CHRISTMAS PARTY: The Frost-Haired Vixen
I don't do as many novel reviews here in the Christmas Party as I'd like, mainly because it takes longer to read a book than watch a movie or read a comic or eat some delicious delicious egg nog ice cream, but since I discovered this author's books earlier this year, I've been saving this one just for the Christmas Party. If you're a fan of hard boiled detective fiction and old-fashioned sci-fi, allow me to introduce you to John Zakour and the adventures of Zachary Nixon Johnson...
The Frost-Haired Vixen (2005)
This is the fourth novel in the chronicles of Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last private detective on Earth. Zach is a heck of a tough guy, cut from the cloth of PIs like Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe, with a few clear exceptions. First, Spade and Marlowe didn't have the world's most powerful supercomputer -- a smart-alecy sidekick named HARV -- hardwired into their brain. Second, although the heroes of Raymond Chandler often had to deal with sultry dames, Zach really seems to get more than his fair share, and invariably, they're out to destroy the world. Zach first appeared in John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem's novel The Plutonium Blonde, which was followed by The Doomsday Brunette and The Radioactive Redhead. (If the titles alone aren't enough to get you interested, this isn't the series for you. It's exactly what you think it is.)
With 2005's The Frost-Haired Vixen, Zakour took over sole stewardship of Zach's adventures. In the year 2061, people are gearing up for The Holiday, the one day a year when everyone on Earth gets three very special presents, manufactured and selected by a genetically engineered superwoman named Santana and her genetically engineered Elves. This year, though, two of the Elves have been mysteriously murdered, and Santana wants Zach to go undercover with a tour group at The Pole to investigate their deaths. With a group of suspects including another superwoman Zach has encountered before, a family of robotics experts, two Martian supernerds and the most trusted politician on Earth, Zach barely knows where to start.
Zach's adventures are, without exception, old-school fun. Zakour and Ganem have created a world that perfectly blends the pulp novel traditions of both detective potboilers and silver age science fiction, and while they lampoon both genres, they do so with a gentle and loving touch. Even the fantastic cover art, by Michael Koelsh, pays tribute to the two styles of storytelling that we've melded together here. As I mentioned, this is Zakour's first novel writing Zach solo, and for the most part, it's really solid. The mystery is smart and comes together wonderfully at the end, the action is top-notch, and HARV's evolution as a character continues in a very satisfactory way. If Zakour has any weakness, it's with occasionally clunky dialogue. It's not bad enough to really hurt the book, but every so often there's an awkwardly-turned phrase that briefly wrenches you out of the story.
Without a doubt, though, I've become a big fan of Zach, and I'll definitely be looking for the next book in the series, The Blue-Haired Bombshell, which Amazon.com tells me just came out last month. They just don't write 'em like this anymore.
The Frost-Haired Vixen (2005)
This is the fourth novel in the chronicles of Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last private detective on Earth. Zach is a heck of a tough guy, cut from the cloth of PIs like Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe, with a few clear exceptions. First, Spade and Marlowe didn't have the world's most powerful supercomputer -- a smart-alecy sidekick named HARV -- hardwired into their brain. Second, although the heroes of Raymond Chandler often had to deal with sultry dames, Zach really seems to get more than his fair share, and invariably, they're out to destroy the world. Zach first appeared in John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem's novel The Plutonium Blonde, which was followed by The Doomsday Brunette and The Radioactive Redhead. (If the titles alone aren't enough to get you interested, this isn't the series for you. It's exactly what you think it is.)
With 2005's The Frost-Haired Vixen, Zakour took over sole stewardship of Zach's adventures. In the year 2061, people are gearing up for The Holiday, the one day a year when everyone on Earth gets three very special presents, manufactured and selected by a genetically engineered superwoman named Santana and her genetically engineered Elves. This year, though, two of the Elves have been mysteriously murdered, and Santana wants Zach to go undercover with a tour group at The Pole to investigate their deaths. With a group of suspects including another superwoman Zach has encountered before, a family of robotics experts, two Martian supernerds and the most trusted politician on Earth, Zach barely knows where to start.
Zach's adventures are, without exception, old-school fun. Zakour and Ganem have created a world that perfectly blends the pulp novel traditions of both detective potboilers and silver age science fiction, and while they lampoon both genres, they do so with a gentle and loving touch. Even the fantastic cover art, by Michael Koelsh, pays tribute to the two styles of storytelling that we've melded together here. As I mentioned, this is Zakour's first novel writing Zach solo, and for the most part, it's really solid. The mystery is smart and comes together wonderfully at the end, the action is top-notch, and HARV's evolution as a character continues in a very satisfactory way. If Zakour has any weakness, it's with occasionally clunky dialogue. It's not bad enough to really hurt the book, but every so often there's an awkwardly-turned phrase that briefly wrenches you out of the story.
Without a doubt, though, I've become a big fan of Zach, and I'll definitely be looking for the next book in the series, The Blue-Haired Bombshell, which Amazon.com tells me just came out last month. They just don't write 'em like this anymore.