de la que la científica hace gala en todo momento, el autor construye una trama enrevesada y un poquito imprevisible principalmente por el manejo de la información pertinente al caso, como si nosotros también estuviéramos cegados por la magnificencia de Akira.

El uso de la primera persona y del narrador no confiable también se adecúa mucho a la historia que se quiere contar, ya que todo está pasado por el tamiz de las interpretaciones del protagonista, necesariamente influido en las pesquisas del asesinato por la relación de amistad que mantuvo y mantenía con Akira Kimura. Sobre todo se acentúa el resentimiento que tiene hacia los más adinerados, una clase con la que se codea pero a la que no podrá pertenecer nunca, envidiando sus privilegios y posición.

La parte especulativa es una extrapolación verosímil de la tendencia actual respecto al medio ambiente y la tecnología, aunque deja un poco en el aire los fundamentos científicos para ciertos desarrollos espectaculares, como una especie de cámara hiperbárica que rentabiliza de tal formas las horas de sueño que prácticamente duplica la capacidad de trabajo de los ricos, además de sus capacidades rejuvenecedoras.

En resumen, se trata de una novela que se sale un poco de lo que leo habitualmente para el blog, aunque se puede categorizar como ciencia ficción por su entorno y desarrollo. Me ha resultado una lectura atractiva y al parecer tiene continuaciones, que no imagino que derroteros seguirán pero que me pueden interesar.

The world we live in has been changing alarmingly, with record breaking temperatures, forest fires, storms, flooding, and landslides, while billionaires play compete with each other in a space race. Midnight, Water City gives us a future that's not so far fetched, imagining how the world may be future reshaped and going from there. The apocalypse has happened, the land poisoned, the seas rose, and humanity endured and adapted, building down into the depths of the sea.

The story follows a man who for years protected the woman who saved the world from an extinction level meteor event. The years have not been kind, years lengthened through advances in medicine and science, more years to make mistakes.


This post-apocalyptic noir begins with the death of our "femme fatal," setting hooks into our investigating narrator that threaten to drown him as he uncovers secrets that were never meant to see the light of day. At the center of it all is the fallibility of the mortals we elevate to godhood, the fictions that make up the soul of our society, and the toll of endurance.

First in a new Sci-Fi Noir trilogy, McKinney introduces a nameless policeman and former bodyguard for Akira, a scientist now treated as a deity for saving the earth 40 years before. The story opens with him being called to Akira's home for a possible job. But when he arrives, she’s been murdered. So begins a dogged investigation reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, yet largely set in a futuristic Hawaii. The story is imaginative, provides great social commentary, but also has a suitable number of explosions to boot. I’m very curious to see where the series goes next.

Wonderful world building and the evil plot twists just keep coming. The (small) part that did not work for me were the references to actual events, which felt more like direct commentary than sci-fi. Overall, the complexity of the characters appeals to me and this vividly imagined world sticks with you long after the last page. Looking forward to the next in the series!

Midnight, Water City
July 14, 2021
Book Review
Midnight, Water City
Chris McKinney
reviewed by Lou Jacobs

readersremains.com | Goodreads

A noir-type of police procedural in the setting of a cinematic backdrop of future Hawaii, 2142, rivaling that of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Society has drastically changed with the advent of progressive technology, but some things never change—there remain vast disparities in wealth.
The rich live in luxury under the ocean in seascrapers or on top skyscrapers, while the Less Thans dwell in habitats in the packed cities or possibly escape to the “floatburbs.” Holographic ads invade everyone’s space. Age has been expanded by the usage of AMP hibernation chambers. Cell phones have been made obsolete by iE’s, that everyone seems to carry and record their entire life, as well as provide communication. There are pharmaceutical advancements with “pills” for everything, even the changing skin color. Flying cars are present for the privileged.
Amongst the trappings of this future society there exists an antihero detective, and much like Sergio Leone’s “Man With No Name,” our intrepid eighty year old police detective remains unnamed. And, in a similar fashion he is a man of few words, gruff, eccentric, but with an unorthodox sense of justice that frequently involves killing or at least violence. He remains flawed and morally compromised.
The action and intrigue initiate immediately as he is summoned by his oldest and dearest friend and previous employer, Akira Kimura, a renowned scientist, who has reached near deification, after she saved the world forty years ago. Would he offer his services again, and moonlight as security for her, which he has done in the past? She trusts only him. She feels her life is in danger. In the past he was head of her security, which he at times provided with lethal force. She was the first to identify on her giant telescope the presence of an approaching asteroid on course to collide and annihilate the world, which she named Sessho-seki (the “Killing Rock” in Japanese). Even though she attained three PhD’s—in astronomy, astrophysics and mechanical engineering—there were those who remained skeptical of her claim. While she was feverishly working on a weapon—a type of cosmic ray that would unleash an energy force that would either destroy or knock the asteroid off its course. During this period of development her life was threatened on numerous occasions, but he kept Akira safe “by any means necessary.” When employed this weapon expended such an energy force that it left a permanent “slash” across the sky, which was called the “Ascalon Scar.”
Upon arrival to Akira’s luxurious abode at Volcano Vista, located 177 atmospheres below sea level in the world’s largest seascraper. He knows immediately something is wrong, when he is not greeted. He quickly gains entrance and discovers Akira has been locked in her AMP chamber, which has been padlocked. She has been frozen in the chamber with the introduction of nitrogen. as well as being neatly sliced into multiple pieces from head to toe. His senses foretold what he found. Although he is colorblind, he is also endowed with synesthesia, and perceives other senses that most would consider hallucinations. He can almost smell murder (the smell of ambergris) , which also floats in strands of green , while death always is accompanied by clouds of red ( both red and green are perceived differently in those that are colorblind). These afflictions have served him well, in both war and solving murders as a detective. He immediately appreciated a red cloud circling the AMP chamber and its seal oozed green.
McKinney weaves a complex and twisted path with multiple unexpected reveals as the Detective with No Name plunges into a non-sanctioned investigation of Akira’s murder. He will stop at nothing, endangering his career, marriage (on his fourth) and life. An immersive world building flows effortlessly through the pages. In his mind, he replays their history and possible motivations. Blended into this hardboiled detective fiction are a multiplicity of relevant themes: climate change, class distinctions, and humanities price to be paid for technological progress. Ultimately a disturbing cautionary tale evolves. Although this is the first volume in a trilogy, the end result is a satisfying denouement. Much like Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western trilogy, equally satisfying stories of the Detective with No Name are sure to follow.
Thanks to NetGallery and Soho Crime for supplying an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Anticipated publication date: July 13, 2021. Published at Mystery and Suspense Magazine

I saw this book and its blurb, and I was intrigued by a mystery/crime thriller with the action taking place underwater. After finishing, I am not sure what I got. While this was definitely a mystery, the focus to me was more on the main character’s re-examining of his life and his choices after the death of his friend. Not that that is a bad thing, just not what I was expecting with this novel. That aside, this was a well-written noir mystery novel with an intriguing plot, and there was plenty of surprises to keep you guessing. Add in the wonders and pitfalls of science, and you have an interesting book to keep you entertained for a few hours. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I read this as a murder mystery set in a science fiction novel. It's the 22nd century, there's been all sorts of environmental changes, and Akira, who managed to invent the technology that saved the world, has asked for help from an unnamed investigator who has synesthesia. He finds her dead and now he's out to find out what happened. To find out who killed her and why he's got to go down old paths- not always easy and get a better understanding of her life. His voice is a familiar one- the weary older detective- but its enlivened by the synesthesia. The world building underseas is interesting. This appears to be the first in a series so I expect to see that expand. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The writing is good, the technology accessible, and the murder mystery nicely twisty. A good cross genre read.

Midnight, Water City is crime fiction set in near future where humanity has managed to recuperate from an ecological disaster. Science has found a way to build to the bottom of the oceans—for superrich—and on it for the average wealthy—and those who live above their means, like the protagonist. Age is just a number, as everyone can rejuvenate themselves. And everyone is happy with the way things are, because forty years earlier, the humanity avoided mass extinction by splitting an asteroid that was heading to earth.

The scientist responsible for the feat, Akira Kimura, is revered as near god. And then she’s found dead by her former security guy, who promptly becomes a suspect. Since he’s the only one who truly knew her, he sets out to investigate the crime.

Eighty years old but passing as forty, thanks to science, he’s disillusioned and about to blow his fourth marriage. The investigation is all he has left. It soon turns inwards and back in time, as he starts to question his relationship with Akira. And every new thing he learns makes him realise he didn’t know her at all, which means he doesn’t really know who he is anymore.

The mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end. The reasons behind the crime were over the top, but in the context of sci-fi, they sort of worked. The ending was satisfying, and managed to utilise the more innovative aspects of the worldbuilding.

Still, this wasn’t a book for me. I’ve lost appetite for overly descriptive sentences that take forever to reach the point, and forced cynicism. And I’ve never had taste for middle-aged men wallowing in self-pity. Unfortunately, the entire plot relies on that—even if the middle-aged man in question is over eighty. I’m glad he found some clarity about his life in the end, but I can’t say I cared for him much. I can’t even recall his name—if it was even revealed in the book. If it wasn’t, I didn’t notice until it was time to write this review.

I seldom comment on the cover and title of the book, but they’re completely wrong for the book and set up expectations that the book simply doesn’t meet. This wasn’t neo noir set in seedy side alleys. And while midnight probably refers to the bottom of the ocean, most of the book took place in sunshine and in seaside paradise resorts of ultra-rich. My overall impression was bright warmth, which made the protagonist’s whining even more annoying.

If you have stomach for middle-aged men wallowing in self-pity, this is a book for you. If you are a middle-aged man wallowing in self-pity, read it. You might find a sympathetic soul in there.

Gritty noir science fiction, not quite 'Blade Runner,' but not necessarily a knock on the book or the author. The book was exhaustingly good and meticulously plotted, and I look forward to reading the next books in the series.

Sincere thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free digital ARC. This in no way influenced my rating or review.

Noting that I believe this police procedural, near future dystopia noir would be absolutely enjoyed by those who crave an old-school disillusioned police detective type of protagonist!

The premise of this intrigued me and kept me going though it was not the most fun read after a while. The exploration of iconism and class was often thought provoking and interesting but overall I felt like the tone of the MC made it difficult for me to connect.

I would have benefitted from a note about the MC’s stage of life, he is older and very disillusioned and there were many times that it felt as if he was talking down to just everything in general. The talking down makes sense for a character like this but it often felt pretentious, sort of like the stereotypical grumpy older person wagging their fingers at the younger generation for being different. There was minor character development, but for me, I couldn’t connect to our MC and it affected my enjoyment.

I’m sure this will resonate with others and I hope for this book’s success!

This futuristic murder mystery has a classic noir feel, with the disillusioned tone of the guy that saw everything and hasn’t been impressed by any of it. The world is interesting but sadly I just couldn’t manage to care for the main character, or the murder and what was happening on the page. I just don’t think this one was for me. I think this might talk more to people who are nostalgic of retro detectives or SF. I must admit I like a fresh twist and more attachement to the MC.

I'm afraid I didn't finish this book before my ARC's timer ran out. It was alright, but I had a problem getting immersed in it, or figuring out the rules of the universe.