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.
As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I
received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for
reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with
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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.
