In Re: Colombard

This book lit up my night like those sodium lamps along the Embarcadero. From page one I was locked in, heart thudding at the idea of a typed affidavit signed by someone who should be silent.

Mara Keene is a force. Streetwise, exhausted, compassionate. Every choice she makes felt human and electric.

The city is practically a character. Fog curling around driverless cabs, gulls cutting the sky, Pier 42 looming like a verdict. I got goosebumps more than once and actually yelped during a reveal.

Pacing? Perfect for me. Short, knife-bright scenes stitched with lyrical beats. At one point I had to stand up because my hands were shaking, then I ran back because I needed more.

I finished after midnight and just stared into the dark, buzzing. I grinned like an idiot. If this is the first case for Keene, sign me up for a dozen more. Pure delight from concept to closing note.

La atmósfera de San Francisco futurista es irresistible: farolas de sodio, niebla y taxis sin conductor recorriendo el puerto. Como gancho, el acta mecanografiada por alguien que ya no debería firmar es tremenda.

Mara Keene, ex defensora pública, tiene voz propia y una ética que sostiene la trama. El ritmo es ágil y cinematográfico, aunque el cierre se siente un poco abrupto. Aun así, quedé con ganas de seguirla en más casos.

Great cover and a moody premise, but the investigation never quite snaps into focus. The near-future gadgets feel like garnish rather than integral clues, and the legal angle stays thin once the affidavit card is played. I kept waiting for momentum that never arrived.

Keene as an ex public defender turned investigator feels authentic, and the legal angles ring true.

I struggled with the tempo. The tech trappings are cool, yet the case zigzags and sometimes reads like walking the same pier twice. Solid prose, mixed momentum.

Fog-slick streets, sodium light, and silent taxis make a terrific near-future San Francisco, and the affidavit that should not exist is a wicked hook. Mara Keene is sharp and weary in all the right ways. The middle third lingers a bit on procedural footwork, but the payoff in mood and texture is worth it. I could almost taste the Bay on every page.