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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

 Suspense. Murder. Science fiction. Mystery.



There's a lot to like about this interstellar mystery. It's unique. It's well-written and it reads fast. It has six interesting characters and an intriguing premise. And it's set in space. But I have to admit, I'm finding it a little hard to summarize. So I'm going to cheat and quote from the blurb on Goodreads instead.

"A space adventure set on a lone ship where the clones of a murdered crew must find their murderer -- before they kill again.

It was not common to awaken in a cloning vat streaked with drying blood. At least, Maria Arena had never experienced it. She had no memory of how she died. That was also new; before, when she had awakened as a new clone, her first memory was of how she died.

Maria's vat was in the front of six vats, each one holding the clone of a crew member of the starship Dormire... And Maria wasn't the only one to die recently."

Because the ship's AI memory logs have been wiped, and none of the six cloned crew members have retained any recent memories, you don't know who to trust. Any one of them could have committed the murders and sabotaged the ship's computer. There's the captain, the pilot, the doctor, the tech guy, the security guy, and Maria, jill-of-all-trades. Each has a criminal past and each knows their own piece of the puzzle. But none feel they can trust any of the others. 

I always enjoy reading these kinds of locked-room mysteries (or locked-ship mystery in this case), and I found Six Wakes to be both compelling and entertaining. I especially liked all the clone technology, with its complicated moral and ethical issues, and the six clones with their past lives, their memories, secrets and altered mindmaps. If you like character-driven mysteries, especially ones set in space, this is a really good one. 

Happy Reading!

38 comments:

  1. Ooh, this sounds awesome. I love locked-room mysteries and the fact that this is set in space has me even more intrigued. :)

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    1. I liked that they were stuck on a ship out in space, and that they were all clones, too. :)

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  2. I like locked room mysteries too--and one set in outer space! I have to read this! I am so glad you enjoyed it, Lark. Thank you for your great review.

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    1. You're welcome. Glad to add to your TBR list. ;D

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  3. This sounds really good. I like science fiction and the mystery seems well done too.

    Isaac Asimov wrote some science fiction mysteries that were very good also.

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  4. It sounds very good and I like the fact that its a mystery novel set in a science fiction environment because I have trouble following alot of sci fi but locked room mysteries are so etching I really enjoy.

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    1. That's what first intrigued me about his one!

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  5. I remember that very distinctive opening lol. I was like woah- this is serious! I love stories like this and wish I could find more.

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    1. I wish there were more out there like this one, too!

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  6. Love a bit of sci-fi crime and it's sadly not all that common.

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    1. It's not, but it should be. I think a lot of people like this kind of book.

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  7. Sounds like a good one. Can't resist a locked-room mystery! :)

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  8. An interstellar mystery! Right up my alley--thanks, Lark.

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  9. That's different and it sounds like a good one.

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    1. It was different than what I normally read, but I think that made it more fun, you know?

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  10. That's a really interesting premise for one of those closed-room kind of mysteries. Glad to hear that its execution lived up to its promise.

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    1. It ended up being a much better book than I was expecting, which is also nice! :)

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  11. Wow that takes the locked room mystery to a whole other level! I'm not a Sci/Fi reader but I am kind of intrigued by this one!

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    1. I loved that they were trapped on this ship together with no way off and no way back. It definitely added to the tension.

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  12. This one has been lurking on my TBR for a while now. I liked the sound of it and it's a bit out of my comfort zone too.

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    1. It's a good one. I think you might like it. :)

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  13. On wow, clones of murder victims? That is an original premise!

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    1. It really is. And I loved how each clone's past was another part of the overall puzzle.

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  14. This sounds fantastic! I love a good locked-room mystery.

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    1. Me, too! They're so fun to try and figure out. :)

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  15. Definitely an interesting concept, and I do love a good mystery! I don't read much science fiction, but I usually enjoy it when I do. I'll look this one up. :)

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    1. I don't read a lot of science fiction either, but I really enjoyed this one. :)

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  16. I read very little fiction set in space, but this one sounds super intriguing. I might just have to give it a go!

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    1. I liked the mix of science fiction and mystery. :)

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  17. I'd already heard great things about this book but your review puts it over the edge. I like sci-fi and I love mysteries. Two great tastes that go great together! :D

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    1. Just the way the author tells the story drew me in and kept me interested until the end. I hope you end up liking it as much as I did! :)

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