THE SHAMSHINE BLIND

Narrator Aida Reluzco transports listeners to an alternate version of 2009, when Argentina is the most powerful country in the world by virtue of having won a war through the use of "psychopigments," weaponized chemicals that can induce any feeling in a human through ingestion or absorption. Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida's job is busting small-time psychopigment dealers--that is, until she gets involved with a high-profile case that would take the threat of the chemicals to a new, more devastating level. Reluzco gives Curtida a world-weary Latinx vibe that perfectly conveys the blend of conspiracy theory, science fiction, and noir that characterizes this debut novel. How do you trust your gut feelings when they can be produced chemically? L.M.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]