The Void

Starred review from January 26, 2015
This engrossing and exciting SF thriller is Johnston’s third Tanner Sequence adventure (after The Freezer), but it stands well on its own. Confederate Combined Forces (CCF) homicide investigator Kyle Tanner returned to his home base on Pluto after catching one of the galaxy’s most feared serial killers, the Grim Reaper. As Tanner and his engineer girlfriend, Shaheen, escort the Reaper back to Alpha System for execution, they quietly discuss how they might escape the iron fist of the CCF. However, the sedate trip turns deadly when their transport mysteriously loses power and they are rescued by another incapacitated ship, the Phoenix. When Tanner finds an unexplained dead body, his investigation uncovers a secret CCF project targeting dissidents. Everyone on board is suspect, the Reaper escapes, the body count increases, and Tanner starts to realize that his erstwhile prisoner and the Phoenix are connected. SF and mystery fans will be impressed with Johnston’s tightly written deep-space whodunit.