Murder mysteries are very popular stories in movies and books. There’s a nice subgenre that melds murder mysteries and science fiction to give readers stories that are “Mysteries in Spaaaace,” which are probably the most popular of genre mash-ups/marriages. Mary Robinette Kowal takes that familiar blend with wonderful, modern sensibilities in The Spare Man.
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling—and keep the real killer from striking again.
Tesla Crane and her husband Shal Steward are on their honeymoon on a cruise ship…a space cruiser. Joining them is their West Highland Terrier, Gimlet. Since Tesla is a rich and famous inventor and Shal is a relatively famous private investigator, they are traveling under assumed names (Tesla as Artesia Zuraw and Shal as Mishal Husband) so as not to draw attention to themselves. They are on an interplanetary cruise between the Moon and Mars when people start to die. Evidence points to Shal as the murder suspect, which eventually blows their cover. This is not a spoiler since the murder happens early in the novel and is mentioned on the cover copy, what the bulk of the novel deals with is Tesla trying to maintain her “secret identity” while also trying to solve the murder to exonerate her husband. Complicating matters is that Tesla is suffering from chronic pain as a result of an accident that killed six of her lab colleagues, thus necessitating Gimlet as a service dog.
The plot is a fairly straightforward mystery that is enhanced by the character of Tesla and her sheer drive to save her husband despite the powers that be on the ship, from security officer to even her lawyer, telling to relax. Nevertheless, she persisted. She persisted despite her pain and despite people telling her to essentially sit down and be quiet, because she knew she was correct and she believed in what she was trying to do. MRK does a great job of interweaving all elements of Tesla’s character, her family/family history, her disability, seamlessly as part of the story.
In MRK’s Lady Astronaut novels, I pointed out one of the highlights was the mature and loving relationship between husband and wife who support each other, who are both “powerful” in their own right, and neither really needs to be in the shadow of the other. The same can be said here of Tesla and Shal. They are a charming duo. Even more fun is Gimlet, the scene stealing dog.
The space cruiser is populated with quirky characters from the ship’s magician, to the captain, to the buffoonish head of security, as well as Tesla’s lawyer (via time-delayed phone calls), to give the story that extra level of authenticity. Small details and nuances with the supporting characters in any story help the story come alive as well as the main characters. In addition, the mystery has enough twists and turns and red herrings peppered throughout to keep the reader guessing. MRK doesn’t just throw these things out randomly, though, they are twists just for the sake of keeping the reader guessing, they are logical to the plot and make sense in the context of the larger whole of the novel.
Perhaps the word that I can best use to describe this book (and it has already appeared in this review) is the word charming. Tesla and Shal are charming, so is Gimlet, and the story is just a fun romp that itself is charming. Charming can sometimes come across as “too cute” for its own good, but MRK is a smart enough writer to keep that charming element that is a comforting blanket over the whole novel at just the right level.
Although The Spare Man is not marked as the first book in a series, it certainly can work that way. I for one would love to follow Tesla and Shal throughout the galaxy solving crimes and having adventures. I haven’t read or seen The Thin Man, but it is enough of a cultural touchstone that I’m at least familiar with the story and know this book is very much an homage.
Mary Robinette Kowal has proven a keen intelligence in all of her writing, a fun, gripping plot and whimsical elements to balance the “serious” elements in the stories she spins. The Spare Man is a fine, smart piece of entertainment that I can only give high recommendation. The novel could work as a sample/taste of her work, if you like this one, chances are you’ll want to seek out her other works, particularly the Lady Astronaut novels.
© 2022 Rob H. Bedford
Published by Tor Books | October 2022 | 357 Pages
Excerpt: https://www.tor.com/2022/08/19/excerpts-the-spare-man-by-mary-robinette-kowal/
https://maryrobinettekowal.com/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
