MOON LUCK

Harral presents a debut SF thriller about a murder on the moon.

By the year 2039, NASA as well as several private companies have established structures on the moon for study and research purposes. They’re not especially large or luxurious, but they’re adequate to support the basic needs of some 30 highly skilled international astronauts. Some are there to mine rocks as natural resources; others are there to grow plants; and still others carry out research driven by hidden agendas. One fateful day, an explosion rocks the moon station and an astronaut is killed. As more information about the incident is revealed, readers, along with the characters, learn that it may not have been an accident after all but a clear-cut murder. Technicians back on Earth must work together with the astronauts stuck in space with a potential killer; mission director Kurt Vaughn and others work to solve the crime and keep everyone safe. The identity of the deceased astronaut isn’t immediately revealed, as the story jumps back six days and introduces various characters, including married plant scientist Jim Sheppard, Italian physicist Luca Barolo and his team members, Chinese commander Li Yuen, and many others. Over the course of this novel, Harral intriguingly explores questions about law on the moon, leadership, and how the next steps would play out after the commission of a terrible crime. The work also provides engaging and easy-to-understand scientific explanations about life in a lunar colony and details of the astronauts’ work that will maintain lay readers’ interest. The characters are well developed, considering the large number of them involved, and the story’s thriller elements make for a page-turning tale in an unusual and distinct setting.

A compelling and complex off-world mystery with many moving parts.