Book Review: Blunt Force Rising by Russ Colchamiro

Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring private eye...

Still reeling from a brutal off-world case, Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler are hired by Ther’eda Ranadyne, the realm’s sole creator of androids, to provide extra security during an industry conference aboard a galaxy cruise ship.

Isolated millions of miles from home, the event quickly devolves into heated arguments between the pro-android community and its detractors, while a murder sets off a harrowing chain of events, the likes of which even Hardwicke has never faced.

In Blunt Force Rising , the claustrophobic fourth novel in Russ Colchamiro’s Angela Hardwicke sci-fi mystery series, she is not only forced to confront unresolved waves of prejudice, bigotry, fear, and trauma... but fight for her very life.

GENRE: Scifi Mystery

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Russ Colchamiro is the author of Crackle and Fire, Fractured Lives, and Hot Ash, the first three books in the SFF mystery series featuring his hardboiled intergalactic private detective Angela Hardwicke. He is also the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the zany sci-fi backpacking series Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, editor of the sci-fi mystery anthology, Love, Murder & Mayhem, and contributing author for his newest project, Murder in Montague Falls, a noir novella collection, all with Crazy 8 Press.

Russ has contributed to several other anthologies including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, They Keep Killing Glenn, Altered States of the Union, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Brave New Girls vols. 3&4, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, and Footprints in the Stars.

In addition, Russ hosts the Rockin' Rollercoaster podcast, where he interviews various scifi, mystery, crime, and horror authors.

Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife and their twin ninjas.

Review

I had no idea this was a series going in, let alone already the fourth book. But that did not prevent me from enjoying it. I didn't feel like I'd missed anything big, instead I wanted to go back and check out the previous books in the series. I liked Angela as a protagonist, and her partner Whistler was also interesting. I had mixed feelings about Dolores because she was so difficult at first, though later I came to understand why. And Nini. Gosh, I loved Nini.

I wasn't bothered either by the first person POV, though I understand that that might not be for everyone. I actually loved knowing the protagonist's thought processes and philosophical navelgazing, even if at times they got long and rambly. (I'm about the same age as Angela, and I can get long and rambly especially when I'm trapped in my own head and my thoughts are spiraling out of control, so I'm not complaining about that part, haha!)

I did not expect the resolution. At some point I just stopped bothering to guess who was behind it all, and it was actually clever how that played out. I did have to occasionally check when a new character showed up for a longer period of time because there was a good chance they'd already been mentioned or even appeared previously, and there were many characters!

All in all, this was a fun scifi mystery that left me wanting to read more.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

Books in the Angela Hardwicke Mysteries

1. Crackle and Fire - Angela Hardwicke isn’t just any private eye. She’s a PI from Eternity, the cosmic realm responsible for the design, creation, and maintenance of the Universe. When accountant Gil Haberseau hires her to find an intern with stolen corporate files, Hardwicke soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly case of lies, intrigue, and murder, clashing with vengeful gangsters, MinderNot rallies, and a madman who’s come a long way to get what he wants.
2. Fractured Lives - Darla Fyne, a college freshman and galaxy design savant, is suffering from a nervous breakdown—or is she the victim of an urban legend known as the Scarlet Raj? As Hardwicke follows the intersecting worlds of art galleries, college dorms, and a semi-secret clan that patches up tears in the Universe, her investigation will either uncover a hoax gone wrong or a plot that could shift the balance of power across the entire realm. If only she can fight through her own paranoia to tell the difference.
3. Hot Ash - Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims. As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation put them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.