I used to be a science fiction fan, but too many books got too bogged down in technical details. The technical specs of a spaceship or a weapon or the descriptions of a planet just got too boring. However, I have found that I like stories that have science fiction aspects, but it's not the main focus. As an example, I love the In Death series by J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts. There are interplanetary transports and technical advances used by the NYPSD, but at its heart the books are police procedurals. The science adds to the story rather than overwhelming it. This book fell into that same category.

The story is about a computer programmer who gets a strange delivery at home via an express package. He tries to get it sent to the proper recipient, but it just keeps getting stranger and dragging him in further. He ends up working with a group of body part smugglers who are doing the bidding of their latest client.

The science adds nice touches to the story. Cohen is working on a program to make autonomous vehicles safe. There are vehicles specially designed for this kind of dystopian world where the weather has been "broken" with torrential rains every night around the world. There are also new technologies that the crew uses to find the body parts for their client. But the science and dystopia don't overwhelm the story.

Thank you to Splinter Press/Benny Fife Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Exciting Sci-fi fiction story set slightly in the future. My experience of Cohan Hoard was in audiobook form. I liked the narrator and pace of the presentation. The story: A package, wrongly delivered, to Cohan Hoard’s home is a small issue he should be able to sort out. He’s a nice guy, just trying to be kind and helpful. But life, and unexpected deliveries, are not so simple to sort out at all. There are times Cohan Hoard doesn’t know what’s going on. Questions and surprises are there for the reader too. But like Cohen our eyes are slowly opened. If I’m completely honest I worked out the main part of what was going on, and wondered how Cohen could miss it. Yet that definitely didn’t stop me enjoying this audiobook. This is a complete book, but the ending suggest Cohen and I haven’t totally worked things out yet. I look forward to that resolution. As for Cohan well we will see. Thank you to Splinter Press& Benny Fife Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

The Dissection and Reassembly of Cohen Hoard
By Elesa Hagberg, narrated by Benjamin Fife

Set in a not too distant future Portland, OR, the city is dry during the day but a lightening storm deluge each night. Nerdy, reclusive Cohen Hoard spends almost all his time working at work or at home. When not working he is busy with his hobby of creating miniature scenes in test tubes. He has also spent the last three years fantasizing about someday asking his extremely hot next door neighbor for a date but he has to get to know her first since he won't ask out someone he doesn't know well. Cohen is full of excuses not to do things such as ever leaving his apartment once the rain starts each night. He has no idea there is life outside his door once night falls.

But that fact changes when he keeps getting the same package dumped at his doorstep. Try as he might, Cohen can't get whoever is delivering the package to stop sending it back to him each time he returns it to them. Finally, Cohen peeks into the package and finds it contains a body part! Once Cohen tracks down Calla Human, the person the package should go to, he gets dragged into a body part snatching operation he wants no part of. Afterall, Cohen avoids anything out of the ordinary in his life and this new glitch in his routine is anything but his usual boring but safe lifestyle.

The young people who take over Cohen's life are a motley crew and it doesn't take long before Cohen feels responsible for their welfare. Despite body parts unconnected to bodies, the story has an overall lighthearted, comical tone to it. Not only that, maybe Cohen should have been looking for love farther from his doorstep. He envies this little crew of misfits and their closeness and feeling of family. Getting a body part in the mail may just be the worst and best thing that has ever happened to Cohen.

This is a very madcap adventure and Cohen just might outgrow his nerdiness with exposure to the outside world. The audiobook narration by Benjamin Fife fits the story well since he can do goofy and serious with equal skill. I'd call this a cozy dystopian tale if such a thing is possible.

Thank you to Splinter Press & Benny Fife Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

From what I listened to, it was engaging and well written, but I just couldn't stand the narration.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC