Review of Murder by Memory (Dorothy Gentleman #1) by Olivia Waite

The playful tone and clever main protagonist in Olivia Waite's science-fiction novella make for an appealing mystery and lay the groundwork for subsequent books.

In Olivia Waite's slim science-fiction mystery, Dorothy wakes up...in a body that's not her own. It's uncomfortable but not unheard of. Still, Dorothy was supposed to be in stasis for years after suffering an emotional loss.

Yet even more concerning than her situation is the spaceship HMS Fairweather's current state. An electrical storm has knocked systems offline, and even worse, it seems that someone has deliberately been sabotaging the Library, where the backup for each passenger on the ship is stored.

In this outer-space-set mystery, Dorothy must figure out who's behind the destruction and how to save the ship's passengers from further danger.

I'm somewhat in love with Dorothy's no-nonsense approach to the issues at hand, her striding manner, and her clever reading of a situation's nuances. She is often exasperated and very funny. The tone of this novella (it's 112 pages) is playful--it reminded me somewhat of Becky Chambers's science fiction--and it also addresses poignant, relevant aspects of the human condition while giving the (correct) impression that happy endings are at hand.

I enjoyed this very much and wished it were a full-length novel.

More Olivia Waite

Olivia Waite is also the author of the Feminine Pursuits series and many other stand-alone novels.

For more of my Bossy science-fiction favorites, check out the titles at this link.