Review of Doom Town and the Atomic Blonde from Sector 9

A Wild, Atmospheric Journey Through Atomic-Age Las Vegas

Richard Toronto’s Doom Town and the Atomic Blonde from Sector 9 is an entertaining blend of hard-boiled detective fiction, Cold War conspiracy, science fiction, and dark comedy.

Set in 1952, the story follows San Francisco private investigator Alexander “Alex” Blade to Las Vegas after he receives an urgent request for help from Rupert Styx, an old Marine Corps friend. What begins as an investigation into a missing woman soon leads Alex into the Nevada desert, where abandoned towns, atomic testing, government surveillance, and a suspicious housing development point toward something far more disturbing.

Alex narrates the story in the colorful, wisecracking voice of an old-fashioned private eye. His cynical observations and rapid-fire comparisons give the novel much of its personality. The author also creates a vivid picture of 1950s Las Vegas, when mushroom clouds were promoted as tourist attractions and atomic-themed drinks and breakfasts were served to visitors watching nuclear tests from hotel windows.

The supporting characters add considerably to the adventure. Alex’s capable partner, Paloma Liu Tsong, is often the most levelheaded person in the story—and certainly someone Alex is fortunate to have beside him. Reporter Crystal West is determined to expose the truth, even when doing so places everyone in danger. The novel’s villains, government agents, eccentric scientists, psychics, flying-saucer believers, and mysterious women make the desert setting feel increasingly strange and threatening.

Beneath the humor and pulp-fiction excitement is a serious subject: the harm caused by atmospheric nuclear testing and the willingness of powerful institutions to conceal risks from ordinary people. The combination of genuine historical concerns and imaginative speculation gives the story more substance than its deliberately sensational title might suggest.

The middle portion occasionally slows as the characters pursue several related leads, and the exaggerated 1950s private-eye language and attitudes may not appeal to every reader. Nevertheless, readers who enjoy noir mysteries, retro science fiction, atomic-age history, and unconventional conspiracy adventures should find this an imaginative and memorable journey into the Nevada desert.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8934359580


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