Searching for Author/Title

[Synon]

Hi,

..was in a bookstore a little while ago, read the first chapter of a good scifi novel but didn't make a note of the title or author.

--PLOT-- Chapter 1:

The heroine is transporting some human cargo to a sanctuary for the retired when she is pulled over by some kind of "police" mech patrol.

She claims the cargo is someone in hibernation, however it turns out the cargo is actually a dead body and just as the mech-cop is about to find out from scanning the readout display on the cryochamber the ship's computer bails them out and they are not chased due to the space ahead being dangerous or part of a warzone or something... that's about as far as I got in the book shop.

Would like to track down the book and buy it as it's not often I pick up something and read it in a bookshop and still think about it weeks later. I have been back to the book shop several times trying to find it but no luck so far.

It could have been a female author but maybe just the heroine was female.

Appreciate any help!

Thanks,
Synon


edit: typos fixed, condensed, new title

[livens]

Hi,

I believe what you read was chapter 1 of Alastair Reynolds' Redemption Ark.

The female heroine was named Antoinette Bax, the "police" mech patrol was a 'proxy' and the ships subpersona was named Beast. Sound familiar?

[Synon]

I believe what you read was chapter 1 of Alastair Reynolds' Redemption Ark.

The female heroine was named Antoinette Bax, the "police" mech patrol was a 'proxy' and the ships subpersona was named Beast. Sound familiar?

That sounds right on the money!

Thank you very much... I will go into the book store and grab a copy...

Funny thing is when I was trying to find it I kept picking out an Alastair Reynolds book called Prefect... the style was right, the story was almost right, but alas...

I think they might have had only one copy of Redemption Ark and it was gone.

Thanks again!