Title: The Alvin Goodfellow Case Files
Publisher: Knotted Road Press
Author: Leah Cutter
Price: $4.99 (ebook)

Alvin Goodfellow is a private investigator, “the best you’ll find on the Moon, Venus, or Mars.” A lover of puzzles and of setting wrongs to right, Alvin keeps an office down in the warrens on the Moon. No domed city on the surface for him, thank you very much. He prefers the steady temperatures and windless interior and noisy crowds of the tunnels, with plenty of secured hatches between him and the vacuum of space. The warrens are also where he meets the most interesting clients; they may not pay as well as the rich folks above or near the center of town, but the cases they bring him make up for the lesser pay. Usually. Sometimes. Okay, maybe he does need to take a paying case, and soon ….

Noir science fiction* is a very niche genre, and one that can be difficult to write; as such, really good examples are few and far between. The Gunderson Case Files by Blaze Ward is one example, and The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal is a wonderful adventure that shares many tropes of the genre.

Happily, I can add The Alvin Goodfellow Case Files to that list. Alvin is a great character with a solid moral center. He takes client confidentiality seriously, but he doesn’t always trust his clients; he doesn’t like being scammed and, if he thinks his client is trying to dupe him or place innocents in danger, he’ll take care of the matter. With force, if necessary.

The solar system that Alvin inhabits is one of danger, adventure, and diverse species. Humans may have originated on Earth and gone on to colonize the Moon, but they are not alone. Venus and Mars also produced sentient species, and I have the impression that other planets are inhabited, as well. Despite the science fiction setting — including ray guns and rocket ships — the aesthetic is very much of the 1930s. So are the social attitudes. Sexism and racism are rampant (though these are not shared by Alvin). Women hold few positions of authority; the women who work at the bank (under a male supervisor) are referred to as “girls” and a university education seems to be only a means to snag a well-to-do husband. And one of Alvin’s best sources of information is Johnny, a black man who runs a shoeshine stand. He is treated poorly by his (white, wealthy) clients, but he is sharp and observant; and because Alvin treats him well, Johnny shares all the interesting gossip he overhears while cleaning shoes.

The Alvin Goodfellow Case Files are a fun romp through a past that might have been. There are weird aliens, ray gun battles, mysteries and conspiracies, and even mutants in the tunnels. Each story is the perfect length for a quick read during lunch or to relax before bed. (And if you should discover any other great examples of noir science fiction, please let me know.)

Recommended to fans of Cutter’s Rabbit Mysteries, The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard, and The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato.

*Also referred to as tech noir. Film versions are more readily available than literary examples; see Blade Runner.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]