I am more familiar with the mystery world than the science fiction one so I only recently heard about the Murderbot series. Once I did, well, how could I resist a series with that name?
It's a great adventure, made more interesting told through the eyes of Murderbot, a self-aware cyborg tasked with keeping some too trusting humans alive on an uninhabited planet. A bit snarky, a bit anxious and sometimes a bit lazy, MB seemed very human to me.
As soon as I finished this book, I picked up the second one.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells begins The Murderbot Diaries, a new science fiction action and adventure series that tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. It appeals to fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or lain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans. In a corporate dominated s pa cef a ring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by…
"Bell, Book and Corpses" has the mysterious vibe I want from cozy mysteries set around Halloween.
A cursed mansion. A body found in a coffin inside with bit marks on its neck. Old family rivalries and secrets. Could the rumors of a vampire haunting the place be true?
All of this makes this a great read. I particularly enjoy the interplay between Nora and her cat, Nick, who communicates with her via Scrabble tiles.
It's Halloween trick-or-treachery when murder pays a visit to a cursed mansion in the new Nick and Nora mystery . . .
Waincroft Manor has long been tied to rumors of witchcraft and fatal curses, and to Nora Charles, that makes it the perfect place for a Halloween fundraiser. But her first trip to the deserted old mansion turns out to be truly ghoulish when she discovers a dead body. What's more, the corpse is laid out in a coffin—with two bite marks on its neck. Then the autopsy comes back showing that the body was drained of blood, and…
I like to read historical mysteries partly because I enjoy learning about the past. Post World War II Paris comes to life for me in this book featuring American ex-pat Tabitha Knight. With the help of her friend, a young Julia Child (yes, that Julia Child), Tabitha investigates the poisoning of a chef at Le Cordon Bleu where Julia is studying.
This book is a great blend of history, mystery and Paris's culinary world. It took me to the catacombs of Paris and revealed a bit about the city's wartime past.
It's Christmastime in the quiet Los Angeles County city of Vista Beach, home of computer programmer and tole-painting enthusiast Aurora (Rory) Anderson. The magic of the season fills the air as residents enjoy school concerts, a pier lighting ceremony and the annual sand-snoman contest.
During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Rory plans on painting ornaments to sell at the local craft fair and joining in on the holiday fum. But she finds the season anything but jolly after the house across the street is torn down, revealing a decades old crime. Past meets present when her father is implicated in the murder.
Fearing for her father's future, Rory launches her own investigation, intent on discovering the truth and clearing his name.
