eastofthesunwestofthemoon 's review for:

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
4.0
3 1/2 stars. Rounding up because it really drew me in and kept me reading, despite some drawbacks. This was a fun read in my favorite genre mashup (sci-fi detective), plus I love the Thin Man series so I was already on board with the idea.
SpoilerI think I would have liked it better with fewer 'almost had them' chases and encounters and fewer times that Tesla is stretched way past her limits (Shal too, for that matter). Also, I wasn't wild about how often she allows her service dog to be 'off' service for sometimes what seems very little reason.
There are a couple of things that aren't explained as well as they might have been, so after the end I still had questions (about things pertaining to the immediate situation, not things that might lead to a sequel). It was a fast and enjoyable read, but not totally satisfying.