Crackle and Fire

Amazon Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars

An average missing persons case has big consequences for thousands in this thrilling sci-fi mystery!

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

Angela Hardwicke is a detective in E-Town, known as the core city in Eternity. This is the cosmic realm responsible for the design, creation, maintenance of everything known or unknown in the Universe.

Gil is an accountant who wants to hire Angela about a missing employee, Arthur Hanson, who absconded with some important files. Those files contain vital information and Gil will get in big trouble with his bosses if he doesn’t get them back discreetly. 

On the trail, Angela tracks down many disparate clues. There’s entanglements with E-Town’s underworld, the Anshani crew, who have a score to settle with Angela. Then there are corporate interests who might get impacted by her investigation and people who have secret schemes and previously unknown alliances whose connections are brought to light. There’s plenty of secrets to be found, lots of money at play, and reputations to protect. All of them threaten the lives of Angela and her team! 

There’s also a subplot with Jamie, who is now the CEO of the Rubicon Hotel Corporation. Her secret job is much more important though: she is one of the Minders of the Universe. Her reputation is on the line if Angela cannot find some of her missing property. There’s also a group of zealots out there called the MinderNots, who feel the universe is falling apart and that the Minders are not doing their job. If only they knew the hidden truth. 

All these disparate threads all intertwine with one another until they all mesh together into one pulse-pounding finale. How it does so is pretty ingenious and accomplishes this goal with style. I didn’t expect the novel to lead me where it did and for the stakes to be so high for so many. 

This is a complicated plot, with many riveting and different layers to it. The story evolved rapidly and pulled out the rug from under me very often, surpassing my expectations and being unpredictably complicated in all the right ways. I was guessing often at what might have happened next. 

Sometimes, I thought a plot point might not be solved until the finale, but it surprised me not only when it answered an important question, but also how that answer turned the story in a very different direction. This blindsided me and only increased the delight I felt when reading it. 

Angela has made few allies and many enemies in E-Town being a private eye over the years. In her trademark trench coat, she finds threats around every corner, favors owed, debts to be paid, and gangsters who want their pound of flesh for previous transgressions. 

There are also duplicitous plans by unknown enemies, shady business dealings, and people lying about what’s the truth and what is not, just so they can protect themselves or others. Questionable and tenuous alliances of convenience where the enemy of my enemy is my friend are also found here. 

There’s also plenty of hallmarks of the hard-boiled detective genre. There are monologuing villains, violence where you least expect it, and hidden agendas. You’ll also find empty warehouses, dead bodies, a dark tone, moody weather, and puzzling clues that at first glance, have no relationship to one another. The novel doesn’t just pay homage to these hallmarks, it utilized them while melding them into the science fiction aspects of the story. 

While the central mystery is intriguing, it doesn’t mean much without deep characters and many layers to them. Angela has had a lot happen to her as a private eye. Many of those scars are physical but some of them are emotional, leftover from when she was in a deep hole, and addicted to a black-market drug dRops. Now, she’s been clean off them for over seven months and in times of stress, craves them now more than ever, especially with this case. 

She also pines for her four-year-old son, Owen, whom she left with a trusted guardian while she was unable to take care of herself. While she misses him terribly, she knows it’s not safe for him with her, so she beats herself up because she feels she wasn’t a good enough parent. She covers that up with tasty food, liquor, or sex as her way to release her tension. 

With this case, it’s the most difficult situation she’s faced to date. It puts multiple stressors on her as she tries to solve the case and stretches her to her breaking point. So much so, she might resort to the unthinkable to just make it through the day so she can do it all again tomorrow. 

All this stress impacts her friends and her allies as well and envelopes all aspects of her life. This includes her friends, Esteban, the aspiring actor who can throw a mean punch. Nini, a talented emergency room nurse who can fix all of Angela’s physical wounds, of which there are many. And Whistler, her resourceful, part-time assistant who sees Angela as a mentor. However, he’s not ready to do fieldwork yet. 

Let’s not forget Tarrish, formerly of the Homicide Department and now transferred to the Intergalactic Crime Division. While Angela has an interesting relationship with the police, she does have a grudging ally in him. His official resources are critical to saving lives once Angela sees the full scope of the plan already set in motion. All these characters are well defined and filled with personality, drawn into this tornado of deceit, murder, and danger. 

The overarching plot revolves around Arthur Hanson. His dark history and selfish purposes become increasingly more important to the story. He is a critical part of everything going on here and he knows far more than he is supposed to. However, he also grows more unhinged as the story continues and his actions grow to be the most disturbing aspect of a novel filled with them. 

While this novel takes place after the events in the author’s “Finders Keepers” trilogy, you don’t have to have read those to stories to enjoy this one. The author explains everything necessary that you need to know from those novels to understand this one. 

Namely, some of the necessary supporting characters and background aspects from previous adventures that make up this universe. But, after reading this one, you will want to go and check those out too, based on the breadth of imagination on display here. 

Also, if this novel whetted your appetite for more stories about Angela Hardwicke, I suggest that you read "The Hardwicke Files: The Case of My Old New Life and the One I Never Knew" featured in the short story anthology "Love, Murder & Mayhem: Cosmic Tales of the Heart Gone Deadly Wrong.” There's also a story about her in the "Bad Ass Moms" anthology titled "The Hardwicke Files: The Case of Full Moon.” 

This novel is not a science fiction story with noir elements thrown in or vice versa. It is the perfect blend of both genres, forming something new and unique. In particular, the universe depicted here is a key player in the entire plot as it provides our bad guy with a ton of motivation, no matter how deranged he is. 

It has a captivating central mystery, some thought-provoking ideas, and personable, distinguishing characters. The ambitious plot is meticulously crafted, fast-paced, and superbly written. As a hard-boiled noir science fiction novel, the result is an exceptional melding of the two genres, using the best aspects of each to tell a compelling and distinctive narrative. I look forward to reading many more stories featuring Angela Hardwicke and her crew. 

There’s also a bonus short story included here that takes place after the tumultuous events of this novel. In “The Case of Jarlo’s Buried Treasure”, Angela is hired by an android named Jarlo, who’s convicted of murdering a gangster’s daughter, Annara, who he was in a tempestuous relationship with! 

On Death Row, he sends Angela on a crucial mission to complete before his time runs out. Looking for valuables, what she finds is not what she expected. Did Jarlo really kill Annara and will Angela succeed in her mission before Jarlo is terminated? 

This story moves at a swift pace, with personal stakes and stunning revelations. It makes full use of its science-fiction setting to establish the crime, the clues needed to solve it, and how it plays out. It is also unexpectedly emotional as it explains the resolution of its storyline. The entire truth is laid bare and it is just heartbreaking to read. I didn’t expect this story to go where it did, but it was potent and powerful. 

“Crackle and Fire elegantly combines PI noir with science fiction and fantasy.” — John L. French, author of The Magic of Simon Tombs

“Angela Hardwicke is one of the most memorable characters in detective fiction.” — Sawney Hatton, author of Everyone is a Moon

BONUS STORY INCLUDED! The AI-themed Angela Hardwicke murder mystery, “The Case of Jarlo’s Buried Treasure” 

A crime thriller with a twist, set on a world similar to ours in some ways, but wildly different in others.

PI Angela Hardwicke is looking for a missing person but a lot of details haven’t been divulged and she’s also been tasked with finding missing fireworks by one of the individuals tasked with maintaining the entire galaxy. Could these two cases be connected? 

Armed with a quick brain, a team of brilliant friends and allies, and y’know a gun or two, she’s in a race against time to solve both mysteries and save the universe. 

Funny, fast-paced, and full of twists this is an excellent sci-fi crime noir.

- https://ramblingmads.com/2020/08/25/blog-tour-crackle-fire-russ-colchamiro/

Crackle and Fire is this magical mixture of scifi, fantasy, and mystery. I am obsessed with this book! I think the plot is absolutely fantastic!

The world building is brilliant. I very much enjoyed that it was familiar, but also different. I loved the mystery. The twists and turns were fantastic. It was such an intriguing plot. 

Angela is a fantastic main character. I like how relatable and realistic she feels. 

Overall, Crackle and Fire is fantastic. I really enjoyed the concept and I think it was unique. Highly recommended!! 

Rating: 5/5☆

 - https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/blogtour-crackle-and-fire-russ-colchamiro-authorduderuss-rrbooktours1-scifi-mystery-rrbooktours-books-amreading-bookblogger-bookreview-giveaway/

Crackle and Fire is a Sci-Fi Mystery/ Fantasy novel by Russ Colchamiro and book One in the Angela Hardwicke Sci-Fi Mystery series.

The amount of brilliance put into structuring this entire story is phenomenal. When you think things can’t get any more twisted,cthe author pulls out a thread of new theories to add it to the evergrowing pile of this complicated Universe.

The way the story is written is engaging and there’s never a dull moment but the ‘drama’ is not overdone. It’s like that perfect Margherita that keeps you coming back for more.

It does gets little confusing at the beginning because of the introduction of new terminology and there’s quite a few characters, but unlike most book, this one solely focuses on the main character.

Speaking of which, can we take a moment to admire imperfect Angela who with her flaws still manages to be a badass investigator. She’s literally got a multitude of demons in her life, but the way she snaps pieces of the puzzle together makes a mystrey lover’s heart like mine flutter with joy.

Throughout the story we see snippets of her struggling to deal with certain ‘things’ (spoiler?) in her life and how that affects her mental and physical state, but she also tries so hard to go what’s right.

The ending was a little less extravagant than what I was expecting but it was still pretty good. Overall, I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it.

🦄🦄🦄

Rated 9.5/10

Melina L.

Crackle and Fire is the first book in an upcoming series featuring a female private investigator called Angela Hardwicke. Set in a sci-fi galactic universe, the world itself is very intriguing to discover. The first book gives a good vibe of both the character of Angela Hardwicke as well as her network of friends and helpers that assist her in solving her cases. At the same time, this mystery and first case that she takes gives a foundation to the status of the world that it takes place in. There’s a lot of focus on style, the noir-esque crime and the underworld, the connection of this galactic settting and its connection to Earth.

The mystery itself also is executed rather well. There are layers to the story as it unfolds where this case feels a little like a case in a case as Angela Hardwicke starts connecting the dots. In a case that can easily step on some sensitive toes, there is a whole world that unveils in the process. There’s enough intrigue to want to know more and figure out those many questions and mysteries set out in the beginning and enough answers to unlock a few more elements. Adding in the science fiction elements to expand the location a little more and the technology also gives it a lot of character. 

Overall, as a first book, Crackle and First is a good debut for the series. Its sets up a good foundation. There is enough set up for Angela Hardwicke’s character, giving her enough backstory to understand her more while seeing her true abilities. At the same time, she is a flawed character with a little mysterious vibe behind her that lingers in the background. There were some vibes of the Ava Lee series by Ian Hamilton that I’m a big fan of with how the mystery is constructed as well as the general concept of the female character design (although they do have their differences and has its own respective setting and expertise). To be comparable to that series is a compliment on my part. It’ll be interesting to see where this story takes Angela Hardwicke in the future books of the series. We already get a little idea as this book ended with a little bonus story.

Score: 4/5

 - Tranquil Dreams https://klling.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/blog-tour-crackle-and-fire-by-russ-colchamiro-review-giveaway/