by Martha Wells
Part of The Murderbot Diaries, book 6
First published 2021
Murderbot makes one thing clear from the start: it did not kill the human whose body turns up on Preservation Station. If it had committed murder, it certainly would not have been careless enough to leave the corpse in the station mall. Now the construct finds itself in an unwelcome position. Station security needs help identifying the victim, determining the method of death, and establishing a motive. Murderbot understands the first two objectives easily enough, but the question of why someone was killed baffles it. Apparently this matters greatly to humans, though Murderbot fails to see the relevance. The situation forces the reluctant construct into its worst nightmare: voluntary communication with human beings. Again. As the investigation unfolds, Murderbot must navigate both the mystery of the death and the even more challenging puzzle of human social interaction.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reluctant-hero
Setting: Preservation Station
168 pages · Hardcover · Tor.com