Streets of Payne

By: Jeff Brackett

Narrated by: Joy Nash

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Humanity is in the eye of the beholder. But for street-smart detective Amber Payne, it's the eyes that aren't human. Cybernetic implants replaced the organics she lost in the line of duty, and their appearance often causes Amber to doubt her self-worth. Rookie detective Kevin Glass is her partner. And though he may be new, Kevin's unparalleled skill as an elite cyber-surfer makes him an invaluable asset. When Alta Corp contracts the two of them to solve a case of high stakes data theft, they will need every bit of skill, experience, and determination to succeed. For the more they investigate, the more it becomes evident that this case is much more than it appears, and its resolution may forever alter the world in which they live.

©2013 Jeff Brackett (P)2013 Jeff Brackett

Awesome cyberpunk mystery

Well, fuggle me blue! This book was everything it promised to be—and more. I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook version of Streets of Payne, narrated by Joy Nash. The only downside to this is that I have no idea how anything is spelled, so apologies in advance if I get things wrong.

In a future in which law enforcement has been privatized, street-smart Amber Payne is a detective with Securi-Tech, partnered with hacker extraordinaire Kevin Glass. The first thing people notice about her are always her eyes—or rather, the cybernetic implants that replaced her eyes, after she lost hers when street bangers attacked her.

When Amber and Kevin are hired by the powerful Alta Corp to investigate the theft of valuable data, they stumble upon something, much, much bigger than corporate espionage. They find themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful enemy, one who will stop at nothing to end them.

Where to start the gushing? This book has everything a good sci-fi adventure ought to have: intriguing characters, awesome tech, snappy dialogue, thrilling action, and even a touch of philosophy… And the street slang Amber employs is infectious. Brackett really brings his world to life.

The first thing that came to mind when I read (or rather, was listening to) this book was Gibson. And then as the book progressed, I felt shades of Philip K. Dick. Brackett seems like a natural heir to these sci-fi greats. His novel explores the possibilities of cyberspace and artificial intelligence, as well as the possible future of cosmetic surgery. In this world, people can get enhancements of all kinds—muscles, limbs, and more all have artificial counterparts that are more powerful than the real thing.

Pretty much every character in this book counts as a cyborg—part human and part machine. For Amber, it’s her cybernetic eyes. For Kevin, it’s his virtual alter-ego, K2. And then there are the street bangers and mercenaries they run into, who are so jacked up with tech, you start to wonder if they still count as human.

The plot of takes the stories on twists and turns, leading the characters in unexpected directions. I found myself more than once yelling, “What!” The mystery turns out to be far more complex than Amber anticipated, and there were times when I found myself wondering, “What is going on here?!” But the threads all come together in the end, leaving the reader with a satisfying resolution.

As a character, Amber is a familiar figure—the haunted, tough-as-nails detective who will stop at nothing to solve her case. But Brackett also brings her human side to the surface—the compassionate woman who cares about her partner and who isn’t without her faults.

Overall, this book was a very enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a healthy dose of sci-fi. And if you’re too busy to curl up with a book (like I am these days), the audiobook is phenomenal. Joy Nash’s narration really makes the characters and action come alive, giving each person his or her own voice.

What more can I say? If you’re a fan of Gibson, the TV show “Almost Human”, Bladerunner, or anything else by Philip K. Dick, I highly recommend you give this book a try.

A snapshot of the future

Where does Streets of Payne rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a good science fiction novel, plenty of bad guys with advanced tech and police too.
This story integrates advanced computers and computer science with cool weapons, enhanced humans and a clever/intriguing story line. If you like a bad-ass crime solving heroine then this is a good choice for you.

Any additional comments?

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Captivating story and narrator

Story was imaginative and kept you wanting more. Found I hard to put down and ready for a sequel.
Narrator did a great job at changing characters and keeping you attention.

Slow start...but entertaining

Any additional comments?

I was really looking forward to this book but I ended up having a really hard time with it. While the story overall is entertaining, engaging and enjoyable it just wasn't holding my attention. It wasn't one of those books I had to listen to every chance I had. It took several hours for me to really become even semi-interested in the story. It wasn't until Chapter 16 ( 3 hours in) that I really became interested in the story. Normally, by this time I would have thrown in the towel on a book.

After an initial bit of action the story slows down and very slowly builds back up again. The mystery and intrigue build slowly as well especially in the beginning. If the story had been a bit more fast paced with a bit more action in the beginning it would have pulled me in much sooner and had my full attention from the start.

It has all the elements that make a really enjoyable listen. An interesting story with a good mixture of action, suspense, intrigue and mystery. Great cast of characters, as well as a great narrator. Other than the rough start, once the story is setup and the action really gets started the story becomes really entertaining and interesting. The characters take a while to grow on you. But just as the story grows on you so do the characters.

Joy Nash does a great job with the narration. This is the first time I have listened to her narrate a book. Pleasant voice. Easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice pace. The character voices are great. Both male and female, but between character voices the narration sounded flat at times. Overall though her narration was very enjoyable. I would definitely listen to her narrate other books.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

Not a story for kids, but engaging fun for adults!

There is some questionable and unnecessary material early-on in this book, but the story evens-out and sucks you in. don't be fooled by the title; this isn't a corny book. The story is great, the characters are convincing and the twists in the plot keep you guessing. Buy this book if you like cyberpunk and are ready fir excitement, anger, sadness and suspense with just a hint of romance.

Futuristic police procedural

Brackett's Streets of Payne is a gritty and futuristic police / detective story. Detective Payne works for a contract law enforcement company along with her partner who is an ace hacker and investigates first some missing files and then a kidnapping in connection with company making computerized prosthetics. The overall mood is a cyberpunk / Bladerunner style.

The sci-fi element are mainly artificial body parts, monster AIs, and computer hacking. The pacing is excellent with a good flow of back and forth between real world action (high tech weaponry and armor) and cyberspace battles. Payne is continually being put back together and with a sequel could end up becoming a female robocop.

The narration is first rate with an excellent range of voices

Johnny mnemonic and matrix all rolled together

Cyber enhancement, A.I.'s, mental jacks and more Lewis's
Out to some great sci-fi listening. Cool weapons, intrigue, action, all rolled into one great package. The author and. Aerator deliver a wonderful experience with a great set of characters. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Good Sci-Fi Mystery

Any additional comments?

This isn't my usual genre but it turned out to be a refreshing change. Detectives Amber Payne and Kevin Glass are contracted to investigate a case of data theft. Her street smarts and his computer skills lead them to the realization that the case has implications far beyond what they imagined.

Streets of Payne is an action packed adventure with great dialogue and a heroine who kicks butt. The narration was well done and I really enjoyed the story. I would recommend Streets of Payne.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.

TOP JOB Jeff Brackett and Joy Nash

I was gifted this ARC from the author for a honest and unbiased review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as the story was riveting and entertaining. I really hope that there are some follow up books and that it will be a mini series.

Thrillfest

Loved this. I would have listened to it all in one go but I've come down with a cold so I listened to it in three segments I had to sleep in between. I hope there's more of it as there are a few unanswered questions. This is the first book by Jeff Brackett that I've listened or read but it won't be the last.
The narrator kept me on my toes, she brought the story alive.
This audiobook was given to me for free at my request from the publisher or author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed, Entertaining, Funny, Great world building, Original, Page-turner, Tragic, Twisted, Unpredictable, Wonderful characters.