The Shamshine Blind, Paz Pardo
The Shamshine Blind, Paz Pardo
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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The Shamshine Blind

Author: Paz Pardo

Narrator: Aida Reluzco

Unabridged: 11 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/14/2023


Synopsis

A beguiling blend of noir detective story and science fiction perfect for fans of Michael Chabon and Emily St. John Mandel, “this fiercely intelligent and utterly original debut” (Anna North, New York Times bestselling author) imagines a world where emotions have been weaponized, and a small-town law enforcement agent uncovers a conspiracy to take down what’s left of American democracy.

In an alternate 2009, the United States has been a second-rate power for a quarter of a century, ever since Argentina’s victory in the Falkland’s War thanks to their development of “psychopigments.” Created as weapons, these colorful chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs. Black market traders illegally sell everything from Blackberry Purple (which causes terror) to Sunshine Yellow (which delivers happiness).

Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida works a beat in Daly City, just outside the ruins of San Francisco, chasing down smalltime crooks. But when an old friend shows up with a tantalizing lead on a career-making case, Curtida’s humdrum existence suddenly gets a boost. Little does she know that this case will send her down a tangled path of conspiracy and lead to an overdue reckoning with her family and with the truth of her own emotions.

Told in the voice of a funny, brooding, Latinx Sam Spade, The Shamshine Blind is “a rip-roaring beautifully crafted mash-up of cop noir, sci-fi, and alt-history that left me dazzled by its prescience and literary zing” (Leah Hampton, author of F*ckface).

About Paz Pardo

Paz Pardo is an Argentine-American award-winning playwright and novelist. She received her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers, her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship. Raised in America, she currently lives in Argentina. The Shamshine Blind is her first novel. Find out more at PazSays.com. 


Reviews

*3.5 stars rounded up. Imagine an alternate world where Argentina defeated the US in the Falklands War in the 80s by using psychopigment weaponry based on human emotions. Most large cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles were decimated and so badly polluted with negative emotions that no one can......more

Goodreads review by Alan

Rec. by: BookRiot; Scalzi Rec. for: Color commentators (heh) Now and then, seemingly out of the blue (heh), a work of speculative fiction gets published that's truly unique, with an outrageous concept (what I like to call a "neat conceit") executed so well that it inexorably draws you in to the profou......more

Goodreads review by Kim

Now Available Gracious thanks to Atria and #NetGalley for an early copy of this rollicking mystery thriller. This is my favorite kind of satire-based novel. one that is well-written, with serious underpinnings, but that never takes itself too seriously, so it always feels open and balanced. As a bon......more


Quotes

"Reluzco gives Curtida a world-weary Latinx vibe that perfectly conveys the blend of conspiracy theory, science fiction, and noir that characterizes this debut novel. How do you trust your gut feelings when they can be produced chemically?"