Peacekeeper: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel by Laura E. Reeve

Military Science Fiction, Space Opera

Peacekeeper published by Roc and released in December of 2008 is “The First in a Brand-New Series”. I first heard about the book from Laura Reeve’s sister. We were both attending WorldCon in Denver last August. I wrote the title down and the next day bookmarks were out on one of the display tables. I put the book in my Amazon wish list and purchased it as soon as it was released. While I have been disappointed in many first books I was not disappointed in Peacekeeper. The story is very well written, the plot well thought out and the back-story worked in a way that does not distract from the flow of the novel.

Ariane Kedros is a woman with a past. As a member of the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds military she and her crew set off a forbidden weapon that destroyed a system. To the Terran Expansion League she is a war criminal. For 15 years Ariane has been hidden behind a new identity but now someone is killing everyone responsible for the decision to use the weapon. The killings have started at the top of the chair of command. Ariane, a reserve major, is tapped to find the killer. Ariane is a well-drawn and complex character full of internal conflicts. The other characters in the book have their own conflicts adding depth to the story.

Laura Reeve has written a great first book and I am looking forward to reading Vigilante (Roc, ~October 2009), the next in the series. I give this five thumbs up.