Dead Space

Starred review from December 21, 2020
With propulsive action and twists that keep the reader guessing, Wallace’s page-turning sophomore novel (after Salvation Day) spins a locked-room mystery set on an asteroid mining colony. After a terrorist attack against the spaceship transporting workers on the Titan Research Project leaves scientist Hester Marley with two metal limbs and a suffocating amount of medical debt, Hester finds work as a Safety Officer for Parthenope Enterprises, a powerful corporation in the asteroid belt. She plans to keep her head down, work off her debt, and return home to Earth—but that plan is derailed when David Prussenko, a colleague from her past, is killed just hours after sending her an enigmatic message. Hester’s investigation leads to a claustrophobic mining base, where she finds herself trapped with the murderer. Remarkably, most of the action takes place in just 24 hours, the mystery unraveling at warp speed as the violence escalates and the stakes steadily mount. Hester is a fascinating, troubled, but not overly dour narrator, who must use her wits and past experiences—which are teased out in flashbacks—to solve the murder and stay alive. This tense sprint through a future dominated by profit-driven amorality makes for a gripping, cinematic sci-fi thriller that readers won’t want to put down. Agent: Adriann Ranta Zurhellen, Foundry Literary.

February 1, 2021

Hester Marley was once a part of a cutting-edge research team, but a devastating terrorist attack left her injured with several prosthetics and huge debt to Parthenope Enterprises for her medical support. Now serving as a safety officer far away from the memories of her personal and professional losses, Hester receives a surprising and strange message from another survivor of the attack--only to discover he was murdered shortly after sending it. Integrating herself into the investigation on a secluded mining outpost, Hester begins to uncover her friend's actions, along with the secrets being kept by both his coworkers and his employers. The story moves at a fast clip, and readers will enjoy the twists that are presented, along with the character developments and interactions. This immersive story is led by a flawed--physically and emotionally--protagonist who is nonetheless determined to discover the truth no matter where it leads. VERDICT Wallace (Salvation Day) showcases themes of xenophobia, corporate profit, and AI evolution in this absorbing space thriller.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2021
Wallace's latest (after Salvation Day, 2019) is a compelling murder mystery that takes place on space stations in the asteroid belt. Hester Marley was an acclaimed scientist on a mission with her colleagues to study Saturn and its moons. That all changed after a targeted terrorist attack against their ship destroyed it and their research, claiming many lives. Hester survives, but the company that rescues her and fixes her up requires her to work off her medical debts, and now she is underemployed as a safety officer, investigating crimes against Parthenope's bottom line and public image. When she investigates the death of her friend and former colleague, Hester must reconcile with her past and confront the demons that plague her every day. Throughout the novel, bits and pieces of her previous life trickle through, and readers' hearts will break as she struggles to come to terms with everything that's happened to her. Part science fiction and part mystery, this novel will appeal to readers of both genres, as Wallace balances Hester's unfolding investigation with an explanation of future technology.

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