A murder mystery set on a space station, what could be finer? When the detectives are Tesla Crane, a brilliant and extremely wealthy inventor with an array of PTSD and physical injuries, her service dog, and her real-life (although retired) detective husband, Shal. No sooner do they embark incognito upon their honeymoon voyage than a fellow passenger is murdered and all clues point to Shal. The ship’s security cuts off their communications (to their Earthside attorney, for one thing, and to one another, for another). Only then do things start to go seriously pear-shaped.

For me, what makes The Spare Man stand out from similar tales is its depiction of a disabled protagonist. Tesla faces the limitations of crippling spinal damage, an implanted pain-suppression device, and the risks of having her trauma re-triggered. She has an array of coping strategies, the most outstanding of which is her service dog, a Westland terrier named Gimlet. As the former owner of a retired seeing eye dog and friend to a number of folks who rely on service dogs (as opposed to the badly behaved pets that sometimes pass as such), I appreciated how Kowal portrayed a service dog at work. These included how Gimlet was “on work” or “released” to be just a dog, and when working, how she was focused on Tesla and her specifically trained behaviors to alert her owner of impending trouble. Sometimes, the dog would physically prevent Tesla from engaging in emotionally perilous behavior. I cheered when another character would ask to pet this absolutely charming dog and Tesla would say, “No, she’s working. If you pet her, you will interrupt her focus.” I wish more people understood this before they walk up to a vested service dog and start interacting without asking first (or, worse yet, allow their toddlers to rush up to a service dog!)

Unfortunately, the mystery unfolded too slowly for me, with many interruptions that dissipated the tension and forward momentum. Halfway through the novel, I began to be increasingly irritated with Tesla. Her propensity for interfering with the investigation by the ship’s security, ignoring her service dog (including leaving her dog behind and going into dangerous situations), dialing up her pain-suppression device at the very real risk of injury through numbness, and especially lying to her husband about being fine when it was obvious she was not fine, all these eroded my sympathies. I thought her lawyer was overhyped and ineffective, although possessed of an extremely colorful and imaginative vocabulary. I had a hard time moving past a point fairly early in the book where Shal has been drugged, probably by the security force who are holding him against his will under the pretext he is a suicide risk. I would have been terrified this was all a set-up to do away with him as the only competent investigator around, but Tesla blithely goes about her way, following clues in a desultory fashion only when it suits her.

In the end, the resolution of the mystery was quite satisfying and put together a wide array of clues. Some of these had gotten buried under inconsequential chit-chat about how cute Gimlet is, not to mention the excessive repetitions of Tesla’s coping strategies (if she’s that successful in using them, why does she end up on the verge of an incapacitating meltdown so often?) This would have been a much better, tighter, more dramatically sound book at half the length.

I loved Kowal’s other work and will continue to read her books as they come out, but The Spare Man was, alas, not up to her best.

3.5 stars

This was a cute 1930s style cosy murder mystery but set in space! I enjoyed the relationship between the main character and her husband and their little detective team! It was fast paced and fun and a well constructed mystery. I would say if you are a fan of knives out or other cosy mysteries you would really enjoy this!

Empiezo a sospechar que a Mary Robinette Kowal le gustan más los cocktails que los chotos la leche, entre su juego de #MaryGoRound y este libro, en el que cada capítulo comienza con la receta de uno.

The Spare Man es un misterio de habitación cerrada en el espacio, durante un lujoso crucero camino a Marte. La protagonista es Tesla Crane, ingeniera multimillonaria que está de viaje de bodas de incógnito, pero que no podrá disfrutar de su estancia como esperaba. Pequeños inconvenientes que tiene el hecho de que acusen a tu marido de asesinato.

The Spare Man es una obra típica de la autora, asentada en sus conocimientos de ciencia pero también con cierto humor sureño exagerado y mucho dramatismo. El principal problema que me he encontrado al leerlo es que Tesla resuelve muchos problemas a golpe de chequera, restregando su privilegio allá por donde pisa. ¿Que tengo una situación en la que necesito consejo legal? No hay problema en hacer una llamada orbital de precio exorbitante para que mi abogada me vaya diciendo qué hacer. ¿Necesito cierta información? Tampoco pasa nada si me pongo a repartir propinas (ejem, soborno, ejem) como si no hubiera un mañana. Aunque Kowal se esfuerza en crear un personaje que nos caiga bien, no tiene un resultado redondo por esto.

Como no tengo mascotas, tampoco tengo muy claro si la pasión que despierta el perro de Tesla es normal o no, pero sí que he de decir que juega un papel fundamental en el desarrollo del misterio. Tiene casi más protagonismo que el marido de Tesla.

The Spare Man es un libro entretenido, un buen muestrario de lo que la autora nos puede ofrecer, pero no deja de ser un entretenimiento que tampoco deja mucho poso.

Don’t you hate it when someone gets murdered on your honeymoon? To make matters worse, Tesla’s brand new husband gets accused of the crime in The Spare Man, a brilliant sci-fi mystery thriller from Mary Robinette Kowal, which came out last year.

Heiress and disgraced scientist Tesla Crane is looking forward to some luxurious peace and quiet on her honeymoon cruise to Mars with her retired detective husband, Shal. They’ve decided to travel under assumed names so that they can enjoy the top-class bars and shipboard entertainment without having to endure the suffocating admiration of Tesla’s fans or the whispered gossip of her critics. However, any hope of cozy anonymity collapses less than a week into their trip when someone is stabbed to death outside of their stateroom … and Shal is the prime suspect. With the ship’s security seemingly dead set on pinning the crime on her husband, Tesla will have to find the real killer herself so that they can return to enjoying their marital bliss. But when the killer strikes again, Tesla realizes that she and Shal may be in danger of more than just spending their honeymoon in a holding cell.

One of the things that stood out to me about The Spare Man is its depiction of a disabled protagonist. Tesla suffered a severe spinal injury during an accident several years before the events of this book take place. As a result, she experiences chronic pain which can be exacerbated by physical activity and sometimes requires her to use mobility aids. In addition to the physical damage to her body, Tesla’s accident also left her with PTSD and certain sights and sounds can throw her into intense flashbacks and panic attacks. Though Tesla often expresses frustration with these physical and emotional challenges, her disabilities do not prevent her from investigating the murder with far more diligence and vigor than the ship’s security staff. In fact, several of the tools that Tesla uses to manage her disabilities turn out to be useful investigative tools, as well. For example, there’s her service dog Gimlet—an adorable little Westie and probably my favorite character in the book. Gimlet is trained to warn Tesla when she is stressing her body too much or sliding toward a panic attack. But just as important as his medical training is his ability to endear himself to everyone around him. Tesla very intentionally uses Gimlet to turn enemies into friends, to warm up potential suspects so she can ask them questions, and to get her into places where she shouldn’t be. Another example is the grounding technique that Tesla uses to manage her PTSD—naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, etc… While slowing down and focusing on her environment does a great job of pulling Tesla out of a panic attack, it also helps her to notice small clues she otherwise would not have spotted. While I can’t speak for disabled readers, I felt that this book did an excellent job with a detailed and nuanced depiction of disability while celebrating and working to destigmatize some of the tools used to manage it.

The Obituary. 2oz gin. .25oz dry vermouth. .25oz absinthe. Lemon peel. Stir ingredients over ice for 40 seconds. Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with lemon peel.
Recipe for The Obituary in The Spare Man
My absolute favorite part of The Spare Man, though, is its focus on decadent cocktails. There is a cocktail recipe at the head of each chapter—a mix of old-school classics and new cocktails invented for this book, a disproportionate amount of them featuring absinthe (my favorite liquor) and served in coupe glasses. Each cocktail is either thematically or literally related to the events of the chapter (Tesla and Shal indulge frequently), and there are even a series of non-alcoholic recipes paired with the chapters that follow after a character is instructed to avoid alcohol by the ship’s medical staff. At the end of the book, sandwiched between the “About the Science” and “About the Author” sections is an “About the Cocktails” section, which includes a brief glossary and gives some excellent general advice on preparing cocktails (such as when to shake vs. stir) in addition to explaining a bit about the recipes the author invented and how to invent your own. I’m excited to try some of the cocktails from the book, especially one in particular called The Obituary, which my friend and local cocktail expert Garret Richard mentioned was once the house drink of a secret society in New Orleans. While I zoomed through this book too quickly to pause and mix myself a drink, I think savoring each chapter with its cocktail pairing sounds like a particularly decadent experience—perhaps on a reread!

If you love indulgent beverages, creative sci-fi, clever writing, and disability rep, I highly recommend checking out The Spare Man.

I tried reading this multiple times and unfortunately DNFed it every time after just a few pages. Conceptually this sounded interesting, but the writing style and exposition did not pique my interest.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

Off into space for a locked room (well, locked spaceship) mystery. Tesla Crane is on her honeymoon on a space liner heading for Mars when there’s a murder and her new husband is promptly arrested. Cue lots of investigating, banter, cocktails, and the best dog, Gimlet. Delightfully entertaining.

Tesla Crane and her new husband, Shal, are on their honeymoon. They decide to travel on the cruise ship Lindgren to Mars. They also decided to travel incognito under assumed names and with Tesla wearing a wig. However, they still have her service dog Gimlet, a Westie and the cutest dog ever. Tesla, who is recovering from injuries she suffered from a laboratory explosion years ago, suffers from constant pain and a hefty helping of PTSD as the only survivor. From a famous superrich family and inventor in her own right, she's enjoying just being another human among the passengers.

Except on returning to their cabin, they find a recently attacked man from the next-door cabin. Shal, being an ex-detective takes off after the fleeing perpetrator while Tesla tries to stem the bleeding and awaits medical assistance. The next thing she learns is that the cruise ship security has arrested her husband for the murder.

When I say that Tesla has an anger problem, I'm understating the case, and things get worse as she learns no one seems to care that they have the wrong person and clues mount up that seem to all point to Shal. Tesla decides, since no one seems to care that they have the wrong person and are determined to keep her and Shal apart, to drop her disguise, call her lawyer, and begins to rock the boat big time.

There are plenty of suspects since there are an over-abundant number of clues. It's a matter of investigating while most of the security force is determined to keep her from talking to anyone. Until she discovers--totally by accident you understand--that there's a recycling problem. Specifically, there's too much matter. In fact, there seems to be enough for a body only there's no one missing on the ship.

Tight plotting, an amazing mix of characters, lots of technological gadgets that are not that far-future away, danger, murder, mayhem, sleight of hand, red herrings, cocktails, humor, and more. It's a rollicking good story with a bit of a roaring twenties feel to it--or at least to me.

The Spare Man is an SF classic closed-circle setting mystery by Mary Robinette Kowal. Released 11th Oct 2022 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in all formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Apart from the setting (future with interstellar space travel), this is a cozy mystery with a classic closed circle of suspects setup. There are some nods to the future/space/SF setting, but mostly it's very much secondary to requirements. Readers who love classic Hammett will find a lot to love here because it's a more intricate reworking of The Thin Man, including the dog (who in this instance is a service dog and not a wire fox terrier like Asta).

Cocktails and banter in space.The fact that the main character is dealing with chronic health issues is nice, and the mystery is well constructed. The writing is above average (as expected for this author's oeuvre) and all the parts are in place.

Four stars. High quality, entertaining, and breezy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal is a mesmerizing sci-fi novella that delivers a punch of entertainment. Set in a futuristic world, the story follows a "sleeper" agent on a top-secret mission to retrieve a stolen device from a dangerous group of criminals. Kowal's writing is immersive, with futuristic tech and concepts that will leave you awestruck. The characters are complex and dynamic, with their own unique personalities and motivations. If you're a fan of sci-fi espionage and thrillers, then The Spare Man is the perfect read for you. Don't miss out on this action-packed adventure.

THE SPARE MAN by Mary Robinette Kowal

An ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Spare Man was published on October 11 2022.

Tesla Crane and Shal Steward are enjoying their honeymoon on an interplanetary cruise to Mars. When a murder aboard the ISS Lindgren disrupts their newly-wed bliss, Tesla has to clear her spouse's name with the help of her service dog Gimlet while protecting her own anonymity.

Death on the ISS Lindgren

The setting for Kowal's most recent science fiction novel is the Interplanetary Space Ship Lindgren, an engineering masterpiece with different levels of gravity for inhabitants from Earth, Moon and Mars as well as questionable cruise liner art. Life on the ISS Lindgren is shaped not only by extraordinary physics but also a queernormative majority that, though nowhere near a perfect utopia, features a broad range of (especially gender) identities. Similarly to The Lady Astronaut series, Kowal also makes sure to portray disability, this time, however, her protagonist has help navigating her panic attacks in the form of a small white West Highland Terrier called Gimlet. The Spare Man also goes a step further regarding disabilty than The Lady Astronaut series by putting Tesla Crane's battle with chronic pain front and center. This not only helps paint a more nuanced character it also grounds the otherwise unbeliebably rich and incredibly intelligent protagonist and makes her more relatable.

Though unquestionably science fiction, the physics behind The Spare Man do their best to inform and enhace the story rather than encumber it with tech babble. At its core, the novel revolves around Tesla, her struggles and her stakes. The main plot is essentially a murder mystery à la Agatha Christie in space and much more of a cosy, character-centric story than a fast-paced thrill ride. Occasionally, the mystery moves so far into the background that it gets lost a little but the overall structure of the novel makes it feel that much more personal.

With Tesla and Shal, Kowal further cements her role amongst the masters of established relationships - noone writes supportive couples like her!

Rating

Kowal has yet to write a book I don't like and The Spare Man is no exception. Though privileged, the characters feel relatable and Kowal's comittment to inclusive writing is not only commendable but also very well done - as far as I can tell. I fear Kowal is also comitted to eroding my life-long aversion to sci-fi as she keeps writing things outside my normal genre comfort zone. I do wish we'd get to read more of her fantasy (and maybe the mystery part in the next installment (I assume there will be one) could be a bit more mysterious) but I will definitely pick up whatever she writes next. The Spare Man gets 4 (plus) stars from me.

Absolutely brilliant! I loved this smart, quirky mystery = it's got all Kowal's usual panache and flair for voicey characters and memorable settings. I wasn't actually familiar with The Thin Man before going into this, so I can say that it stands alone really well, though I'm sure I missed some references that would have enhanced things even further. Just sheer good fun from start to finish!

After dozens of gloomy mystery books about depressed British detectives, Mary Robinette Kowal's book is a pleasant change. Science fiction elements are only ornaments here and don't overwhelm with technical lingo. Apart from default neutral language for all characters (until they specify their pronouns) in this future people speak and behave like us and inspirations drawn from classic cinema are both fun and nostalgic (maybe apart from tons of alcohol - I understand where it comes from, but it was too much even for me).
To enjoy it fully one needs to mute their „each the rich” radar, as characters are mostly wealthy tech moguls, including our main character. I liked it that Tessa Crane served as representation for people with disabilities with her chronic pain. Also, while her tendency to banter and annoy everyone on staff could be deemed as unlikable quality, for me it was pure fun as it reminded me of classical Hollywood comedies. Tessa's creation along with quite enjoyable mystery, full of...well, bodies and red herrings, made it a greatly fun ride. It turns out I might be a cosy mystery type after all (even in space). I do hope Kowal returns to these characters - Tessa and Shal have potential for a series of adventures.

The Spare Man, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, which has not influenced my objective review. That out of the way….

The short of it: murder mystery on a space going luxury liner headed for Mars with Nick and Nora (sorry, Tesla and Shal), who are at the start of their honeymoon, and Asta (whoops, Gimlet the Westie) ….

So… the author is an experienced author who manipulates the plot with panache. It took a while to get the plot elements going and the bodies to start piling up, but by the end all the plot threads more or less came together. To my way of reading, it was pretty dang sparse on the backstory. The major catastrophe that rendered Tesla (she/her) a total basket case of pain, (only mitigated by implanted medical devices), is not addressed until about a third of the way in, and still was unsatisfactory in establishing what really did go down (literally).

Likewise, her marriage to Shal (retired gumshoe) is in the very early stages of honeymoon, but not a peep about how they met – what drew them together – what obstacles had to be overcome (or not). If this was really tracking an homage to The Thin Man, certainly there would be an Aunt Katherine looming with disapproval in the background. Action and mystery are fine, but a deeper characterization and back history of the leads would have not gone amiss. There’s some passing reference to her father but no mention of her mother or any siblings. It’s made clear that she is the sole inheritor of a vast fortune amassed by her father in technology, that she was a legendary roboticist in her own right, and that she has taken great care on this cruise to obscure her identity to avoid unwanted publicity.

The setting kept the plot tightly focused, but also rendered it unavoidably claustrophobic. The author in the afterword talks about her experiences shipboard Writing Excuses cruises as informing some of the setting choices, but before reading that, it felt like a repurposed setting from a science fiction convention hotel. Sure, there were some SF touches like the annoying time gap when Tesla was trying to communicate back to her lawyer on Earth and the impact of the Coriolis effect on both walking in certain parts of the ship, and on one of the murders, but for 90% of the time it might just as well have been the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta for DragonCon, or wherever the World SF Convention has fetched up this year.

In the end, I’d give it a 3.5/5 – a perfectly good read borrowed from your local library. That is, unless you are into mixology and cocktails, and then the abundant recipes found throughout the book would be a definite nudge to the 'buy' category.

The Spare Man was a complicated read. As one of my most anticipated new releases of 2022 by an author whose previous works I adored, it’s clear I was expecting a lot from this book. Unfortunately, lofty expectations can kill even the best of books. So with that in mind I’m going to try to temper my disappointment at my reading experience throughout this review.

As for the story itself, The Spare Man is a blend of murder mystery and space adventure. In it, we see heiress and inventor Tesla Crane entangled in a murder plot while on her honeymoon on a luxury cruise… in space! Her spouse Shal is framed for the murder of one of their fellow passengers and as bodies pile up and the evidence stacked against him Tesla must hunt down the real killer before the cruise docks on Mars.

I’ll start with the positives. The setting of The Spare Man was genuinely a delight. The USS Lidgren as a luxury spacefaring cruise liner was filled with exciting novelty. From jaunting across different decks (appropriately adjusted to the gravities of different planets, of course) to sipping cocktails poolside while enjoying a view of the galaxy Kowal indulged in the fun of going on a cruise well and it was fun to see a sci-fi twist on an already charming setting.

Also, as with every Mary Robinette Kowal book I’ve read, the romantic relationship at this novel’s centre was excellently rendered. Kowal has the magic touch when it comes to crafting intimacy and connection in established relationships. I was consistently compelled by Tesla and Shal’s bond. The easy comfort they found in each other and the lived-in understanding of each other quirks was excellent. The Spare Man, like all of Kowal’s books, really demonstrates what makes established relationships so fun to read. Experiencing the texture that comes from that history between characters was a delight. My only complaint on this front was that we didn’t spend enough time with Tesla and Shal because the plot contrived to separate them at every turn. Tesla, especially, was a better and more interesting character with her spouse than without him.

That brings me to my biggest problem with his book, Tesla Crane. Don’t get me wrong there was a lot about Tesla I empathized with. This book sees a well-rendered depiction of mental illness through Tesla’s PTSD. Throughout the novel, we see Tesla navigate avoiding her PTSD triggers and managing the daily guilt of surviving an accident that killed her coworkers and friends. Kowal also empathetically renders a realistic portrait of physical disability. The narrative frequently sees Tesla considering and adjusting to her varying energy levels and pain management. And, while the story exists in a far-flung future, Kowal doesn’t use her setting as an opportunity to disregard the ways disability would impact someone’s daily life even with assistive technology.

However, despite my appreciation for the clear care that went into crafting Tesla as a character I never truly liked her. My biggest hurdle in this regard was Tesla’s extreme wealth, which she used constantly throughout the book to attempt to buy her and her husband security from scrutiny during the murder investigation. While Tesla was aware of the social power her wealth gave her over the employees on the ship it never stopped feeling uncomfortable to see her wield wealth to get what she wanted, even if I ultimately sympathized with her motives. It was especially tough to root for her when she would threaten service staff with getting them fired to get her way. While I don’t think this is a flaw in the story it was a barrier that prevented me from fully connecting with Tesla.

This lack of investment in Tesla bled into a general lack of interest in the plot. While I have no qualms with the construction of the mystery in The Spare Man I did find myself struggling to care about unravelling the truth of the murders. By halfway through the book I realized I was not at all curious about finding out who was behind it all.

In the end, while The Spare Man had a lot of the pieces of Mary Robinette Kowal stories I love, namely a strong setting, fantastic central relationship, meaningful representation of mental illness and inclusion of a diverse range of characters, it lacked the hook of a compelling and sympathetic protagonist I could sink my teeth into and root for. So it ultimately left me disappointed.

Tesla Crane (she/her) in on her honeymoon, taking the shuttle to Mars with her brand-new husband, Shal Steward (he/him). But the chowder-heads in Security arrest Shal for the murder of George Saikawa (she/her) when he is found kneeling by the body. Tesla is highly annoyed. Being the wealthiest woman in the universe has some advantages, she can afford the astronomical costs of communicating with her lawyer back on Earth. Also, knowing a little about physics, she can do some deducing of her own. Several years ago, Tesla was part of a lab explosion that left several people dead and her body in severe pain. She travels with an adorable Westie named Gimlet. The comparisons to Nick and Nora Charles (with Gimlet playing the part of Asta) are rampant. Tesla investigates, much to annoyance of the the security team on the ship. Lots of witty banter and cocktail recipes head each chapter. Very amusing read.

It's Nick and Nora. On a cruise. In space. Nora is Tesla Crane: rich, famous, and plagued with survivor's guilt over a failed experiment. Nick is her retired detective and media star husband Shal. Tesla and Shal are honeymooning while in disguise, hoping for nothing more than relaxation with each other and Tesla's service dog Gimlet. What they get is murder, accusations, and a mystery Tesla cannot and will not let go of. The mystery is clever, the cast of characters varied and delightful.

Digital review copy provided through Netgalley.

I read this one in just two days as it was a very easy one to get through. I’ve read quite a few works by this author and enjoyed them, but I think this is the first standalone by her I’ve tried.

I do think this bears a few similarities to her Calculating Stars series, but we’re following a character called Tesla Crane who is on her honeymoon and travelling on a massive luxury space ship. She’s travelling incognito as she’s a pretty famous character, and her husband is helping to protect her.

There is a murder quickly after they arrive on the ship and Tesla’s husband is very quickly accused as the murderer. Tesla is adamant that it can’t be him and is keen to call up her lawyer (despite massive time delays due to space travel) and get his name cleared.

The story was quite fast paced and I found it easy to enjoy the plot. I didn’t fall in love with any characters specifically but I liked the the concepts of the luxury ship and the way that the mystery slowly got revealed to the reader with more layers. There were a few twists but I think some were a little more obvious than others. 3.5*s in the end from me.

I wrote about this on GoodReads (with a link to Twitter) and on StoryGraph (with a link to Mastodon). Will add a blurb to my Instagram Stories when I have a minute. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5201150352

Tesla (a brilliant celebrity heiress) is enjoying travelling incognito on her space liner honeymoon with her new husband Shal - until he's arrested for murder.

It takes all of Tesla's technical and investigative skills to get to the truth, and keep Shal alive.

The Spare Man is a totally engrossing read and I really hope to spend more time with Tesla and Shal in a sequel.

Tesla Crane is a social media icon. An inventor and heiress, it is nearly impossible for her to go anywhere without people recognizing her and posting photos of her. This makes for an awkward honeymoon, which is what Tesla is currently trying to enjoy on a cruise liner between the moon and Mars (along with her husband, Shalmaneser "Shal" Steward, and their dog Gimlet).
Tesla is trying to keep a low profile, and staying in the suite for the honeymoon helps, but when someone on the ship is found murdered and Shal is the prime suspect, it will be hard to stay in the shadows. It's especially difficult when the ship's security team won't look beyond their prime suspect. Fortunately Tesla and Shal can afford a high-profile, high-priced, highly-efficient attorney who gets them some freedom while aboard ship so that they can do their own investigation - which is clearly necessary given the ineptness of the cruise-liner security!

I haven't read a lot of Mary Robinette Kowal's work, but the previous two books of hers that I've reviewed I've rated quite highly so I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately this one rather let me down.

The Spare Man is primarily a mystery (nothing wrong with that) and a cozy mystery at that, loosely based on The Thin Man. The setting, is the only part of this that makes it 'science fiction.' This story could have been set in the 1930's on a luxury liner, in the present day at a resort, or, well, just about anywhere that would keep the protagonist in a confined space.

Quite a bit seemed to be made of Tesla's status and I expected this to play a bigger part in the mystery, but I can't say that it really did, other than to show how nice it is to have white privilege ... if it weren't for Tes's money they wouldn't be able to afford the good lawyer, and without a really good lawyer, Shal would certainly have been behind bars. In fact, while the lawyer was a bit of a fun character, it did annoy me that this was the luxury of wealth.

The mystery was fine - nothing out of the ordinary and nothing too get too excited about.

The best part of the book was the drinking. Ms. Kowal starts each chapter with the name, ingredients, and method of preparing a mixed drink. I was a little surprised that I hadn't heard of some of them - especially those that sounded really good. I've highlighted my favorites and will be trying them out soon. I was not surprised to read in the Afterword (About the Cocktails) that a handful of the drinks were Kowal's own creations.

I wish I could recommend this book, but even as a cozy mystery it just isn't very exciting. This is certainly not up to what I've seen Kowal is capable of.

Looking for a good book? The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal is a cozy mystery in space. Although inspired by The Thin Man, it seems more likely that you'll find Jessica Fletcher popping in than Nick Charles.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.