The Spare Man, by Mary Robinette Kowal

A lot of critical readers are being hard on this one. I think it's better than that, but in the end still not amazing.

The setting is a space cruise liner on a trip to Mars, set in the late 21st century. The author gives us touches of background that can help with understanding some of the plot elements, but it's such a light touch that it's easy to miss. Dogs are very rare and only the wealthy can afford them, thus her little Westie (a darling breed) is much doted upon and useful in our protagonist's crime solving. How this came to be the case would have been helpful, though it might be hard to know when to stop (it sort of seems like our present conditions continued in a straight line, with income inequality getting more severe?). But this story is all about the crime solving. The protagonist (Tesla Crane) is a daughter of privilege but has suffered a horrific accident that has left her in chronic pain. Her pain and her wealth feature prominently in the crime solving.

As a mystery though, it's not a great one. I won't totally spoil the ending except to say that I don't think it works given the state of technology at the time, or even now for that matter. Tesla Crane is concerned about equity and treating less powerful people well, but that goes right out the window when her new husband is accused of the murders. Some find that to be a bug, but it might be a feature for me--Tesla is a pretty accurate portrayal of white privilege, in that she makes full use of it when she feels that she needs to.

It's a decently fun read, but not super compelling. A generous 3 stars.

My Goodreads Review