I’m a sucker for murder mysteries – and I have a particular fondness for whodunits in a sci fi setting. Stuck on the ship in deep space, or on a colony in a hab bubble where the outside atmosphere is lethal provides ideal locked room scenarios without having to reach for outlandish reasons why everyone is cut off and fleeing isn’t an option. So when I saw this offering, I immediately requested it.
BLURB: Mars, 2316. The recently created Terraforming Committee arbitrates the dramatic development of Mars by powerful rival corporations. When a rogue asteroid crashes into a research center and kills its lone technician, the fragile balance between corporations is shattered. The World Government’s investigation into the accident reveals a multitude of motives, while a corporation insider stumbles on a dark conspiracy. Two Martians with very different agendas must navigate a trail of destruction and treachery to uncover the truth and expose those responsible, before Mars falls to Earth’s corruption. As lines blur between progress and humanity, Mars itself remains the biggest adversary of all.
REVIEW: As I checked up on this book after finishing it, I discovered that a boardgame called Terraforming Mars provides the setting. I was blissfully unaware of the game while reading the book, so don’t let that nugget of information put you off. It doesn’t matter to anyone picking up the book, as it doesn’t impact your reading experience in any way.
This is a slow-burn mystery where the daily rhythm of the teams who are tasked with terraforming Mars is explored in some detail. So this isn’t one for murder mystery fans who only want a splash of sci fi in their crime scene. However, I appreciated the way Killick gives the reader a very clear picture of how the terraforming effort is progressing, while introducing us to the main protagonists. Inevitably there are strains between competing corporations – and also some major issues are discussed. Should Humanity be altering Mars to suit our needs at all? What if in doing so, we inadvertently destroy some biological organisms that we haven’t yet discovered? As a science fiction fan, I found all this fascinating, especially as running alongside these plotlines is the growing sense that all is not well within Mars’ fledgling community.
Killick’s smooth, unfussy writing style pulled me into the story, so that I stayed up faar later than I should to discover what happens next. Because while this one starts slowly, there are several excellent action scenes that are all the more shocking because of the relatively low key beginning. And the climactic episode out on the surface, where a man is struggling for his life after being double-crossed, is one I won’t forget in a hurry. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale – as well as the slightly bitter-sweet ending, which has stayed with me. I shall be looking around for more of Killick’s books and thoroughly recommend this Mars’ murder mystery. While I obtained an arc of In the Shadow of Deimos from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
Brainfluff 
Murder mysteries in space are even more fascinating than the Earth-based ones, exactly for the reasons you quoted: this one offers the added incentive of being set on Mars, so there are exploration and colonization efforts thrown into the mix. What’s not to like, indeed? 😉
Thank you so much for sharing this!!!
Thank you, Maddalena:)). You’re very welcome – and I think you’d thoroughly enjoy this one. I know you share my weakness for sci fi murder mysteries!
Excellent review! I think I would love this one.
Thank you for swinging by:)). I think you would enjoy this one, too.
I didn’t know that Terraforming Mars was a setting for a book. Not that it matters—as you say—as the game (I own the digital version) is pretty much devoid of any story or background that you have to know. It also sounds that the book pretty much stands on its own, and is not just “money-grabbing spin off” of the game.
Oh yes – I wouldn’t have become so very engrossed in the book if I’d have sensed in any way that this was some cheesy derivation of a game that I don’t know and don’t care about. But you might want to check out the book, as some other folks who own the game really enjoyed reading it:).
Oh, that’s interesting! To me, the game does nothing to entice me to explore the setting more. It’s an ok strategy game (maybe better when you play against humans instead of AI), but there’s nothing unique about its setting to make me feel like I want more.
It’s also interesting to hear of your response, given you’re coming at from the viewpoint of someone who has played the game – thank you for your input, Joanna:).