A review by jedbird
Dead Space by Kali Wallace

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I read this author's SALVATION DAY and thought it was all right. I haven't come across a lot of good space mysteries, and that one was decent, though I didn't love it. I liked this book better. Hester Marley is an AI researcher/builder who was badly injured in a terrorist attack. Now her AI is gone and she's half-machine and working as an investigator for the corporation that holds her medical debt. A friend who was injured in the same attack contacts her out of the blue and is then murdered. As an investigator, Hester is able to be assigned to his case. The installation on the asteroid where he died is tiny, with a 12-person crew, and anyone could be the killer.

A development late in the book made me very happy, and also made me frustrated that the story ends where it does. Something interesting should happen next, and I hope the author is working on a sequel.