Death Canal

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the Virtual Voice narration at first. A mystery-thriller with a synthetic narrator? But within 20 minutes, it clicked: the slightly detached, almost *too* smooth delivery becomes part of the joke. *Death Canal* is a book where the characters are all performing—whether it’s the climate activist with a trust fund, the reality star “grieving” for the cameras, or the washed-up journalist (our protagonist, Artie Flanagan) who’s equal parts cynical and desperate. The Virtual Voice’s lack of emotional range somehow *heightens* the satire, making every over-the-top line land like a punchline. That said, the production isn’t perfect. In crowded dialogue scenes, the absence of distinct character voices can get confusing, and a few emotional beats (like a late-act revelation about the victim) fall flat without human inflection. Hartnett’s plot is a masterclass in misdirection. Just when you think you’re reading a climate-thriller, it swerves into a media circus; just when you’re settled into the farce, someone turns up dead *again*. The 1990s flashbacks—delivered with the hindsight of today’s climate anxieties—are particularly biting, and the way the canal itself becomes a character (a literal dumping ground for secrets and bodies) is inspired. My only real critique? The ending ties up *too* neatly for a book that otherwise revels in ambiguity. Still, the ride is so sharp and so funny that I didn’t even mind. If you love mysteries that mock the genres they inhabit—or just want to hear a robot narrate a scene where a influencer gets Tased at a protest—this is your next listen.