Just when his life seemed to be getting back on track, Detective Zach Forrest finds himself in the midst of a whirlwind of treachery, lies, and mayhem that threatens to unravel the delicate balance of power in Easytown.Everything comes crashing down on Forrest when a rampaging cyborg attacks him, disrupting his investigation into the death of a lowly thumper club doorman who knew too much. Before … much. Before he can determine his next move, a beautiful, mysterious evidence clerk lands on his doorstep, forcing her way into his life despite the NOPD’s rules against fraternization.
Meanwhile, to combat the rapidly increasing number of cybernetically enhanced criminals, the police chief assigns him the difficult task of tracking down and stopping the street doctors who build the abominations at any cost.
But, will it cost Zach more than he’d expected?
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The Easytown series by Brian Parker is one of my favorite cyberpunk series. Brian Parker has created a real winner in a story which chronicles the adventures of Zach Forrest, homicide detective as he patrols the seedy beat of Easytown. The beat has made him hard and ruthless but he was always that way to begin with.
Easytown is, essentially the resurrected Storyville of New Orleans and serves as the city’s red light district. Except, instead of flesh-and-blood prostitutes–they have androids and clones serving their patron’s tastes. Despite this improvement, the place is incredibly seedy and full of violence. Honestly, we don’t spend enough time there and I would have liked to have seen Zach visit a few more of the town’s places of ill-repute.
The previous two books established a duality with Zach. He’s an excellent detective and extremely good at bringing the bad guys in but comes from the Dirty Harry school of police officers. He beats suspects, shoots to kill, is rude to everyone, and is pretty much a dozen police brutality cases waiting to happen. Unlike many real-life offers with such problems, though, he’s interested in protecting the rights of those on his beat rather than the people he goes after. Indeed, he’s more often likely to end up going after the rich and powerful versus the poor.
Unfortunately, living life like that means Zach is destined to lose his job and even knows it. Not even saving the Pope’s life and stopping a cartel of serial killers is enough to keep him on the force much longer. Indeed, he’s made so many enemies, you can imagine both sides are sick of it as he continues to coast along thanks to his big wins but never enough to secure his position. Much of the book is devoted to the cause of the buck stopping in his ability to continue like this.
For better or worse, the villains are far less impressive this time around. A drug syndicate is using cyborgs to menace the people of Easytown but their boss has far less menace than the bad guys previously. The real villains are the people in City Hall who are looking for any excuse, or are actively contriving to make one, in order to bring Zach down.
The book dumps the character of Teagan, the young waitress who loved Zach for the first two books, rather unceremoniously. Zach is no stranger to failed relationships but I felt this deserved a follow-up conversation between the two. I will say, though, I’m intrigued by the fact Zach’s Siri-like A.I. companion Andi is interested in him now. The fact he no longer has to deal with the department’s “Immorality Clause” about sleeping with robots is also interesting.
The action is good, the world building is well done, and the characters are likable. This isn’t my favorite of the Easytown novels but it’s still a book I’m glad I read. I can’t wait for the next one in the series.
The future has arrived…
West End Droids & East End Dames (Easytown Novels, Book 3) by Brian Parker and narrated by Daniel Penz has a noir feel to it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and glad I took a chance with it. If you enjoy cyberpunk, this is your typical read, or you’re looking for something new in the genre, give this book a try.
What’s it about? Zach’s job is in jeopardy and he must find those responsible while dealing with cyborgs, corruption, drugs, a deteriorating love life, brothels, and more. If you enjoy books with droids, crime, detectives, AI, and futuristic tech, this is a book for you. I enjoyed his AI partner (or sorts) the most. Sometimes I wanted a little more from certain scenes, but it is what it is. Great world building!
The narrator, Daniel Penz, did a great job! I would listen to him again.
Despite not listening the first two books in the series, I was able to jump right in and understand what was happening. Overall, it kept my interest and made me want to know more about the world/Zach’s history. I’m a bit disappointed to learn this is the last book in the series (hoping this isn’t true) as the ending leaves some things open for the possibility of more. Ended up listening to this in two sittings, but only because I had to sleep.
Parental guidance/trigger warnings: swearing (throughout), death, guns and other like weapons, prostitution, drugs, and other similar situations.
*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
Zack is a Police Officer that is on the case and gets himself in some trouble. I love mysteries and this us a fantastic one that grabbed me from start to finish. I hope there is more in the future this series is a fantastic listen.
Shauna Joesten
Another great book in an amazingly entertaining series. Detective Zach Forest continues to be his typical hardass, rule breaking self, trying to find out who is doing illegal cybernetic enhancements and supplying Easytown with an addicting drug. Along the way, he encounters cyborgs and beautiful women (of course!) while endangering his career with the NOPD.
If you are looking for a well-written cyberpunk series with traces of noir detective novels, this is the one you need to read or listen to. While set in a futuristic New Orleans, it contains hints of detectives like Sam Spade, complete with Zach’s penchant for fedora hats.
Brian Parker has developed a world full of droids, clones, cyborgs, drones and artificial intelligence, all of which seem believable and demand to be made into a movie. His characters are well-developed and I feel like I know Zach and friends. The Detective is determined to solve cases at the expense of love, life and limb, and his stubborn insistence on doing so causes him many problems. His snarky attitude and quips, even during times of extreme pain and duress, make him one of my favorite characters in current books.
The ending hints at further books in the series (YEAH!) and I look forward to following Zach’s adventures. The narrator, Daniel Penz, does an absolutely awesome job, with perfect pacing and voices that perfectly match the characters. His performance added a lot to my listening enjoyment.
I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book through Audiobook Boom! and chose to review it.