The Automatic Detective is exactly the kind of book I’ve been looking for. A real fun mix of Scifi and Sam Spade. Martinez has just the right amount of gritty detective banter and Scifi gadgetry to keep me hanging on every word. What a great ride through the future world that Mack Megaton lives in. A world where Bots and Autos live alongside of human beings, and by law, even apply to become citizens.
Mack becomes involved in a mystery that he just won’t let go of when his neighbors are attacked by a thug, and then suddenly disappear. And, following Mack’s cybernetic psychologist’s advice to increase his level of interaction with humans, he goes on a rampage to find and save his friends.
Martinez keeps you laughing with the wry humor of Mack, and how he perceives the people and other Bots around him. The characters he creates are natural, and the dialog is great. Some of the names that he’s come up with for things in his world are a bit campy, but it just adds to the whole theme. Also, some of the descriptions are a bit repetitive. Those were minor issues that I hardly even noticed, because I was on a romping fun roller coaster called Mack, and he never let up.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves robots, gruff tough detectives, and Scifi. I couldn’t stop reading.