Ever since The Gone Away World hit shelves in 2008, Nick Harkaway (and his alter ego, Aidan Truhen) has earned an automatic spot on my bookshelf—and he’s yet to let me down.
Sleeper Beach is the follow-up to 2023’s Titanium Noir, which introduced us to private investigator Cal Sounder and the strange, future world of Titans – humans who’ve transcended mortality thanks to a drug called T7. This miracle substance doesn’t just heal and slow ageing; it also causes Titans to grow physically, turning the world’s ultra-elite into giants towering over the rest of humanity.
In Sleeper Beach, we catch up with Sounder four years after he received his own life-saving dose of T7. He’s called to the faded company town of Shearwater by Titan matriarch Martha Erskine, who suspects foul play in the death of a young woman and that the culprit may be within her own powerful family. Distrusting both law enforcement and corporate security, she turns to Sounder for the truth.
As always, Harkaway’s world-building is impeccable. He doesn’t lean on flashy tech gimmicks or sci-fi contrivances -instead, he grounds the story in timeless themes: money, sex, and power. The futuristic elements are just the stage; the drama is all too human and (Titan’s aside) could be played out in any era.
The pace is brisk, the word count lean, and while that keeps the story charging forward, there are moments you wish Harkaway would linger and dig a little deeper into some of the more compelling side characters. Cal Sounder remains something of an enigma himself. We know he’s clever, sarcastic, and grounded. He’s not a tortured idealist, just a guy trying to do some good in a world that doesn’t make it easy. But his backstory? Still a mystery.
Bottom line: Sleeper Beach is another smart, sharp, and highly entertaining entry from Harkaway. Bring on the next Cal Sounder adventure.
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