Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
![[5 stars]](../images/spots/1_splat_50.gif)
Dead Man on the Moon
Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Steven Harper
Class/Genre: Science Fiction Mystery Forensics
Phobos, Feb 2006, $14.95, 284 pp.
It started off as a moonbase but now Luna City is an independent nation trying to pay off the debt to the nations who built it. One way the city makes money is by charging steep fees to students who want to attend the prestigious Luna University. Noah Skyler won a scholarship and a small stipend to the university but he has to hold down two jobs if he wants to eat because foosd, like everything else on the moon, is very expensive.
On his first day on the moon, he is dragged into a murder case where the victim was shoved out an airlock without a suit. Everyone on Luna has their DNA in the database but there is nothing there to identify the murder victim. While he is working on that case, he also looks into a second death that might be murder. It is his job to learn the truth in between giving a vaudeville show, dealing with the roommate from hell, finding out why one of his co-workers want to get him kicked off the case and spending time with a beautiful girl whose wealthy family knows how to get special perks that makes life on the moon more tolerable.
This science fiction mystery is the thinking person’s who-done-it because readers try to use the clues to solve the cases before the protagonist does. The characters are very interesting and realistic so it feels like the audience actually knows someone like them. Noah is a charmer who is trying to find his way in an alien environment something every person reading this book can relate to at some time. Let’s hope there are more tales starring this refreshingly original character and his adventures on the moon.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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