The Spare Man

The premise - a murder mystery set on a space cruise ship - sounded intriguing and like a nice vacation read. It proved to be a real page turner which I rushed through in 3 days. It's written in a very entertaining way, with plenty of interesting, mysterious or quirky characters. I also liked how well various pronouns and the custom of stating them were weaved into the narrative. The cocktails to set the theme for each chapter were a fun idea, too. The conclusion was a bit off and I think wouldn't hold up to scrutiny but on the other hand, it wasn't predictable.

I liked the idea of this book, as a kind of spacefaring Golden Age murder mystery with (literally or metaphorically) champagne receptions, glittering society and so on. There were interesting themes around (ab)uses of power and influence. It was fun trying to guess everyone’s secrets.

I wasn’t quite so taken with the execution, unfortunately. I never really warmed to any of the characters. Tesla’s use of wealth and status to push for whatever she was after at the time felt like an overused bludgeon. And cute doggies are all very well, but Gimlet felt like a Magical Cute Doggie—again, repetitive in use and outcome.

Overall, an entertaining mystery if a bit light on interpersonal nuance for my tastes.