Malibu Burns by Mark Richardson delivers neo noir crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. It takes place in near-future San Francisco where teen Malibu Makimura stands at the cusp of a life changed forever when she realizes she can sense her father’s thoughts. He leaves his family to pursue his “gifts” and research. Soon after, her mother takes her life leaving Malibu an orphan. The plot follows the journey of this young woman as she tries to survive in a dark world where dimensions overlap and reality is a variable. She discovers she can feel people’s emotions but it does little to help keep a roof over her head.
She finds a place to live in the seedy part of town and lands a job drawing caricatures at a women’s nightclub while trying to ignore a portentous black-hearted voice growing inside her. One night, while creating a caricature she senses a sinister emotion projected by an older, well-put-together woman dressed in a leopard print dress. She learns the woman’s name is Luciana and is warned to steer clear of her by the bartender, but when she is invited to the woman’s Presidio Heights mansion she decides to go. The woman offers Malibu a peculiar criminal opportunity, the girl accepts and the evil inside her grows. Malibu thinks she can control it, but soon finds herself wondering if she will ever be in control of her life again! And on a base level, she is not sure she wants to be.
Malibu Burns Book Review
Richardson sets the grim, gritty, and matter-of-fact tone in the first few pages and does an impressive job with his dystopian worldbuilding. The backdrop is futuristic, fantastically surreal, realistic enough to believe and at times horror-worthy. It makes sense like a bad dream that scares you but you want to still know what happens. This tactic works well with Malibu’s mental state as she juggles her allegiance to the authoritative Luciana with her own better judgement, while the sinister voice grows more frequent and dominant.
Malibu Burns is a highly entertaining noir thriller like few others with excellent pacing, an unpredictable story, with complex characters. I recommend this book to people who enjoy the sinister feel of the noir crime genre. Think of The Arrangement by Robyn Harding. Fast-moving engrossing read, though it did take me a few chapters to get into the mind-bending direction of overlapping dimensions and changing realities, but then I was hooked. My one word of caution is that there is explicit sexual content sprinkled here and there that is necessary to the development of the story.
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About author Mark Richardson
Mark Richardson is the author of the novels Malibu Burns, The Sun Casts No Shadow, and Hunt for the Troll.
His short stories have appeared in numerous crime and literary publications, including Hobart, Fugue, Segue, Crime Factory, Switchback, and Nth Position.
Born in the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Iowa, and promptly escaped the midwestern winters for sunny California, first living in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent thirty years working as a writer and marketer for tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Mark now lives in the East Bay with his wife, two children, and the world’s cutest dog. He spends his time writing fiction, obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, attending his daughter’s softball games, and reading stacks of books. He loves genre-bending fiction, especially speculative writing with a noir flavor. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Check out his website at www.authormarkrichardson.com.
