So an incredibly famous, chronic pain and PTSD suffering, rich scientist ("Tesla," unfortunately) is travelling to Mars incognito with her retired detective husband and service dog. They exit a club and see a woman who has been stabbed. The husband gives chase. Inexplicably, he's charged with the murder and beaten. The security chief won't allow Tesla to access her communication network, her room, or her money, for no apparent reason. A lot of very detailed events happen, including someone letting her dog out of her room, and someone substituting their gin with a different brand (two events that weren't sufficiently explained), lots of calls with her crocheting lawyer with a time lag, introduction of a twin very late, octopoid robots, none of which has anything to do with the plot and make it feel chaotic. There are several unfamiliar terms used ("spoof," "joyfri..," "gamer's belly," "Mx.," people with multiple names) that cause some flow interruption to figure out. Also, it felt like the second book in a series or an offshoot of a series, since I didn't really get to know the main characters or the universe.

The book seems to settle down at about halfway through and becomes a lot more engaging to read. It also includes an interesting, optimistic vision of a future where gender is fluid and pronouns are chosen and respected.

Enjoyed the mystery plot and the science fiction details. Less thrillec with the romance which felt intrusive. I really enjoyed the trilogy that Kowal wrote and was somewhat disappointed with this book. I do recognize that many readers will think that the romance is the best part.

There are a lot of things to love about The Spare Man. The setting is particularly wonderful, comprising an interstellar cruise ship, complete with three levels of gravity, multi-level theaters, and delightfully tacky cruise ship decor. It is also refreshing to read a book with a main character who is disabled, especially in a far(ish) future setting - technology is a great aid to Tesla, but she also has a service dog and a supportive social infrastructure that allow her to interact with the world. Also, the mashup of noir detective novels and near-future SF is great fun!

We were left a little cold by Tesla's character. She's one of the wealthiest people in the world(s), and acts like it. Although Kowal does a good job of making the reader (and Tesla) aware of her privilege, it can be tough to read a detective story without real consequences. (It's made very clear that even though Tesla's husband is accused of the crime, he will definitely not go to jail because her high-powered lawyer will get him off.)

The worldbuilding was perfectly executed, though, and we'd love to read more books set in this universe!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

3.5 stars. This story is set in a slightly-future timeline for a not-this-timeline timeline; it seems to match the alternate universe of [book:The Calculating Stars|33080122], but readers certainly don't need to read that series first. It would probably help if readers had some familiarity with the genre; this may not be a great first-intro, since it includes casual references to but no explanations of spacey and futuristic technology like matter printers, scanners, spaceship construction to simulate gravity, wearable and implanted tech, etc.

Between the technology, the singular setting, conversations made complicated by time-lag, and a handful of characters, there's a lot to keep track of. I'm not sure every thread was wrapped up-- a few days after finishing, I couldn't quite remember the resolution of a red herring or two. This does keep it from feeling too perfectly or unnaturally complete.

Fans of the author will be pleased with this outing, which showcases a better future in which gender identity isn't assumed, gender-inclusive language is the norm, and medical and social advances have improved living with a disability-- the main character has chronic pain and PTSD from an industry-related accident.

eARC from NetGalley.

This was a delightful and swift-moving murder mystery, set on an intergalactic cruise ship, starring an amazing (billionaire?, if not, then exceedingly rich) engineer/inventor/celebrity, her new husband, and most importantly (to me) her Westie service dog, Gimlet. The author creates a complete world on the cruise ship, with details she borrows from the here-and-now (terribly strange artwork that one finds on cruise ships) and details of the far-future (most everything else). World-building occurs very naturally, in a largely unobtrusive way as the protagonists navigate the ship and the murders. The solution was satisfying, with no loose ends, and I highly recommend the book to readers looking for a fast-paced murder mystery in a very different locale.

As a side-note, I thought having each chapter not only start with a cocktail recipe, but having those cocktail names describe the action of the chapter to be brilliant. Also, every four or five cocktails had no alcohol (mocktails), which was great to see!

Mary Robinette Kowal's THE SPARE MAN is a lackluster science fiction mystery paralyzed by its characters. I started off enjoying this book; the author's prose is clear and clean and accessible, and it had a kind of Jazz Age glamor set in space that I thought I would enjoy. The pacing of the book was also good. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the book. The characters are not particularly likable, interesting, or competent. Tesla, the protagonist, is the worst of the bunch for me. I quickly became tired of reading about her trauma, her triggers, her physical disability. Along with the constant signaling of gender identity, it felt like the author cared more about hitting specific social markers than about telling a good story.

Tesla Crane and her husband Shal are on their honeymoon. They should be enjoying their cruise to Mars, except that there's a murder and Shal is framed for it so it's up to Tesla to figure out who is the murderer, and her partner the cutest dog on the ship to help Tesla catch the villain. This was an engaging mystery where the space cruise ship was as much a character as anyone else in the book. There were so many interesting settings that it felt like the cruise ship was also a character and I loved that about the book. I found myself enjoying going along with the story to wherever it took me, Tesla, Shal and Gimlet were all wonderful characters and I found myself getting invested in their relationship, they seem like a solid couple that love and support each other through thick and thin. I also loved the drink selections that went along with each chapter. Definitely one to suggest for lovers of sci-fi or mysteries.

Very different from her Lady Astronaut books. Set on a luxury liner going between the Moon Mars this is a closed room mystery. People keep being killed and our honeymoon couple get caught up in the mystery. . Great plot and characters. Hard to put down and the why is a surprise.

I had no idea the title and aspects of the plot were references to The Thin Man (and in fact had never heard of the Dashiell Hammett novel and movie) until another reviewer mentioned it -- so if you're wondering if you can read and appreciate The Spare Man without that context, the answer is definitely yes! This is a great mystery set on a cruise liner-esque spaceship. Things I loved: the protagonist has PTSD, a physical disability and the cutest service dog, all handled very respectfully; the casual inclusion of LGBTQ characters and custom of everyone introducing themselves with pronouns; and the solid relationship between the two protagonists. My only real criticisms are at a certain point it felt it got a big long and dragged out, and the cocktail recipe motif didn't do anything for me / seemed a little forced.

I'd absolutely read sequel(s)!

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<p>Review copy provided by the publisher. Also, like nearly everyone else in this field, I have had congenial convention/online interactions with MRK.</p>
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<p><em>The Thin Man</em> is a Dashiell Hammett novel, and this is the science fiction reboot thereof, on a cruise ship en route to Mars. So! What does this book have that Hammett fans might be looking for?</p>
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<p><strong>Hammett's prose</strong>. No, Kowal decided--probably wisely--not to write this as pastiche. The prose style is instantly recognizable as her own, not his.</p>
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<p><strong>Hammett's gender relations</strong>. Again, that's a no; Kowal decided instead to write a society that does not have the most condescending and divisive possible view of sex and gender. Her future includes characters of varying genders and gender expressions rather than Hammett's repugnant version.</p>
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<p><strong>Quite a lot of alcohol</strong>. Oh yes. Each chapter starts with a cocktail recipe, some original to the author, and the characters are drinking more or less constantly through the book. Many of the cocktail recipes are zero-proof, and if you read the notes after the book, you'll learn that this is quite deliberate and philosophically important to the author. However, if you're someone who is uncomfortable with a large amount of alcohol consumption for personal reasons even if the author is clearly not pushing it as the one true way of life, this may not be the book for you.</p>
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<p><strong>Adorable tiny dog.</strong> AND HOW. There is adorable tiny dog peril. I will be your one-person does the dog die dot com and tell you that no, the adorable tiny dog does not die, you're welcome, you can read the book now. (If you were a person who preferred to be in suspense on this point, I'm sorry but not actually that sorry.)</p>
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<p><strong>Entitled rich protagonist.</strong> Yep. There is quite a lot of "I don't have to put up with this! I'm <em>rich!"</em> in this book, which is absolutely true to the original, and while there are a few moments when someone calls Tess on it, in general it's my least favorite part.</p>
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<p><strong>If you're not a Hammett reader, what might you find?</strong> Well, there's a cruise ship to Mars, complete with Coriolis effects from rotational "gravity." There's a disabled protagonist whose disability has more than one assist, of varying futurism levels, but whose disability never gets conveniently wiped away for the sake of the plot. There's a crocheting attorney back on Earth who is increasingly inconvenienced by the time lag. There's a string of bodies whose murders are solved by the end, with all the clues in front of you and the pacing of a classic mystery...iiiin. Spaaaace. Oh, and at one point a lot of towel animals. So there's quite a lot.</p>
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