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mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
With Bone Wires, Michael Shean weaves a story that pays homage to multiple genres and tropes, creating a whole that is definitely more than just the sum of its parts. On the surface, this is a police procedural played out against a science fiction backdrop. Beneath the skin is an alternately shiny/gritty surface is an undercurrent of horror, backed by its serial killer atrocities, marked by a throbbing vein of socio-political commentary, centred around the privatization of law enforcement.
In a world where justice and profits are interchangeable, the investigation of a murder is considered a low-priority task, with little profit involved. Up the stakes with a string of gruesome serial murders, however, marked by the removal of the victim's spinal cords, and suddenly the detective involved is not just a celebrity, but a poster boy for the corporation. Suddenly, a seemingly simple investigation is complicated by the need to appease the shareholders as well as the public at large.
Shean's narrative style is well-suited to the mix of genres, coming across as a hard-boiled detective thriller with a strong sense of technological self-awareness. The story itself is paced well, and even when the action lags, there are enough ideas being explored to keep the reader engaged. In terms of detail, this is a book that's both gruesome and vulgar, but never to the point of being excessive.
More importantly, especially for the police-procedural genre, the characters are well-drawn, well-rounded, and well-executed. You can not only 'see' the characters as Shean describes them, but you can 'hear' them as well. They seem to exist beyond the page, bringing life to the story while also maintaining a sense of significance or consequence when they're out of sight.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
In a world where justice and profits are interchangeable, the investigation of a murder is considered a low-priority task, with little profit involved. Up the stakes with a string of gruesome serial murders, however, marked by the removal of the victim's spinal cords, and suddenly the detective involved is not just a celebrity, but a poster boy for the corporation. Suddenly, a seemingly simple investigation is complicated by the need to appease the shareholders as well as the public at large.
Shean's narrative style is well-suited to the mix of genres, coming across as a hard-boiled detective thriller with a strong sense of technological self-awareness. The story itself is paced well, and even when the action lags, there are enough ideas being explored to keep the reader engaged. In terms of detail, this is a book that's both gruesome and vulgar, but never to the point of being excessive.
More importantly, especially for the police-procedural genre, the characters are well-drawn, well-rounded, and well-executed. You can not only 'see' the characters as Shean describes them, but you can 'hear' them as well. They seem to exist beyond the page, bringing life to the story while also maintaining a sense of significance or consequence when they're out of sight.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
wilovebooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book has everything you could want in a futuristic crime thriller. The characters are well-developed and flawed. The futuristic world pulls you in and gives you a glimpse of what could be. The plot had plenty of twists and kept me guessing until the end. If you enjoy a story that is dark and gritty, this is an engrossing read that you won't want to put down.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really great book of a mishmash of a bunch of genres and it was so great to read it!
ctorretta's review against another edition
4.0
Ohhh!! What more can a girl ask for? Blood and guts everywhere. The only thing that got me was that I’m not much of a mystery person but Michael keeps this plot going. I was asking questions and trying to figure out the plot and getting everything wrong! It was great!
This did remind me of a Dystopian although it is marked as Science Fiction. It was in the future and the way the private companies did things just reminded me that all hell can break loose. And sometimes does. The cops didn’t even have much that they could do.
"Yes, it was a good old time for everyone, except here in Homicide. A hundred years ago the art of finding killers was the crown jewel for detectives wanting to make their name in any police organization. Here in the age of privatized police, however, Homicide was very often something of a proverbial dead end. After all, the kinds of people who normally got killed off were Blanks, folks who didn’t have police coverage at all, or everyday citizens who were covered under the standard civilian safety contract brokered between the Company and the city government."
People didn’t respect them like you would think. It was a really interesting set up and one I really enjoyed. And the names of these workers… For instance the main character Dan Gray was a part of Homicide Solutions. Every time I saw one of those names I just cracked up! But Michael adds in that flair, for instance Coke is called Coke Century. Genius! I’m sure Coke is going to want to copyright that. I never once questioned where or when they were. Phenomenal world creation!
So in the midst of these horrific murders where people’s spines are being stolen you have some very interesting characters. And you never get the feeling that you can truly trust any of them. It’s a fabulous mystery with lots of gory details added in, which of course, I just loved! That’s one of the reasons I picked this up, I’m not much of a mystery or science fiction fan but gore, hell yeah, bring it on! Bone Wires definitely didn’t fail my expectations!
This did remind me of a Dystopian although it is marked as Science Fiction. It was in the future and the way the private companies did things just reminded me that all hell can break loose. And sometimes does. The cops didn’t even have much that they could do.
"Yes, it was a good old time for everyone, except here in Homicide. A hundred years ago the art of finding killers was the crown jewel for detectives wanting to make their name in any police organization. Here in the age of privatized police, however, Homicide was very often something of a proverbial dead end. After all, the kinds of people who normally got killed off were Blanks, folks who didn’t have police coverage at all, or everyday citizens who were covered under the standard civilian safety contract brokered between the Company and the city government."
People didn’t respect them like you would think. It was a really interesting set up and one I really enjoyed. And the names of these workers… For instance the main character Dan Gray was a part of Homicide Solutions. Every time I saw one of those names I just cracked up! But Michael adds in that flair, for instance Coke is called Coke Century. Genius! I’m sure Coke is going to want to copyright that. I never once questioned where or when they were. Phenomenal world creation!
So in the midst of these horrific murders where people’s spines are being stolen you have some very interesting characters. And you never get the feeling that you can truly trust any of them. It’s a fabulous mystery with lots of gory details added in, which of course, I just loved! That’s one of the reasons I picked this up, I’m not much of a mystery or science fiction fan but gore, hell yeah, bring it on! Bone Wires definitely didn’t fail my expectations!
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