The Cold Between is Elizabeth Bonesteel’s debut novel, which is surprising. In this taut, space-based science fiction mystery, she does great things with character, plot, and story that belies her debut status. Like many great mysteries, the plot gets rolling with a murder, but not before protagonist Elena Shaw, a member of the Central Corps while on shore leave on the colony planet Volhynia, has a one-night stand/affair with Treiko Zajec. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem, but Zajec is a former captain of the rival space organization, PSI. When Elena learns that Treiko is being held as a suspect in the murder of Elena’s ship mate Danny, she knows he was innocent because Treiko was in the middle of that aforementioned affair the night of Danny’s murder. Seems a fairly standard starting point, but what Bonesteel does with character, particularly that of Elena, offers up a refreshing look at the military “mystery in space.”
The mystery behind Danny’s murder is just the proverbial portal to a greater mystery going back two and a half decades. As Elena distances herself from her commander and crew in her quest to learn more about Danny’s murder, we learn more about her. For example, she had a very close relationship with the deceased. Elena also learns more about what kept Danny so curious, that a space vessel was destroyed and very little is known about it. Elena also learns just how corrupt the law-making organization on Volhynia is when she has to fight so hard to affect Zajec’s release. It doesn’t help Zajec’s case that he is a known man on this colony having been involved in a death in the past.
Bonesteel’s story has a lot going for it. She captures a passionate growing relationship between Elena and Zajec very well. How they react to each other and interact is extremely plausible. Elena herself is the standout of the novel; an incredibly drawn heroine who exhibits strength, commitment, and flaws. In other words, she’s very human. With the interplanetary civilization and well drawn protagonist, there are definite parallels to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga. Of course it is too early in Bonesteel’s writing career to draw anything more than superficial echoes between her work and Bujold’s work, but Bonesteel did hit some of the same beats together quite well.
Where I had problems was in the middle of the novel. The beginning gave the impression that the story was going to be a fast-pace romantic mystery, but after the first third of the novel, the plot slowed down a bit. It picked up a bit again towards the end as Elena and Treiko’s story drew to a conclusion, but the overall pacing from start to finish felt uneven. I also felt the men who stood in Elena’s way of helping Treiko and holding her back from learning more about Danny’s death and why he died felt a little flat. I suppose that flatness is in contrast to how very well drawn, plausible, likeable, and realistic a character Elena is.
Nevertheless, The Cold Between shows a great deal of promise for Elizabeth Bonesteel. The mystery and characters help drive the story, while the future space-based civilization help lay the foundation for the Central Corps series.
© 2016 Rob H. Bedford
Central Corps, Book 1 , March 2016
Trade Paperback, 512 Pages
ISBN 78-0-062-41366-6
https://elizabethbonesteel.wordpress.com/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
