Seems like a good premise. I like the author, but didn't like this book. Skimmed it mostly. ( )

Adult fiction; gritty crime drama. Takes a while to get started, and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. ( )

None of his LAPD colleagues will partner up with Parker Haas and with the city being in the state it currently finds itself then he can't go out alone. His boss offers him a choice of assignments, admin duty or to go undercover looking for any signs of a black market for the only drug that offers any relief to the disease that's decimated the world. SLP, nicknamed sleepless, renders its victims unable to sleep until after months go by in this state kills them in a painful way. It would've been a boring book if he chose the former so we join up with Park's tale having established his cover as a drug dealer and infiltrating the high-end market where he's most likely to encounter Dreamer, the aforementioned drug. It's highly regulated with very limited supply so the value of any illegal trade would be quite significant. When Park recovers a hard drive from a murder scene of some of his new associates it could contain more information than he'd bargained for. He's also not the only one that wants what's on the drive. Jasper is what's known in the trade as a fixer. He's very good at what he does, otherwise he wouldn't have lived so long. He's been hired by a client he doesn't want to disappoint to retrieve the drive regardless of the cost. Can Park survive the inevitable encounter with Jasper while still looking after his infected wife and possibly infected infant daughter and still manage to do the right thing?

Combining elements of noir and police procedural in a post-apocalyptic setting of near modern day Los Angeles where the rich have retreated to their private residences or gated communities and the poor left to fend for themselves. It's a tautly written, often quite violent, thriller with some wonderful characters that are very well brought to life. The book uses the alternating voices of Park and Jasper as their respective stories begin to entwine until they finally come together using the styles of first and third person to readily distinguish between the two. The world-building is excellent and all too plausible. Touches of humour, mostly of the black variety, and moments of real tenderness provide relief from the rest of the bleakness. I've liked everything I've read from this author so far and this one proves no exception. ( )

Edgy and brisk. Huston is a good writer and tells and interesting tale. ( )

This book was dark with elegant prose. It felt cinematic at times, especially with the POV of a hit man who could deconstruct an action scene for the reader, and I found myself enjoying the device. It could have maybe used a touch more despair but it managed to still be affecting. The protagonist was the type of good cop you have to love, but more than that I understood why he loved his wife. She is a motivating force for Park, but Huston has managed to also make the reader care about her and I was impressed that she didn't simply feel like a cipher (*cheesy wink to those who've read the book). ( )