Slightly confusing, but not willfully so. A delightfully weird world to enter into, for sure. Very impressive. Thank you for the ARC.

"The Shamshine Blind" is a unique blend of sci-fi meets mystery, imagining a world in 2009 where "psychopigments" have overtaken the world. These chemical compounds, identified by their colors, are known to induce a full range of human emotions upon contact and although initially created as chemical weapons, have been accepted into the pharmaceutical industry and turned into drugs. Unfortunately for Kay Curtida, an agent on the Psychopigment Enforcement Agency, psychopigments have also been illegally created and reproduced in an underground black market - especially Shamshine, a fake replica of the famed Happiness Yellow meant to cure depression. Paz Pardo's story takes us through Curtida's perspective as she grows frustrated with her day-to-day cases in Daly City, CA, until she meets an old friend from school who presents her with a tantalizing offer of a new case - one that is more than what Curtida initially assumed.

There's a lot of intriguing elements of his novel, especially when it comes to the world building. Pardo goes into detail on the hypothetical history and warfare that led to the creation and use of psychopigments, even assigning a full spectrum of colors emotions and feelings that they'd impart. The unraveling of the case and clues was also interesting, with a number of different characters and plotlines thrown in. Pardo's book also leads us to larger questions of psychological warfare, and the role of government in determining what happens to their citizens' lives.

What I struggled with, however, was the writing style and pacing; the story just feels like a list of events, with little chance to really connect with Curtida, even though the novel is told from her first person perspective. A lot is thrown at the reader at the start, from the dystopian history to the chemistry to the cast of characters, which made it hard to grasp as well. The ending also felt anti-climactic, veering more towards a romance genre that I wasn't expecting in this book. Overall, I think this was an okay read for those who enjoy this type of genre, but isn't a novel I'd recommend to everyone.

A Future noir detective story in an alternate history of the US.

It's 2009 and the US is in a weakened state due to their loss to Argentina in the Fauland war. A feature of this history is that there are pscyhopigments - colored chemicals that produce a human emotion on contact. They are part of the black market in the US and as an Agent Kay Curida works to bust underground sellers. When Kay gets a tip from an old friend, she jumps into a case hoping it will bring excitement to her life and potentially a change in her job. Little does she know, this choice leads her into a blackmarket tidal pool of conspiracies, espionage and family secrets that will rock her world.

If you like alternative histories, are curious about synthesia and emotional warfare, The Shamshine Blind is for you!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. This book is very themed and did capture my attention in the beginning with beautiful descriptions, but then it got pretty complicated and didn't hold my interest as well. Maybe if I didn't have as much going on, it would have been easier for me to concentrate on it so I might give it another try in the future.

Paz Pardo does an incredible job of creating and establishing an intriguing cast of characters and bringing them through an intriguing, interesting story, with so many wild surprises.
A well written story. With a little bit of everything the author did an amazing job keeping my attention and had me flipping the pages. I believe she did an amazing job here for this to be her debut title.
The story was great, plot moved quickly and the characters were well developed.
What more could I ask for?!
I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this debut!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and approving this eARC!

DNFing this one at 30%, but I might come back to it someday. It’s incredibly hard to follow the story - too many names of people and programs and things - and it is a bit overwhelming to read. However I like the story - the dystopian world built in it - and hope someday to come back to it with a clearer mind.

Thanks to both Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Shamshine Blind.

In this alternate history, Argentina brought the United States to its knees during the 1980’s Malvinas war, and periodic Global Hope Depletion Events cast a pall over the daily grind. In the shadows of a ruined San Francisco, Agent Kay Curtida must get to the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the American Dream itself.

The Shamshine Blind was definitely different! This alternate 2009 is one I wouldn't want to live in. Created as weapons, colorful “psychopigments” chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs.

I liked Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida and her friends a lot. I have to admit I had trouble keeping everything and everyone straight, however. (I'm totally impressed the author was able to do so as she was writing the book!) There were times I just didn't understand what was going on, although readers who love the dystopian and sci-fi genres may appreciate The Shamshine Blind more than I did.