Synopsis
A time-traveling, end-of-the-world police procedural, Extremity is True Detective if written by Philip K. Dick.
When once-renowned police detective Julia Torgrimsen is brought out of forced retirement to investigate the murder of Bruno Donaldson, a billionaire she worked with whilst undercover, she doesn’t expect to find two bodies. Both are Bruno–identical down to the fingerprints–and both have been shot.
As the investigation sucks her back into the macabre world of London’s rich elite, she finds herself on the hunt for a mysterious assassin who has been taking out the wealthy one by one. But when she finally catches up with her quarry, she unveils an entire world of secrets: impossible documents about future stock market crashes, photographs of dead clones, and a clandestine time-travelling conspiracy so insidious it might just mean the extinction of the entire human race.
If Julia is to have any chance of preventing this terrible future, she’ll have to revisit her own past, the terrible choices she made undercover, and the brutal act that destroyed her once legendary career.
Review
“And yes, I’m aware that “this isn’t how it looks” is just about the oldest cliché in the book. I’m aware that you have a trail of bodies and the only that connects all of them is me. I’m aware of Occam’s razor.”
Thank you to @tordotcompub and @netgalley for the arc.
I loved this one. Ascension was one of my top 10 reads for last year and this book seems to be a strong contender for one of the spots this year. Nicholas Binge has perfected writing the unputdownable quality in his books. This book was not a one-sitting read for me only because I had some unavoidable chores at the exact time. I can guarantee that this will be a one-sitting read for most of the readers who will pick it up. In fact, I am happy to dare anyone to read the first chapter and then try and not continue.
This book has a grizzled veteran cop coming out of retirement for one last mission and by chance and circumstances gets paired with a newbie. This cynical senior mentor character guiding the bright-eyed, idealistic younger partner who is just learning the ropes is such a revered trope for a reason and the author has executed it wonderfully here. This one also layers in one more character into this dynamic and he has been written splendidly as well.
What starts off as a regular police procedural quickly evolves into a world-ending cosmic horror with doppelgängers and some other favorite sci-fi elements. The biggest highlights of the book for me were how beautifully the author switched the POVs around and how I was constantly kept on the edge of the seat. I was so tense I could feel every muscle locking up in my body. This was what if Christopher Nolan directed an episode of X-files or Fringe and I sincerely want more.
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