In the not-too-distant future Las Vegas suffers a catastrophic event. A dark cloud engulfs the city blocking all sunlight. Nothing can fly under the cloud, batteries are drained, and transmission signals are disrupted.
Rebuilt as New Vegas, a.k.a. Bumper City, the city thrives under the neon and artificial lights. Retro-Tech has become the norm as cell phones don’t work, electric vehicles can’t function, and computers are only possible via underground cables. A wasteland on the outskirts of the city makes travel impossible with trains being the only way in or out of the city.
That’s the setting of my sci-fi detective noir thriller. The story is told from the first-person perspective of retired police officer turned private investigator, Alton Cold. An old friend, falsely accused of selling drugs, asks Alton for help. But the detective gets more than he bargains for when he uncovers a sinister plot involving a Secret Society of wealthy industrialists and Titans of Big Tech.
I first wrote Bumper City in 1994. After releasing my werewolf horror/romance series, I decided to revisit Bumper City. I couldn’t find the original manuscript, so I re-wrote the entire book last year.
As a former private investigator, I had poured many of my cases into the story, now thirty years later, I had a lot more to work with. The story is fiction, but it’s inspired by SOME true events. The reader will have to decide which is which. Many of the characters are also inspired by people I know. I’ll give you one, the opening chapter establishing Mara and Alton’s relationship, is based on true events. It’s an important chapter with plenty of foreshadowing for the book and the series.
The original version had Twilas Burke as the primary villain. And Burke always used henchmen to do his bidding. During the re-write I felt he needed more. So, I added the Pagliacci Killer Clowns. Burke is a behind the scenes kinda villain, and I wanted a villain that is overtly terrifying and horrific. Serial Killers dressed as clowns seemed perfect, but there’s more to what they are doing than just killing.
Although I often think of the setting as retro sci-fi using old technology, it’s still a futuristic world. I’ve been fascinated by artificial intelligence and other forms of tech such as nanites. Alton’s talking car, Bessimer, is inspired by K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider and adds another character most readers love.
Since many of my former cases involved people doing unimaginable things, I often asked why? Thus, the inspired use of nanites, but I don’t want to give any spoilers on how that fits into the story.
This book lays the groundwork for the entire series. The underlying evil that Burke is doing and the use of nanites play a big role. Each book will have a standalone investigation, but the overall issue with Burke, and his secret society, always runs in the background.
If you prefer audiobooks, I also produced and narrated Bumper City. I added sound fx and music to place the listener in a visual experience much like old radio. While I loved writing and being in Bumper City, I truly loved voicing the characters, especially Bessimer. The audiobook just seems to take it to a whole new level and I’m very proud of how it turned out.
If you get a chance, and you like sci-fi crime thrillers, check it Bumper City. I’m confident you’ll enjoy the experience.
