Alex Lomax is the only private eye on Mars. And, he gets some very odd cases. A wife hires Lomax to find her husband. You would think that would be easy given that the Mars colony is small. Lomax finds the husband, but that opens an entire Pandora’s Box of trouble. There’s also the case of the missing Martian fossils. Two Terrans found a mother-lode of valuable Martian fossils, but refused to tell anyone where the treasures were located. And, then, the two prospectors died. If you’re in the mood for a blend of private eye fiction set in a Mars colony, Robert J. Sawyer’s Red Planet Blues will keep you entertained for a few hours. GRADE: B+
I’ve only read one book by Sawyer – Flashforward, made into a mediocre TV series – but this one sounds more interesting.
By the way I’ve started reading the first collection of Company stories by Kage Baker, a previous entry in Mars Week.
Jeff, Robert J. Sawyer’s RED PLANET BLUES includes “Identity Theft,” a novella that was in Hugo and Nebula contention. Kage Baker was prolific.