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    Review of WHOLE WIDE WORLD by Paul McAuley (see hiw website)

    TOR, May 2002

    Since the Infowars, English Detective Inspector John ? has been plagued by his doubts and shuffled into the remote bowels of British crime enforcement. In this dystopic near-future, England and much of the world are overrun by computer viruses, networked security cameras that can track and identify nearly anyone, and new morality laws that forbid virtually everything, even requiring editing of Disney movies before they pass the censors.

    But murder is still a crime and Sophie Booth's murder is the DI's chance to reclaim active status in the police. It was a particularly nasty murder--complete with torture and finally a knifing. Worse, it was broadcast over the net and only one viewer bothered to notify the police. As the DI investigates, he begins to believe that the crime is not the straighforward murder it is made out to be. Finding the killer may not be enough to unveil the entire crime. As the police force turns against him, the DI is forced underground, taking chances that put him outside the pale.

    Author Paul McAuley writes a tense SF mystery. The near-future environment he describes feels real and possible. For the most part, his technological crime advances ring true. The DI is well motivated and carefully drawn. His relationship with the missing Julie adds to his humanity and the violence of the crime motivates his extreme thirst for justice.

    See more BooksForABuck.com reviews of SF by Paul McAuley.

    Four Stars

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