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A review by libra17
The Last Campaign by Martin L. Shoemaker
4.0
I picked up The Last Campaign because I recently finished The Last Dance - the first book in the series - and found that the second was available to borrow with Kindle Unlimited. The Last Dance was pretty good, so I gave The Last Campaign a shot.
It was a really good book. Set some time after the events of The Last Dance (the investigation and the eventual verdict that gave The Aldrin status free city status, though her former captain, Nicolau Ames, was barred from holding a position of authority there), Ames has settled into semiretired life in Maxwell City on Mars, married to Rosalia Morais, the former admiral who sacrificed her career to swing the verdict in The Last Dance toward freedom for The Aldrin and to protect Ames. The Last Campaign is her book. The story follows Morais as she accepts the job as Chief of Police for Maxwell City's brand new police force and proceeds to tackle multiple murders, an insurance fraud conspiracy, and something a lot bigger during Maxwell's election season. With pressure from the mayor about how things will look to the media, questions from the media about her objectivity and standing, and stress on her relationship with her husband (who's jealous that his wife is spending so much time with her ex-fiancé; that the man is the coroner, makes no difference, apparently), Morais untangles a web whose secrets will have ramifications for everyone on Mars.
Where The Last Dance was a slow-burning character study told through a series of flashbacks, The Last Campaign is more a traditional mystery (bordering on thriller, in some places), just set against the backdrop of the red planet, and all the twists and turns kept me guessing until almost the last page. I liked the change in pace and did enjoy the book. If a third entry in this series comes out, I would be happy to read it.
It was a really good book. Set some time after the events of The Last Dance (the investigation and the eventual verdict that gave The Aldrin status free city status, though her former captain, Nicolau Ames, was barred from holding a position of authority there), Ames has settled into semiretired life in Maxwell City on Mars, married to Rosalia Morais, the former admiral who sacrificed her career to swing the verdict in The Last Dance toward freedom for The Aldrin and to protect Ames. The Last Campaign is her book. The story follows Morais as she accepts the job as Chief of Police for Maxwell City's brand new police force and proceeds to tackle multiple murders, an insurance fraud conspiracy, and something a lot bigger during Maxwell's election season. With pressure from the mayor about how things will look to the media, questions from the media about her objectivity and standing, and stress on her relationship with her husband (who's jealous that his wife is spending so much time with her ex-fiancé; that the man is the coroner, makes no difference, apparently), Morais untangles a web whose secrets will have ramifications for everyone on Mars.
Where The Last Dance was a slow-burning character study told through a series of flashbacks, The Last Campaign is more a traditional mystery (bordering on thriller, in some places), just set against the backdrop of the red planet, and all the twists and turns kept me guessing until almost the last page. I liked the change in pace and did enjoy the book. If a third entry in this series comes out, I would be happy to read it.