A huge thanks to Dave and crew over at #TheWriteReads for organising this book tour and to Mark Richardson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis
Near-future San Francisco is a dark world where reality is changeable and different dimensions overlap.
Teen Malibu Makimura discovers she can feel people’s emotions, and senses an ominous voice growing inside her. She lands a job at a women’s nightclub drawing surrealist caricatures. One night while drawing a portrait, she feels a sinister emotion projected by a woman named Luciana, who invites Malibu to her Presidio Heights mansion.
There, she makes a peculiar request – and Malibu agrees. With each following act the evil inside her grows, and Malibu begins to wonder if she will ever be in control again… or if she even wants to be.
Genre: Dystopian Urban Fantasy
Length: 288 Pages
Publishing: 29th September 2022
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGHFXD5D/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62830791-malibu-burns
My Thoughts
Malibu Burns is a book that gives a lot of feels and vibes but also feels as though it needs someone far superior with words and understanding of literature than myself to review it – but I shall do my best to convey how this book made me feel.
Malibu Burns made me feel like I was peeking – almost like a peep show – that I was meant to watch but in secret from a distance. At various interludes, Malibu views her life and events as though they are happening in the style of old movies but actually – this is how I felt reading this book. This book played like a film in my mind – everything brought to life through the writing style and gritty feeling to everything about the story. It really has a huge film noir vibe and manages to balance a sexy, classy feeling with a very dark and gritty feeling. The style of the book is very different from things I usually read, and the beginning of the story jumps around in time a little so it took me a good few chapters to settle into the style but, once I did – I was addicted.
Malibu Burns is set about 25 years in the future. It’s strange as there are many differences but some of these are subtle and so realistic. At times I forgot that I was reading a book set in a dystopian future and Malibu’s time and world felt very normal. Again, the writing style wasn’t overly descriptive but it was so easy to picture the scenes in my head. I literally watched my way through this book.
Malibu herself is a complex character. She shouldn’t be likable and has so many flaws, but I found myself drawn to her. I mostly wanted to take her home and give her stability and love as her teen life hadn’t been easy and her gift made her life very complicated. She had some despicable thoughts and ideas but it was difficult to not like her or become invested in her.
Malibu Burns is artistic and fascinating. It is not a complete version of Malibu’s story – almost like a snippet – but it really made me think about the events before and after. It made me think of David Lynch films – I always enjoy them but can never fully explain why.
Author Bio – Mark Rochardson
Mark Richardson is the author of the novels Malibu Burns, The Sun Casts No Shadow, and Hunt for the Troll.
His short stories have appeared in numerous crime and literary publications, including Hobart, Fugue, Segue, Crime Factory, Switchback, and Nth Position.
Born in the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Iowa, and promptly escaped the midwestern winters for sunny California, first living in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent thirty years working as a writer and marketer for tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Mark now lives in the East Bay with his wife, two children, and the world’s cutest dog. He spends his time writing fiction, obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, attending his daughter’s softball games, and reading stacks of books. He loves genre-bending fiction, especially speculative writing with a noir flavor. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Social media:
https://www.instagram.com/markrichardsonauthor/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-richardson-1711111/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62830791-malibu-burns
Herding Cats 
Thank you for reading my book! I think you do have a way with words. 🥳 Happy New Year!
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Thank you Mark.
I loved your book. It’s indulgently dark and you really hit the nail on the head with the film noir vibe.
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Fantastic review, Kerry xx
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