Heather’s Bookshelf: Ascendance
Author: Shawn C Butler
Released: 10/26/25
Genre: SciFi/Murder Mystery
“Death wasn’t expected in a place like this. All the smiling pictures on perfectly painted walls said so.”
“Ascendance” follows Detective Sara Sanchez, a detective and retired Marine, as she is assigned the case of a mass school shooting in Boulder, Colorado.
Sara’s old partner and four students are killed in the shooting. One of the students happened to be the vice president’s niece. Her Godfather, Nathan Marks, the tech billionaire, inserts himself into the investigation, becoming an impromptu partner for Sara, whether she wants one or not.
The other three slain students may have been bullies, and the killer their victim, but something just isn’t sitting right with Sara or Nathan. Suspicions abound and as more answers are uncovered, more secrets are revealed.
Will Sara and Nathan uncover the truth before an even larger secret horror is unleashed on the world?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, mass shooting, school shooting, murder (including children), war-time violence/death, sexual situations
Overall, I found this to be an intriguing read. It’s not a super happy one, though the main protagonist does her best to lighten the mood, when she can. The story is set in the near future with tech and ideas that don’t seem super far off from reality. There’s robot security dogs, implants that allow AI connections, and teachers being replaced by holograms. There’s also all-too-familiar situations like school shootings and pandemics. The combination of near-future and familiarity makes this story a realistic and terrifying one. The main protagonist of Sara is super flawed and extremely likable in a broken and sarcastic kind of way. She’s quick-witted and plays off of Nathan, the genius and equally-broken billionaire, who is much more dry but just as likable. There are plenty of villains in this one, but I don’t want to give anything away. There are some villains who are absolute evil and others who have enviable traits. The author does well in developing many of the ancillary characters in a way that keeps you guessing about motivations and culpability. The challenging aspect of this story, for me, was when the story switched timelines or POVs. There was a bit of catch up that had to be done in these cases and I’m not sure if they added much to the story as the events were later discussed throughout dialogue. The darkness and grittiness of this story felt complete by the end of the book, though I could see following Sara and her crew on future investigations.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A dark, character-forward sci-fi/murder mystery with a strong protagonist and complex villains.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Shawn C Butler
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
