"Strong Retrieval Artist tale"
In the far distant future, mankind has spread throughout
the stars colonizing worlds and making treaties with alien
species to trade goods. Part of each treaty includes a
clause that when humans deal with aliens, they must obey
alien laws and if they don't they will be punished
according to the penal code of those they have
beleaguered. Many humans who break alien laws become the
Disappeared, changing their identity and going to planets
to escape alien justice. Caleb and Mimi Lahiri go to Retrieval Artist Miles Flint
to hire him to find their daughter Carolyn who has been
pardoned by the new ruling government of Etae who were
once considered rebels. It isn't long before he locates
Carolyn and reunites her with her parents but soon
afterward the police on Armstrong, the domed city on the
moon, find all three Lahiris murdered. Mike's former
partner officer Noelle DeRicci wants his help but he has
to work alone due to the nature of his job. He learns
that he is being set up for the Lahiris murders and must
find a way of clearing his name by solving the case
without getting himself killed. Part science fiction, part mystery and pure enjoyment are
the words to describe Kristine Kathryn Rusch's latest
Retrieval Artist novel. What makes CONSEQUENCES stand out
is that the Etae are humans although they are not part of
the Earth Alliance because they are considered uncivilized
warmongers who practice genocide on their own people.
Though not enough attention is paid to the alien races
except for a few very serio-comic scenes, this is a strong
murder mystery in outer space story line. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted March 10, 2004
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