Rim City Blues (Spectrum Lathe #0.5)

They want Felix Lasko to solve a murder while getting chased by coyotes, one-eyed assassins, and killer robots. He’d say no, but that's not an option—since they'll kill him outright if he refuses.

Felix had always dreamed of becoming a detective: just not at gunpoint. Besides the hot lead motivation, solving the murder of Jeff Hense will get him a ticket into Neotopia. It's the last city on the planet with power, and he’s run hundreds of miles only to get stuck outside its blue forcefield dome.

He’ll need to get through a brothel-ship wedged into a cliffside, and a gang of violent criminals called the Mayors. All while avoiding instant death by a deadly piece of Tek known only as the Scream Ray.

Whatever the odds, he’s done running. He’ll get into Neotopia even if it kills him.