Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Mushroom Blues is the first novel in The Hofmann Report series by Adrian M. Gibson. This science fiction murder mystery follows NKPD Detective Henrietta Hofmann and her mushroom-headed partner Koji Nameko. The island nation of Neo Kinoko, Hōppon, was struggling after a decade of Spore War. Now that the war had ended, the capital city was riddled with problems and crime. As the tension between fungal people and humans rose, Koji and Henrietta had their work cut out for them as the bodies of fungal people and half-breed children started to turn up. While the two partners didn’t get along that well, they had to set their differences aside to solve these murders before it was too late. But that was not all. To find out who it was, Henrietta had to embrace the fungal way and become part of the crowd, or else she and her partner would never find the culprit behind the murders. But was it possible?

Author Adrian M. Gibson started the story with a bang and made sure to keep the momentum going until the end. The story was incredible, to say the least. The universe (or the fungalverse as the author called it) was intricate, rich with details, and created to perfection. The world-building was fantastic, and the unique characters were equally interesting. The glossary at the beginning was a great addition, and that helped me get into the narrative. I loved Koji and his sarcastic ways. While he struggled with being part of the police department, he did a great job of finding justice for his people. Henrietta was battling in her own way, but the two complemented each other very well. I loved their chemistry, and I think we will see them grow closer in future novels. The fast pace was perfect, the unrelenting action was entertaining, and the story was outstanding. There was never a moment where it felt rushed. It was perfect from start to finish, and I cannot wait for the next novel in the series.