First published 1998
This anthology brings together six detective stories that blend crime solving with futuristic settings. Police detective Anna-Louise Bach investigates murders involving identical androids in John Varley's "The Barbie Murders." Greg Egan explores identity and memory in "Cocoon" while Kate Wilhelm's husband-and-wife team Constance and Charlie face danger in "The Gorgon Field." Lisa Goldstein contributes "Rites of Spring," a tale where mystery meets the supernatural. Isaac Asimov's Black Widowers club tackles puzzles through pure deduction in "The Backward Look." Nancy Kress rounds out the collection with "Fault Lines," where geological disasters complicate criminal investigations. Each story takes familiar detective work into strange new territories, from space colonies to altered realities. The cases demand both traditional sleuthing skills and adaptation to technologies that transform how crimes happen and how they get solved. These detectives must navigate worlds where the rules of physics, identity, and human nature itself have shifted, yet the core drive to uncover truth remains constant.
Genres: science-fiction, mystery, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, sleuthing
Setting: Space Colonies
Period: Futuristic
256 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace