Books like 'Carbon'
Readers who enjoyed Carbon by Andrew Vachss also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi mystery noir dark dystopia crime hard-boiled
-
Neural Wraith 2 by K.D. Robertson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFinance isn't Nick Waite’s strong suit as a detective, but he’s learning fast as he investigates the cover-up of a murder inside Neo Babylon’s oldest bank. The winds of conspiracy whirl around him, and everyone from the police commissioner to gang lords warn him to step back.Taking the easy way out isn’t in his nature, however... -
The Final Trade by Joe Hart
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe thrilling sequel to the runaway bestseller The Last Girl.Zoey is not the woman she once was. She’s watched her friends die at the hands of their captors, been hunted, and returned from the brink of death. Now she must find the truth about who she is... -
Angel City Blues by Jeff Edwards
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLos Angeles: 2065 A wealthy young woman vanishes from her high-security apartment without leaving a single strand of DNA behind. No trace of the victim’s disappearance is recorded on any of the building’s many cameras or security sensors. Her apartment’s memory cores have been destroyed beyond any hope of recovery... -
Boy's Toys by Manna Francis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnother short story in The Administration series.Warrick finds a new kink: guns... -
-
Lane: A Case For Willows And Lane by Peter Grainger
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“So I thought I might take up para-gliding. You know, buy one on eBay and just jump off the cliff one morning.” Emily Willows is middle-aged, widowed, wealthy and bored. When she makes those flippant remarks to her son over coffee one Friday, she has no inkling that within a few hours she will be facing the most terrifying situation of her life... -
Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife. Now he must uncover the truth: was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide?A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse... -
Blood and Water by J. David Osborne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter discovering a body in a local fishing hole, two brothers come to terms with their own poverty as they're inescapably drawn into a surreal world of dangerous criminals.Set against a rural Oklahoma backdrop, Blood and Water is a story of family responsibility, the lure of easy outs and even easier scores, and our own violent impulses... -
The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Baggit and Clodde NovelA ratling and an ogryn aren't the best-matched pair, but in the crime-ridden heart of Varangantua, anything goes – at least, when there's a big score to be had.READ IT BECAUSEThis is first full length novel featuring the characters Baggit and Clodde from the audio drama Dredge Runners. Follow the duo as they hunt for a treasure that could answer all of their problems... -
Meat and Salt and Sparks by Rich Larson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA futuristic murder mystery about detective partners—a human and an enhanced chimpanzee—who are investigating why a woman murdered an apparently random stranger on the subway.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied... -
Bloodlines by Chris Wraight
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe first title in the new "Warhammer Crime" imprint. Try to unravel the secrets lurking in the sprawling city of Varangantua.In the immense city of Varangantua, life is cheap but mistakes are expensive. When Probator Agusto Zidarov of the city’s enforcers is charged with locating the missing scion of a wealthy family, he knows full well that the chances of finding him alive are slight... -
Paloma by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs a Retrieval Artist, Miles Flint helps the Disappeared, saving the lives of those oppressed under the Earth Alliance regime. He owes his livelihood, and his very sense of honor, to a woman known as Paloma. It was she who was responsible for setting him on this path—and now she has been murdered.Summoned by Paloma’s desperate call, Miles reaches her apartment too late... -
The Nether: A Play by Jennifer Haley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Nether, a daring examination of moral responsibility in virtual worlds, opens with a familiar interrogation scene given a technological twist. As Detective Morris, an online investigator, questions Mr. Sims about his activities in a role-playing realm so realistic it could be life, she finds herself on slippery ethical ground... -
Blood Ties by Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn many ways, the brothers Carl and Roy Opgard have succeeded in life. Or at least they’ve had as much success as is possible in a small town like Os where they've had to kill their way to the top. Carl manages the area’s swanky spa hotel, while Roy has made ambitious plans for an amusement park complete with a roller coaster. The only way is up for the two brothers... -
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything by John D. MacDonald, Dean Koontz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFrom John D. MacDonald, one of the enduring American novelists of the twentieth century, comes a science fiction classic with a timeless premise. An aimless young man discovers a way to stop the world in its tracks—and that’s when his life truly begins... -
-
One of Us by Michael Marshall Smith
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt's not what you've done that counts it's what you remember....If you could sell your conscience, could you get away with murder?Hap Thompson works the gray area between truth and lies. He works for REMtemp, taking on other people's memories. It's illegal, but usually harmless. Maybe a petty criminal wants to pass a lie detector test. Or an unfaithful spouse wants to enjoy a guiltless affair... -
Duplicate Effort by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRetrieval Artist Miles Flint is on a personal mission—to bring down the corrupt law firm of Wagner, Stuart, and Xendor. Then a journalist working with him is found dead—murdered, along with the bodyguard she had hired to protect her. And Miles may be next.But before he can begin to investigate the death, he has a more personal crisis to deal with—his daughter Talia is missing... -
Little Boy Blue by Edward Bunker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRaised within the confines of a system that has done nothing but provide him with pain, Alex Hamilton's frustration and anger are completely natural--and inherently dangerous.Since his parents split up, Alex has been constantly running from foster homes and institutions, yearning to be with his father, a broken man who cannot give his son the home he desperately needs... -
Drone State by Tom Hillenbrand
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGlauser Award 2015 - Best German Crime NovelLasswitz Award 2015 - Best German SF NovelWhy interview witnesses when all their movements and conversations have already been archived on a hard disk? Why investigate crime scenes when police drones have already photographed them from all possible angles?A Brussels MP is found murdered near the EU capital... -
Missing in Action by Dan Abnett
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsInvestigating a series of murders leads Inquisitor Eisenhorn into the clutches of a Chaos cult in this short story set between Xenos and Malleus which was previously available in the Eisenhorn Omnibus... -
Corpora Delicti by Manna Francis
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWealth Is the Only RealityOn the surface, stability has returned to Europe. According to all the official metrics released to news feeds, the Administration and the corporations are stronger and more united than ever. Only in the most secret of government surveillance departments and corporate security divisions would anyone suggest otherwise... -
Dome City Blues by Jeff Edwards
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor fans of William Gibson, Phillip K. Dick, and Jak Koke…Los Angeles: 2063David Stalin was one of the best detectives in the business, running head-to-head with data-jackers, organ thieves, and the tech-enhanced gangs who ruled the shadowy streets of Los Angeles... -
Lost Bullet by Malcolm Rose
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the rotting slums of London, Luke and Malc are called to investigate the shocking murder of an attractive young doctor. The investigation eventually leads Luke to a bizarre cult called the World Church of Eternal Vision whose members believe that the entire medical profession is interfering with creation... -
Baby X by Kira Peikoff
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller.With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X... -
Tropical Punch by S.C. Jensen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStrippers, Drugs, and Headless Corpses…All in a day’s work for Bubbles Marlowe, HoloCity’s only cyborg detective.What do an anti-tech cult, a deadly new street drug, and the corrupt Chief of Police have in common?It’s a question Bubbles can’t afford to ask. Last time she got curious it cost her job, a limb, and almost her life.She vows to stay out of police business... -
-
Husk by J. Kent Messum
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom award-winning author J. Kent Messum, a serial killer thriller for fans of The Straw Men and The Shining Girls.LIFE GOES ONFor a lucky few, death is merely an inconvenience. With the help of technology the mind can survive long after a body has been laid to rest. This afterlife, however, is far from paradise...MAKING A LIVINGRhodes is a 'Husk'... -
Killer, Come Back To Me by Ray Bradbury
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCelebrating Ray Bradbury's centenary, this collection commemorates his finest crime stories – tales as strange and wonderful as his signature fantasy... -
The Organ Scrubber by Jason Werbeloff
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWelcome to the Bubble, where orphans are used for spare parts, and transplanting organs is like changing a pair of socks.They harvested Daniel’s body when he was a child, leaving him with cheap cybernetic replacements. Now that he's grown, his body is failing. The gears in his knee grind, his synthetic cornea weeps, and his 3D-printed lungs spasm in winter.Daniel needs the organs he was born with... -
Shadow of a Broken Man by George C. Chesbro
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMeet Dr. Robert Frederickson, or "Mongo" to his friends. He's a former circus tumbler, black belt in karate, doctor of Criminology, and professor at a New York City university. And he's quite an unusual fellow as well, not only because he's a private investigator but also because he's a dwarf.. -
Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt's time for blueblood Bernard Johnson to leave his boring life behind and go on The Vacation, a yearlong corporate-sponsored odyssey. But instead of seeing the world, Bernard is captured by terrorists, becomes a key figure in secret drug wars, and, worse, doesn't once miss his secure American Dream... -
Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. Blade Runner, True Detective and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick and China Miéville in Adrian M. Gibson’s award-winning fungalpunk noir debut. Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces... -
Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWho am I? What am I? When am I?Laura can't remember who she is. But the rest of the world knows. Because Laura is famous - a dying girl who was frozen until she could be cured. A real-life Sleeping Beauty... -
The Name is Archer by Ross Macdonald
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMYSTERYIncludes the following Find the womanGone girlThe bearded ladyThe suicideGuilt-edged blondeThe sinister habitWild goose chaseMidnight blueSleeping... -
Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThis is high action, ideas driven noir SF of the highest order. Morgan has already established himself as an SF author of global significance.Takeshi Kovacs has come home. Home to Harlan's World. An ocean planet with only 5 percent of its landmass poking above the dangerous and unpredictable seas... -
Tears by Francine Pascal
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI am fearless. I am not afraid of pain…But I can still feel it... -
-
Ex-KOP by Warren Hammond
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this hardboiled science fiction thriller, Juno, having been booted off the police force, is barely getting by as a low-level bagman and photographer for the scandal rags. But it gets worse: his wife is in critical condition at the hospital and Juno doesn’t have the money to pay her bills. Desperate for cash, Juno agrees to help his ex-partner, Maggie Orzo, solve a difficult case... -
Nymphomation by Jeff Noon
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSet both in a real and imaginary Manchester, Jeff Noon's story concerns a revolutionary lottery game that is engulfing the city in a tide of gambling fever. As a group of mathematics students look at the mind-numbing probabilities involved, they soon find more sinister realities... -
KOP Killer by Warren Hammond
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKOP Killer, a darkly dystopian science fiction thriller from Warren HammondJuno Mozambe once had a life. That was when he was a dirty cop, married to a woman who suffered such profound abuse that she murdered her vile, drug kingpin father. Juno loved his wife and did his best to help her survive her guilt, her drug habit, and her desire to end her life on the dead-end planet of Lagarto... -
Grim Repast by Marc Collins
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Quillon Drask NovelTormented by his past, Probator Quillon Drask’s reputation as the go-to detective for strange crimes has led him to the Polaris district of Varangantua. Warring families, corrupt officials, and a monstrous hunger stalk these streets, and Drask must overcome his own inner agonies to bring justice to the tormented city... -
Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSomeone wants trans girl hacker-for-hire Kiera Umehara in prison or dead—but for what? Failing to fix their smart toilet?It’s 2032 and we live in the worst cyberpunk future. Kiera is gigging her ass off to keep the lights on, but her polycule’s social score is so dismal they’re about to lose their crib. That’s why she's out here chasing cheaters with Angel Herrera, a luddite P.I... -
Sleeper Beach by Nick Harkaway
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of Karla's Choice, comes a thrilling new detective novel.On the shore of a rundown holiday town, a young woman washes up dead. Martha Erskine, the matriarch of a local dynasty, suspects a member of her own family might be involved in the murder, and calls in Cal to investigate... -
Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDetective Ada Byron is pumped to finally be assigned her first murder case... until she sees the crime scene. Someone has been killed exactly the same way as her father was seven years earlier.To see if this is a copycat, or something more sinister, Ada must work with her personal nightmare Jazlin Switch - the programmer who murdered her dad... -
The Glass Man: A Novel by Anders de la Motte, Pontus Sánchez Giménez
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Leo Asker series, which will have you “hooked from the very first page” (Kyle Mills, #1 New York Timesbestselling author), continues with this second installment following wayward detective Leonore Asker on a chilling new murder case. Detective Leonore Asker has just settled in as head of the Department of Lost Souls, a unit for odd cases, when her father contacts her after years of silence... -
Liquid Cool: The Cyberpunk Detective Series by Austin Dragon
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLiquid Cool is the debut cyberpunk detective series!It’s cyberpunk re-imagined—science fiction meets the detective thriller in an ever-rainy world of colossal skyscrapers. Hover-cars fly above in the dark, bustling skies and gray people walk below on the grimy, flashy streets of this “neon jungle.” Metropolis isn’t a bad place, but it isn’t a good one either... -
Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this neighborhood, make a wrong turn and you're history. Mickey Wade is a recently-unemployed journalist who lucked into a rent-free apartment – his sick grandfather's place. The only problem: it's in a lousy neighborhood. The one where Mickey grew up, in fact. The one he was so desperate to escape.But now he's back. Dead broke... -
-
Lost Planet Homicide by Larry Correia
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA lost colony planet, a perplexing murder, and a dogged homicide cop in this Audible Original story from best-selling author Larry Correia.When the biggest colony ship in human history was sent to settle a paradise world, an accident hurtled it deep into uncharted space... -
The Tomorrow File by Lawrence Sanders
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the not-so-distant future, planning takes the place of spontaneity when it comes to sex, turning the bedroom into a chamber of terror. In this society, the worst crime of all is to fall in love... -
Kiln People by David Brin
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn a perilous future where disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every legal and illicit whim of their decadent masters, life is cheap. No one knows that better than Albert Morris, a brash investigator with a knack for trouble, who has sent his own duplicates into deadly peril more times than he cares to remember... -
Kiln People by David Brin
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn a perilous future where disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every legal and illicit whim of their decadent masters, life is cheap. No one knows that better than Albert Morris, a brash investigator with a knack for trouble, who has sent his own duplicates into deadly peril more times than he cares to remember... -
The Escher Man by T.R. Napper
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA cartel enforcer across South-east Asia must escape a world of paranoia and violence to save his family in this cerebral and multi-layered cyberpunk science fiction novel, from the award-winning author of 36 Streets. Perfect for fans of William Gibson's The Peripheral and Five Minds by Guy Morpuss.Your name is Endel ‘Endgame’ Ebbinghaus. It is Saturday, 3 September, 2101... -
The Book by M. Clifford
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt begins, “Don’t read The Book.” All information, past and present, is controlled by The Book, a handheld digital reading device that exists in a paperless, sustainable, dystopian future that looks shockingly similar to our own. Among the multitude of Book lovers, we find Holden Clifford, a simple sprinkler fitter who is content with his small life...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.