by: Nicole Givens Kurtz
Series: Cybil Lewis SF Mystery
Genre: Black/African American SciFi Mystery
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Publisher: Mocha Memoirs Press
Cybil Lewis, a private inspector in futuristic D.C., now The District, begrudgingly works with the Territory Alliance agents to track down an escaped violator, Nico Mars. Almost immediately, Cybil is tossed into the District's gritty underbelly of political ambition, drugs, and betrayal. This case will take her and Jane deep into the reaches of The District's notorious Sector 12, where life is cheap and currency is king. When her investigation leads back to those responsible for protecting citizens, Cybil discovers she's in danger. She's reminded once again that everything can be fabricated.
She lives in what was once the former capital, the District of Columbia. In the future, it’s now called the District, and it operates as its own territory. In fact, the entire country has been divided into territories with their own governing practices, laws, etc. This falls in with the subgenre of cyberpunk, which this Cybil Lewis series is.
It’s science fiction, but the subgenre is cyberpunk noir. By its very definition, cyberpunk is “a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology.”-Dictionary.com.
Cybil follows her own moral compass, but she definitely doesn’t work alone like the traditional PI. She has a partner, Jane, an active partner, and a solid group of secondary characters who aren’t all white men. Cybil Lewis’s stories subvert traditional noir and cyberpunk stories. That alone is a compelling reason to read the novel.
I write to make her world be as realistic as possible, as it takes place in a near-future world. It’s a cyberpunk noir type of story, so there’s lots of high technology, but low value attributed to human life. For this reason, suspense, strong emotions, and genre-bending come into play.
Fabricated: A Cybil Lewis SF Mystery breaks the mold on old, dusty PI stories and provides a well-rounded, inclusive, fast-paced mystery set against the backdrop of a gritty but hopeful future.
Lynn sighed in dramatic fashion. “She’s been following the stories in the news files about you for months.”
Agent Winsome yanked down her jacket. “Not just months. Two major political and high-profile cases solved within this last year. I still remember the governor’s case with the souped-up hatchling serum, The Change, a while back. Right?”
“Yeah. Right.” My mouth tasted like I’d been chewing leftover tofu. The Change had destroyed the love of my life, introduced me to Trey, and cast me into the spotlight. “Look, agents–”
“I have been following your career since I joined the T.A.,” Agent Winsome said. “I admire trendsetters in the field, blazing paths for us to follow.”
Did she just call me old?
Well, I was waxing poetic about my wisdom and age. What bothered me more was the contradiction. Didn’t she come in talking about my rudeness and flair for firing my laser gun at folks? But now, with forked tongue, Agent Winsome admired my work?
This whole thing reeked like the Atlantic Ocean’s contaminated banks or the Sector 10 sewer system.
As if to fill the silence, Agent Winsome rushed forward. “But, you’re the best P.I. in The District. That’s why we want you.”
Agent Winsome’s round face remained closed off but attempted to be professional. My concern locked on to Lynn. No way she believed a word of the newer agent’s words.
That made two of us.
Agent Winsome yanked down her jacket. “Not just months. Two major political and high-profile cases solved within this last year. I still remember the governor’s case with the souped-up hatchling serum, The Change, a while back. Right?”
“Yeah. Right.” My mouth tasted like I’d been chewing leftover tofu. The Change had destroyed the love of my life, introduced me to Trey, and cast me into the spotlight. “Look, agents–”
“I have been following your career since I joined the T.A.,” Agent Winsome said. “I admire trendsetters in the field, blazing paths for us to follow.”
Did she just call me old?
Well, I was waxing poetic about my wisdom and age. What bothered me more was the contradiction. Didn’t she come in talking about my rudeness and flair for firing my laser gun at folks? But now, with forked tongue, Agent Winsome admired my work?
This whole thing reeked like the Atlantic Ocean’s contaminated banks or the Sector 10 sewer system.
As if to fill the silence, Agent Winsome rushed forward. “But, you’re the best P.I. in The District. That’s why we want you.”
Agent Winsome’s round face remained closed off but attempted to be professional. My concern locked on to Lynn. No way she believed a word of the newer agent’s words.
That made two of us.
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The Cybil Lewis SF Mystery Series:
She has conducted workshops for Writer’s Digest Online, Clarion West online, SAGA, and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. She’s the editor for the groundbreaking SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire and co-editor of Blackened Roots: An Anthology of the Undead anthology. Nicole is professional level member of SFWA and HWA.
Places to find Nicole Givens Kurtz:
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