Better Than Chocolate

By Bruce Golden

Zumaya Otherworlds

ISBN: 978-1-934135-46-4

Reviewed By

Shawn Oetzel

If you could throw Blade Runner, Alien Nation, and Mickey Spillane along with a dash of Glenn Cook's Garrett P.I. series into the literary blender and hit frappe, you would get Bruce Golden's novel Better Than Chocolate. This futuristic police drama is filled with sex, oddball characters, and enough twist and turns to keep any reader entertained regardless if they are a fan of the genre or not.

When Police Inspector Noah Dane's partner is gunned down in cold blood in the line of the duty, Dane becomes hell bent on bringing the killer to justice. With his new partner, a Marilyn Monroe look-alike android, Inspector Dane weaves his way through a future version of San Francisco in hopes of finding any usable clue as to the identity of the shooter. Along the way he is asked to solve a series of other high profile murders which are somehow linked to his partner's killing.

At the same time, Chastity Blume, America's Favorite Virgin, and talk show host is trying to come to grips with her new found celebrity. When her fame and faith starts to pull her in different directions she decides to track down the mother she never knew. When her path eventually crosses Inspector Danes, they find themselves in the middle of a cover-up with the human race's very existence at stake.

Bruce Golden futuristic Sci-Fi cop drama contains something for everyone. With a strange alien race, witty sarcasm, shoot-outs, and a full cast of characters along with a sprinkle of sex mixed in to spice things up, Better Than Chocolate will not disappoint. Police Inspector Noah Dane is one of those characters who is highly addictive, and I certainly hope Mr. Golden is planning his next adventure right now.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is a nonstop roller coaster ride. There is not a lull to be found anywhere throughout the book. Mr. Golden does a great job of not getting lost in the plot, and really letting his characters develop and tell the story. His Inspector Dane is a hoot, and I cannot wait to see what Mr. Golden has cooked up for him next. Better Than Chocolate is an easy book to recommend. Bruce Golden has proved he is a writer to keep an eye on, and I for one am looking forward to his next project.

This review first appeared in the September 2007 issue of Tales of the Talisman.