Murder by Memory - Review
Link to the author's (O. Waite) personal website
Genre: Sci-Fi
Publication Type: Book
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (75)
- Length (1 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: A mind is a terrible thing to erase...
Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty's most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.
Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn't hers—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship's detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.
Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her feckless nephew Ruthie who, despite his brilliance as a programmer, leaves chaos in his cheerful wake. Or perhaps the sultry yarn store proprietor—and ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting—knows more than she's letting on. Whatever it is, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because someone has done the impossible and found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state indeed. A mastermind may be at work—and if so, they've had three hundred years to perfect their schemes...
Review: This was a short, cozy, and interesting read. I was honestly a bit shocked by the ending however as the story somehow feels both too short and too long. I found the setting wonderfully creative, but so much of it held no purpose to the larger story. The story also felt underwhelming on the mystery side, with my interest being captured by the writing style, characters, and setting. The book is just inching over the recommend border, and should be considered f the blurb sounds appealing or if you're looking for something short and creative.