Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe
$6.99
Of All The Gin Joints in the Universe by Richard Paolinelli is pure sci-fi noir with a mischievous grin: fedora tilted just so, cigarette smoke doing interpretive dance in the recycled air, a double-crossing dame whose secrets could melt a bulkhead—and the whole glorious mess playing out on a 25th-century space station where the stars never clock out and justice is the shadiest commodity on the menu.
Ex-Galactic Justice Inspector Sam Spade strolls onto Station 1964 (Norma) and immediately draws the short straw: two clients who lie like it’s an Olympic sport and a missing statue hiding a lost fortune.
Classic setup, right? Wrong.
The HALO lie-detector—marketed as the ultimate truth serum—has been hijacked into a fiendish little gadget for framing and mind control, courtesy of the very agency Spade used to work for. Suddenly he’s not just chasing a jewel; he’s trying not to get rewired by the system that once paid his salary.
Paolinelli serves up a playful, pitch-perfect mashup of Casablanca’s smoky charm, The Maltese Falcon’s hardboiled attitude, and a deliciously twisted sci-fi conspiracy. The world-building sparkles without ever stealing the spotlight, the dialogue snaps, and the mystery keeps you guessing (and grinning) right to the final twist.
If you like your retro-futuristic detectives with extra wit, institutional double-crosses, and a side of galactic cheek, this one’s for you. Grab your copy and belly up to the bar—of all the gin joints in the universe, this is the one you won’t want to leave.
Of All The Gin Joints in the Universe by Richard Paolinelli is sci-fi noir with a wink: fedora, cigarette, double-crossing dame—and a 25th-century space station where justice is the shadiest deal in town. Ex-Inspector Sam Spade lands on Station 1964 (Norma) between two Olympic-level liars and a missing statue hiding a fortune.
The kicker?
The HALO lie-detector has been twisted into a mind-control weapon by Galactic Justice itself. A playful mashup of Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and galactic conspiracy, it’s hardboiled grit with inventive world-building and plenty of cheek. Grab your copy and belly up to the bar—and you won’t want to leave.
If you love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, classic noir, Altered Carbon, and space opera and are looking for character-driven pulp then Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe should be your very next read.
