Conscience of the Beagle is science fiction police noir. It certainly had all of the necessary noir tropes: rundown, has-been protagonists, gritty mean streets, some sort of corruption or conspiracy, and one or two women as empty plot devices rather than actual characters (protagonist can't move past dead relationship). Ugly people, ugly scenery, ugly imagery, ugly premise, ugly resolution, plus the stereotypes and cheap exploitation of women (yes, I know the author's a woman). What's not to like? (/snark) It reminded me of The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, but without the layered world-building, intricately self-referential plot, fascinating characters, and amazing prose (again with the ugly imagery though). Michael Chabon is a Class A writer (again, sample size of one), while Patricia Anthony is definitely second-rate, comparing these two books side by side.

The narrator is Major Dyle Holloway, a police detective from Earth who is famous for catching a serial killer who was executed not too long ago. However, he's a broken man after the mysterious, brutal murder of his beloved wife. Next on his team is the android (called a beagle) programmed with the personality of the most famous and intelligent now-dead police detective (sorry, already returned the book and can't remember the name)--take the data processing and pattern recognition of a supercomputer and combine it with the intellect and deductive abilities of a human and there you have it. Makes you wonder why the others on the team are necessary and why the beagle isn't in charge. Then there's Szabo and Arne, a telepath (also broken) and a demolitions expert (can't get along with anyone). On the surface, the best Earth has to send when the colony planet Tennyson sends for help.

What's the trouble you ask? A string of bombs in public places left by some unknown terrorist(s). But wait, this is a peaceful fundamentalist Christian colony--so who could be doing this and why? Is someone trying to overthrow the government? And why no evidence for the local law enforcement to follow? Is the government involved? Our sad-sack heroes suspect each others' and everyone else's motives, agendas, and actions as people continue to die.

Some of the connections in the book escaped me. The supposed utopia run by a religious cult leader and involving omnipresent surveillance by secret police being called Tennyson obviously had some significance. And I suspect calling the android a beagle was a reference to Darwin and the theory of evolution. But while I could perhaps recognize the presence of allusions and metaphors, I wasn't able to interpret much of the symbolism. Someone who was able to connect all of the dots would probably have a deeper appreciation for this work. Certainly, other reviewers have commented positively on Patricia Anthony's ability to satirize and subvert genre formulas. I might try another book at some point, one that isn't noir. Based on a sample size of one, Patricia Anthony is a good, competent writer; I just don't like the story. ( )