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Books, a science fiction murder mystery by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
 

A science fiction murder mystery, by one of the genre's best

a book review by Eric Jackson

Paloma: A Retrieval Artist Novel

by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

New American Library, New York (2006)

371 pp, $6.99 in paperback

ISBN 0-451-46115-0

Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a renowned writer and editor who was nominated for a prestigious Hugo Award for a futuristic private eye tale in which a disillusioned  former cop leaves law enforcement for a fringe of legality that for him is on more ethically solid ground. Several novels built around that premise have followed.

Now it turns out that retrieval artist Miles Flint's esteemed mentor is not only dead, but moreover not the person he thought her to be. That said, he still has his reasons for extraordinary posthumous loyalty.

What a situation. “He didn’t have time to mourn. He had information to deal with, a murder to solve, and an entire intergalactic law firm to fend off.” And this time he was not up against just any old collection of pompous, wealthy and devious shysters, but the moon's biggest and most prestigious law firm. The old adage about counting fingers after shaking hands was the least of it --- there was the danger of grabbing a razor-sharp alien appendage, in which case it would be lucky indeed to only lose an arm.

This is not a good book just for those grown weary of lawyering. It's not a mere swashbuckling space adventure. It's not particularly a tale in which science takes center stage. Paloma's a book with complex characters, an interesting and unpredicatable plot, and timeless and universal things to say about the human condition.

Duh now, Sherlock. Science fiction has long since come into its own, with an impressive body of literature that resists all attempts to pigeonhole it as juvenile pulpy trash. Strike the modifying phrase "science fiction" --- Ms. Rusch is a wonderful writer, period. If you are an appreciative reader, whether or not you happen to be a dedicated fan of either the mystery or the science fiction genres, pick up this book and you'll understand why I say that.