While I have read something that I thought I would have reviewed today, I did not get the review done with the book signing events over the weekend and the toll it took on me. So, I decided that if I was going to offer a repeat for Short Story Wednesday, I would offer you my most popular review ever. Also rather fitting as the astronauts aboard the space station are doing space walks this week while a Chinese lander is on the way back to Earth after retrieving samples from the far side of the moon. While the book is no longer listed on the Untreed Reads website due to the change in ownership, Amazon still has it listed in digital format. I have the link for this great book at the bottom of the review.
As long as humans are involved in space exploration,
crime is a distinct possibility. It is a common occurrence in this anthology of
14 short stories. Recently released by Untreed Reads, Moon Shot: Murder And
Mayhem On The Edge Of Space proves that in space they may not hear you
scream, but thanks to surveillance cameras and other technology they often see
you kill.
According to editor Jay Hartman, the inspiration for
the anthology was a story submitted by Suzanne Berube Rorhus several months
ago. That story set abroad the International Space Station titled “A Murder Far
From Home” starts off the anthology.
Chrissie Isaac is very much dead thanks to the slit in her carotid
artery. With Atlantis docked to the station there are nine possible suspects on
board and not one of them is a homicide detective. The beautiful Chrissie had
been possibly borderline at her job, but she definitely was far better at
creating drama and sexual tension. The ISS doctor has to determine who did the
deed in a case where almost everyone had plenty of motive.
Beauregard wasn’t supposed to die. But, he did after
what would have been routine surgery on Earth. Surgery at the Lunar Base is a
far different thing in “Virtual Crimes, Real Consequences” by Elizabeth
Hossang. An investigation is launched and Commander Ortiz is going to have to
make some tough decisions.
Jack Bates is up next with “Rocket Garden” set at
the NASA complex in Florida. It is night and the visitor center is closed. That
is part of Jacob’s plan to deal with problem and the easiest part. Everything
else is kind of up in the air including the large moon that illuminates all.
Mars make the first appearance in the anthology in
“Where Egos Collide” by Laird Long. Dr.
Lazar wants to surrender to the warden of the “Martian Territory Correctional
Facility.” He claims to be the same Dr. Lazar that is, according to reports,
the one who has threatened to move the Earth from its orbit unless the United
States pays him ten billion dollars. This Dr. Lazar wants protective custody.
Unfortunately for him, they already have in protective custody another Dr.
Lazar who seems to know everything.
Homicide Detectives as well as cops in general are
nearly obsolete thanks to advances in technology and computers. Those few
homicide detectives left are referred to as “Fedoras.” In this story of the same name by Jeremy K.
Tyler Detective Stone is human with a few cybernetic enhancements. Something
bad had happened onboard The Caledonia that has resulted in four fatalities.
What happened is just one of the things Detective Stone has to figure out.
“Mayhem on Mars” by E. Lynn Hooghiemstra features a crew that is slipping over the edge. Things are going wrong with critical systems and Saskia hasn’t been able to fix the problems on a permanent basis. The personnel involved are also failing at important times and despite all their training are having emotional crises. If Saskia can’t figure out what is happening everyone will be dead –-one way or another.
Michael has a serious problem in “At the Corner of
Night and Nowhere” by Toby Speed. His wealthy wife wants out of the marriage
and to return to Earth. Mary Beth has it all planned out and makes it very
clear she is done with the marriage as well as life on Mars. Now, Michael has
to figure out what to do as the clock ticks down to her departure.
Pickpocketing is just one of the things at work in
“On Gossamer Wings” by Wenda Morrone.
Little J knows how to move things through Penn Station and bypass the
cops. The guy wearing the Star Trek pin would do well to listen. An upcoming
moon shot could be at stake in this alternative history story.
It is supposed to be a relaxing evening at home. A
little wine, a little music, and off to bed in “Crime of Passion” by Suzanne
Derham Cifarelli. That was until the intercom buzzed and ruined things for
Amelia McGhee. At least she is still alive. According to detectives from the
settlement police, Mr. Henry Watkins, colleague at the high school, has been
murdered. Just like on Earth, on Mars,
the cops want you down to the station immediately and answer questions.
Being the great grandson of the wealthy founder of
the Moon colony has its privileges. The very privileged Henry Compton, Junior,
has a problem and would like Mr. Tybalt Kenyon to help him in “The Case of
Frankenstein and Spanish Nun” by Andrew MacRae.
The family put Henry Compton in charge of the only library on the moon
and, despite their attempt to put Junior somewhere he would do no harm, a book
has gone missing. Not just missing, but stolen for ransom. With over twenty
thousand people at the base, finding the suspect or suspects and retrieving the
book without paying the ransom first may be impossible.
Detective Ba has a strange case in “Downhill Slide”
by Jeff Howe. Six weeks out from an automatic promotion a return to Earth, the
detective has a murder mystery to solve at the deep space mining operation
known as Ceres Station One. The beautiful Eliso Espinosa has killed her husband
according to the records and her confession. But, she didn’t.
For the past eight years a special day for killing
has been designated in this tale from Percy Spurlark Parker. “Death Day” is
about to happen again and private investigator Max Pomeroy doesn’t have a
target in mind. That is until Roget Byoyack walks in and wants to hire Pomeroy
to keep him alive. It’s going to be a challenge and one the first vice
president of finance for the Mars Mineral Mines Corporation can well afford.
It is a huge discovery in “Goodbye Moon” by Mary
McCarroll White and Jay Taylor made it.
While Jay’s personal life is a mess this space scientist knows what is
happening on the moon. An object that
has fascinated him for years and one with that he is going to share one final
link.
Sneezing can be a problem in space when one is in
the suit. It should not be a problem when one is working inside the moon base.
In “Moon Dust” a simple sneeze has proven fatal for Robert Egan who has been
ejected out an air lock. Parker Morgan and Cassidy Diaz have to figure out what
went wrong and put a stop to it in this story by Lance Zarimba. After all, “In
Space, no one can hear you sneeze.”
The book closes with brief biographies of each of
the authors.
The fourteen stories in this anthology are all good
ones and showcase a lot of variety in the book. Some are harder edged mystery
reads than others while some lean heavily on technology as compared to other
ones. Moon Shot: Murder And Mayhem On The Edge Of Space makes it
clear that wherever humans go, murder and mayhem will follow. It is only a
question of time---and opportunity.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ejOycL
Material supplied by the Editor in exchange for my
objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013, 2024
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