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Murder! ... in Space!

By Skokie Staff Advisory Services

Space is a dangerous place, made all the more dangerous by fellow humans. Read and watch these murder and detective stories that show that murder is not limited to planet earth.

  • Station Eternity

    2022 by Lafferty, Mur

    Mallory Viridian has an uncanny knack for attracting and solving murders. From parties to school to her own family, whereever she goes, there is a dead body. She hopes that going to a sentient space station that has no humans on it will stop murders from following her. It works for a time, until the station starts to allow more humans on board and the alien that has a symbiotic connection to the space station is murdered. Mallory needs to figure out who killed him before the whole station implodes.

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  • Far from the Light of Heaven

    2021 by Thompson, Tade

    One thousand people travel light years to a new star system. Because of the incredible distance, the travelers are put in stasis. Upon waking, first mate Michelle Campion discovers that the AI failed and 31 people are dead. With the help of investigator Rasheed Fin, she must figure out who caused the death of all those people in this locked room (actually a locked spaceship) mystery.

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  • The Spare Man

    2022 by Kowal, Mary Robinette

    When her new husband is arrested on murder charges on their honeymoon, wealthy heiress Tesla Crane has no choice but to investigate. Armed with her wit, her drinks, and her dog Gimlet, Telsa is determined to clear his name. Reviewers has called this witty and romantic book The Thin Man in space.

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  • The World Gives Way: A Novel

    2021 by Levien, Marissa

    Myrra Dal is an indentured servant who has 50 years to go on the contract her grandmother signed. On a ship that is bound for a planet that can support human life, Myrra wants more from her life than servitude. When Myrra finds the dead bodies of the husband and wife of the family she works for, she knows this is her chance to escape. She takes their daughter with her and soon learns the dead bodies she discovered are the least of her worries. Pursuing Myrra is police office Tobias, who after a chaotic upbringing, strives to bring law and order to the world he inhabits. More than the mystery of the dead bodies, this is a lovely story of how we spend the precious small amount of time we are given.

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  • The Mimicking of Known Successes

    2023 by Older, Malka

    Sherlock Holmes on Jupiter is one way to describe this book that combines steampunk, mystery, climate fiction, romance, and interplanetary politics. Another way is to call it what it is: a treat for space mystery fans.

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  • All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries

    2017 by Wells, Martha

    Even Murderbots sometimes just want to binge watch their favorite shows and tune the world out. But when a supposedly easy assignment turns dangerous, Murderbot must tune back into their crew and figure out who is behind the sabotage.

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  • Dark Matter: Season One

    2016

    The crew of the spaceship wakes up with no memory of who they are and why they are on the ship. They fight, bond, fight some more, and slowly begin to trust each other as they uncover the truth of their previous identities.

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  • Drunk on All Your Strange New Words

    2022 by Robson, Eddie

    Lydia is human translator in service of an alien ambassador, Fitz. Fitz is a Logi. Translating in the telepathic Logi language leaves Lydia (and other humans) in a state akin to drunkenness. While sleeping off one of these states, Fitz is murdered and Lydia is accused of the murder. Now Lydia must find the real culprit before she is sent to jail in this thoughtful, fast-paced story of alien contact.

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  • One Way

    2018 by Morden, S. J.

    Convicts with specific sets of skills are sent to Mars to set up a NASA scientific base there. When they start to die by mysterious circumstances, former architect and current convict Frank Kittridge investigates, as he does not want to be the next one to die. A tense thriller that will keep you flipping the pages. Even more fun, the author is a rocket scientist, so you know the science parts are accurate.

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  • Prime Directive

    2021 by Bunn, T. Davis

    When 16 colonists are murdered within the last 90 days, Galactic Space Arm sends lieutenant Amanda Bostick to investigate. To find answers, Amanda has to contend with space pirates and telepathic aliens.

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  • A Memory Called Empire

    2019 by Martine, Arkady

    At the heart of this dense, thoughtful space opera is the mystery of what happened to the previous ambassador and the precarious place the current ambassador Mahit now holds in the Teixcalaanli Empire. Intricate world-building and heady debates makes this a perfect book for those who like their space mysteries to be cerebral.

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  • Tropical Punch

    2021 by Jensen, S. C.

    Combining noir detective novels with a cyberpunk twist, Bubbles is a private investigator with cybernetic enhancements. Before a murder (and a decapitated corpse) can be pinned on her, Bubbles investigates and faces the corruption at the heart of HoloCity. This is a fun homage to the works of Raymond Chandler...if Raymond Chandler also wrote about sassy robotic pig assistants.

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  • The Expanse: Season One

    2016

    The first season of this thriller-sci/fi series focuses on a detective who is trying to solve the case of a missing woman. The series "expands" to become a full-out epic adventure as Mars, Earth, and the "Belt" vie for power and influence, trying to avoid a full-out galaxy war. 

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  • Space Murder

    2021 by Haverstock, Nikki

    Full confession, I haven't read this book nor read any reviews. But there's a dinosaur on the cover and the title is Space Murder! So I had to include it on this list.

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