This is a good science fiction story but is also a well-written mystery. A crime has been committed, but space travel takes years and the crime is 30 years old before anyone knows about it and the evidence is on a planet 30 years travel away. Try that one for a thorough investigation.

I enjoyed this as I’ve enjoyed many of the old scifi classics. Add a touch of gender politics for originality and multiple layers along with some appropriately futuristic technology and especially innovative uses for AI. The bulk of the story involves the mystery so the space travel aspect is primarily a backdrop, but the story flows nicely and the characters are well-defined. The reader gets some interesting insights into the minds of specific characters and how they react to 'unusual' situations which gives the story real depth.

I suspect everyone will have their own favourite character but for me it was Julia, a very clever AI. Mellor does a good job of making the unbelievable believable and working the advanced technology into the storyline. It's a good strong 4 stars plus for me. ( )

This is my own book, available from http://www.samarcand.co.uk, so I can't really review it... I like it, anyway. (And so does my mom!)