I’ve been a fan of Olivia Waite ever since The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. This science fiction novella kicking off a series of cozy mysteries is 100% my vibe. Murder by Memory was a fun cozy evening read! Keep reading this book review of Murder by Memory for my full thoughts.
Summary
Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.
Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.
Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her feckless nephew Ruthie who, despite his brilliance as a programmer, leaves chaos in his cheerful wake. Or perhaps the sultry yarn store proprietor—and ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting—knows more than she’s letting on. Whatever it is, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because someone has done the impossible and found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state indeed. A mastermind may be at work—and if so, they’ve had three hundred years to perfect their schemes…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Murder by Memory could have been a disaster to pack the intricacies of a new science fiction world and a murder investigation in just under 150 pages. But instead Waite delivers a story that whets the appetite. The world within Murder by Memory is intriguing and concise. The same goes for the investigation elements which have this bread crumb style to the clues where I like to think if I was just a little bit more perceptive, I could have figured it out. But I have nothing on Dorothy. These are the kind of mysteries I love and this queer sci-fi novella hit the spot.
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Murder by Memory has a world I could actually see myself living in. No, I want to live in! I love this idea of a knitting store, an infinite looping memory cruise, and I would love to be friends with Dorothy. In this novella, Waite packs a punch. Waite asks us about these emotions of jealously and love throughout the infinite lives. I am so excited for the rest of the series considering everything we were told, and teased, about this world. Also Blair Baker does a phenomenal job in the audiobook of the wryness and wit within Dorothy’s perspective!
Find Murder by Memory on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.