KOP

A corrupt policeman, an overgrown jungle city that gets only five hours of sun between 17-hour nights, and battling crime gangs set the extremely noir scene for Hammond's solidly constructed, fast-paced SF debut. In 2787, the impoverished colony planet Lagarto is a dead end, its economy destroyed by a trade imbalance that favors rich offworlders while natives go hungry. In Koba, Lagarto's largest city, aging street cop Juno Mozambe clings to the power and bribery gained by strong-arm tactics in his youth. His friend Paul Chang, chief of the Koba Office of Police, senses that rivals want them removed. As Juno teams up with new partner Maggie Orzo to investigate a murder by an apparent serial killer, he and Paul must also stop their long alliance with the Bandur cartel from being exposed. Hammond's writing is workmanlike with occasional terse highlights, offering rewards to fans of both crime novels and science fiction. (July)