Blue-Haired Bombshell – review
John Zakour starting writing the Zachary Nixon Johnson books with his writing partner Lawrence Ganem with a trilogy of books: The Plutonium Blonde, The Doomsday Brunette, and The Radioactive Redhead. After this trilogy, John Zakour took on the series as a solo writer, putting out The Frost-Haired Vixen. What caught my attention, with these books (I purchased the second and third book in the series and then ordered the first book and waited six to eight weeks before I finally got a copy and started reading them) is, admittedly the pin-up covers and the nod back to pulp-style writing. On top of this, it combines a couple of elements, antiquated in today’s writing environment, that I really enjoy: the hardboiled detective story and the scifi opera.
As a result of this combination and a rather amazing penchant for writing prose, Zakour and Ganem caught my eye and attention and also caught me as a fan of the first three books. Then came the fourth, I was less-than-pleased with it, but didn’t (really) worry too much as Zakour was heading out on his own. (I’ve actually promised to re-read the book and intend to do so… uhm… soon… especially since I made the promise (*cough cough*) about nine months ago.)
Essentially, the books are narrated by Zach Johnson, the last freelance P.I. on earth. They take place in the future where humanity so so super-connected to the internet and each other, one would think it nearly impossible that a P.I. would be relevant, let alone necessary. The books, quite literally, begin with some kind of femme fatal entering Zach’s life and causing his world (and the world around him) to collide. This also, often, leads his girlfriend/fiance’ to leave him, or threaten to leave. As a result, it then becomes necessary for Zach to save the world, get back the girl, and avoid the uber-attractive client he has taken on who is willing to pay him back any way he wants – not just monetarily.
In all four preceding books, this is, more or less, the conceit that has been used to write the story.
Fortunately, Zakour did not go against character and he followed this pattern on his second solo outing.
The Blue-Haired Bombshell begins with Zach Johnson narrating the story (as per usual). What makes this a truly entertaining book is that in the first chapter Zakour does several things that set up the story, tell you about the characters, give you enough background to feel as though you can be a part of the story, and then move forward with his story. Essentially, Zach has gone to his friend Randy’s lab to pick up his gun, is attacked by killer vines, saves his friend and an attractive woman, and introduces HARV, a computer implanted into his brain, his girlfriend, his assistant, his friend Randy, and that the audience will be dealing with people from the moon.
There are no secrets here. Zakour lays out, rather masterfully, what will be discussed in his narrative. He shows us that Zach has a penchant for getting into trouble and for acting before he thinks. Believe it or not, to enjoy the story, this is all necessary and pertinent information that makes The Blue-Haired Bombshell an enjoyable read and approachable by a much wider audience than fans of the (already) established series. Moreover, there are enough easter eggs in the narrative that the audience is reminded of previous adventures with other’s of the femme fatals that Zach has saved in the past as well as hints and clues (potentially) for what might be coming next.
Ultimately, I think this is a very fun read. I am not certain whether it rose to the level of writing and adventure as the first three books, and I don’t think there is any real comparison between his last book and this one, but, on it’s own, Zakour has written a book well worth reading, a book that is enjoyable, and one that I found myself flipping through again and again as I found time over a period of several days.
Zakour may never be someone who shakes up the writing world or the scifi world, but then I don’t think that is his intention. Rather, I think when it comes to science fiction and especially his science fiction, he does a remarkable job and is showing a lot of promise (not only) for the Zach Johnson stories, but also for future stories he chooses to share. If you haven’t already picked up some of his books, go do it now.
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