Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 156 - Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb, Artemis by Andy Weir, Places in the Darkness by Christopher Brookmyre

Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eve is someplace she did not want to be when Larinda Mars, someone she really did not like, was murdered. Sometimes the In Death book get a little stale but that was not true with this one. Rourke is once again helping with the case. There is more of a fairly new character involved and the mystery is truly a mystery. It was fun watching Eve unravel the background of Mars as she worked toward finding the killer. There were several fun lines in the book. My favorite was someone telling Eve she was wearing $6000 (or was it $3000 boots) boots and her first denying and then wondering if it was true. Good addition to the series.


Artemis by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a locked room mystery. Artemis is the one and only city on the moon and bad things are happening. Jazz makes money on the side smuggling but when she is offered a very large sum to sabotage a industry she just cannot refuse. Jazz is a interesting character. She loves her city but skates on just the edge of the law. There are people that keep telling her that she is not living up to her potential. She is very smart and her definition of living up to her potential is different from others. However, this time she goes too far and causes a very big disaster. In the end she makes a big save and as the book ends she shows that she is still true to herself.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Places in the Darkness by Christopher Brookmyre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nikki "Fix" Freeman and Alice Blake seem to be very different. Alice is very uptight and law-abiding while Nikki should be but is anything but. Both start as opponents but end up having to work together to solve a series of murders. Brookmyre has built a very interesting and complex world that is home to a large cast of characters. Ciudad de Cielo--The City in the Sky is a space station that should be a example as humans head to the stars but human failing have followed them into space. The backstory starts to come out as the story starts it just takes a while to see what has happened in the past and how it is changing the present. The pace of the story is slow at first as the character development, world building and backstory develop. Then it takes off and things start speeding up. An interesting mystery filled with surprises as Nikki and Alice find out who is responsible for the murders. Biggest surprise - Nikki and Alice are more alike than they thought.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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The Martian by Andy Weir

Science Fiction

What Goodreads says:

"Apollo 13 meets Castaway in this grippingly detailed, brilliantly ingenious man-vs-nature survival thriller-set on the surface of Mars.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him-and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive-and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills-and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit-he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?"

I could not put The Martian down.  It had everything.  It had science.  It had fiction.  It is the kind of Science Fiction I grew up reading.  It is also the kind more people should be writing.

It starts out with Mark Watney after he is stranded on Mars.  That is where a lot of the science comes in.  Mark is using a lot of science to stay alive and all of it is explained.  

Usually I just skim those parts but in The Martian the science is both interesting and easy to understand.  It is also key to the story.  Of course being stranded on Mars is the fiction part.

As I started The Martian I was pretty sure I knew the destination (Mark getting off of Mars).  The journey was what made such a good read and Mark had quite a journey.  Every time it looked like things were going well something happened that put him in more danger.  Every time Mark came up with a solution. But the journey does not just involve Mark.  When the people on Earth and on the ship that left him realize he is alive they become a big part of the story.  The Martian blends what is happening on Earth, on the ship and to Mark into a memorable journey for all.

The Martian was originally self-published.  Crown picked the book up and with some editing and re-writing is releasing the book in the new format in February of 2014.

I received an ARC of The Martian from Netgalley.