The Mimicking of Known Successes

Malka Older

On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.

Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.

Science Fiction Atmospheric Cozy Suspenseful LGBTQ+ Second Chance Whodunit
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Why we picked this

I chose this for readers who like their mysteries with a side of something completely unexpected. Think gaslamp detective story, except it’s set on Jupiter, with rattling trains, university halls, tea and scones, a missing man, and two women with some unfinished history between them. It's crazy clever. I couldn't put it down!

Recommended by Veronica JordenReader in Residence

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