The Mocking Program

July 1, 2002
Bestseller Foster (The Dig; Interlopers; etc.) elevates this well-paced, hard-boiled SF police procedural through the use of a highly imaginative setting—the sprawling Montezuma Strip, which stretches along the old U.S.-Mexican border and constitutes "the western hemisphere's largest concentration of industry, commerce, assemblage, cutting-edge technology, and trouble." When police inspector Angel Cardenas investigates the case of a male corpse found with most of its internal organs missing ("They'd left the heart. Not much of a demand for hearts these days. Not with good, cheap artificial models flooding the market"), the victim turns out to have had two identities—one as a local executive, the other as a Texas businessman. The plot thickens when the victim's booby-trapped house nearly kills Cardenas and his partner. After a few more near escapes, they establish that the corpse's "wife and daughter" are actually Surtsey and Katla Mockerkin, the ex-wife and 12-year-old daughter of crime lord Cleator Mockerkin, who wants them back in (literally) the worst way. By now Cardenas is sufficiently determined to follow them to Central America, aided by his training as an almost telepathic intuit. The amazingly versatile author plays with a full deck of futuristic elements—notably, sapient apes led by gorillas and intelligent rogue computers that commit computer crimes. An ambiguous but nonetheless satisfying ending leaves open the possibility of another story about Inspector Cardenas. (Aug. 8)Forecast:A national print publicity campaign that includes the mystery market should pick up plenty of noir readers in addition to Foster fans.

April 15, 2002
After 16 New York Times best sellers, Foster is back with the tale of a 21st-century cop who has special powers he can intuit what others will do, which helps with his latest murder case.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2002
A couple of decades ago, Foster was known primarily as the author of science fiction and fantasy novels aimed at younger readers, novelizations of movies "(Starman, Alien)," and installments in popular series (the Star Trek log books, an Alien Nation novel). Over the years, he's broadened his scope, producing original, gripping novels for adults. This story, set not too far in the future, features a police inspector trying to sort out a rather unusual murder: a recently discovered corpse seems to belong to two men. So who's really dead? And how can Angel Cardenas find the truth when everyone connected to the victim(s) appears to have gone missing? The novel has a solid plot, but what makes it interesting is the detailed dialect the author has devised. Like Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange," this novel comes with a glossary to help readers translate the characters' slang (a combination of English and Spanish, mostly). Peppered with clever new technology and offbeat characters, the book successfully crosses genres and will appeal to both mystery and sf fans. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)