About ‘Treasure of the Black Hole’ by S. Evan Townsend:
Genre: Scifi; Mystery; Futuristic; Adventure
Book 1 in ‘Treasures of Space’
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of . . .
When private detective Rick Bailey is hired by the exotically beautiful and outrageously wealthy Princess Nora, he thinks it’ll be easy money. Escaping from her rebellion-torn kingdom, the princess has lost her handmaiden, Lores: the only person who knows how to find the hidden royal jewels.
But when his search for the equally lovely Lores turns deadly, Bailey realizes that there is more to this case than it first seemed. When someone tries to kill him, he discovers that the roots of evil run deep.
With his own set of values and sense of honor, Bailey must keep one step ahead of murderous mobsters, secret government operatives, and a genetically enhanced Lores as he races across the galaxy in search of the truth. The only things he knows he can trust are his eight-foot-tall ladybug-like girl Friday and a powerful weapon that responds to his thoughts.
Will Bailey find the treasure of the black hole in time and will he survive long enough to discover why it is something worth killing for?
‘Treasure of the Black Hole’ has everything you look for in a futuristic detective novel. Mystery, fast pace, multiple conflicts, and even a bit of romance all set in a unique and thoroughly fleshed out atmosphere. From the alien species to the cultures to the history and technology, everything from the scifi standpoint is both intriguing and believable. I particularly loved the different types of aliens. Oh and did I mention a bit of piratey adventure?
The private eye or “sneak,” Rick, is a human fugitive in hiding with some sort of neuro network in his brain/optics which allows him to bring up any information at any time that he wishes, without anyone around him being the wiser. His loyal secretary, Rose, is of a buglike race with an unpronounceable name that humans have rudely dubbed ‘roaches.’ Other than being willing to dive headfirst into danger with her boss, Rose also possesses incredible strength and a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton. She easily became my favorite character.
While a lot of these sorts of stories deal with a lead who is or becomes morally ambiguous, Rick seems to stick to his personal moral code throughout despite the difficulties he faces, going so far as to share his eventual boon with those he inadvertently wronged. That’s not to say his code doesn’t contain potentially controversial actions, such as entertaining the company of a pimp on the regular. However, he doesn’t really allow his standards to fall. Besides, in such a corrupt world, you have to choose your battles. You can’t save everyone.
The book never has a dull moment. It’s packed with action and high stakes. Overall, it’s what you expect of the genre as far as the storyline goes, but it also has enough new situations and twists to keep it unexpected. So it keeps the attention while also fulfilling the desires of those whose favorite or comfort genre it is. There was betrayal that completely blindsided me and the whole aspect of hunting for treasure near a black hole was fascinating.
The one thing I did not like was the use of a certain, hated trope of mine in part of the story that I will not define for fear of spoilers. This is definitely a matter of personal taste/opinion, which is why I’ve deducted no points from the rating. That said, Townsend still somehow managed to twist this trope in the end so it was not completely unsatisfactory or typical. That is a great skill.
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((Review submitted to Amazon and Goodreads))
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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden
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