Opalite Moon | ||||||||
Denise Vitola | ||||||||
Ace Books, 304 pages | ||||||||
|
A review by Lela Olszewski
Ty Merrick is a big-city homicide detective burned out by the petty frustrations
of daily life and the problems of a bureaucracy that hinders rather than helps. When
she and her partner, LaRue, are sent to investigate a triple homicide of three
initiates of the underground Opalite sect, they know that only routine legwork
that will break the case. So they set out to find their snitches, cross-check
suspects stories, track down the elusive Opalites, and fight with their too-political boss.
If you are familiar with mysteries you'll recognize that Denise Vitola has written
a police procedural in the classic form. The focus isn't on car chases or
psychological games with the murderer, but on all the minute details that make up real police work.
But she adds several layers to the story that enhance it, and
make it unique even in the world of science fiction mysteries.
The first layer is that both Opalite Moon (and, before it, Quantum Moon,
the first book in the series) are set in a future time when the world is a
megalopolis, poverty is universal, and life is a nightmare of regulation.
Energy reserves are depleted, so winters are harsh and cars are almost
extinct. Recycling is a way of life. Imagine the world of
Asimov's Caves of Steel crossed with Orwell's 1984
and you'll get a feel for what it's like, although Vitola's world is
run by faceless bureaucrats, rather than Big Brother.
And making police work even harder is one of the founder's rules: no one
can be convicted of a crime unless they are caught in the act.
Another layer is that everyone hopes that New Age magic and mysticism
will improve their lives, giving Vitola the opportunity to skewer true
believers in addition to bureaucrats. Both Ty and her partner, Detective
LaRue, are on to the scams, although they're always hoping that they'll
find one that isn't a scam.
The third layer in the book is that Ty Merrick is a werewolf. Not your
everyday supernatural werewolf, but a psychological werewolf: a victim of
an industrial accident, the resulting damage affects her when the moon is
full. In Quantum Moon she is referred to a research specialist and
a psychiatrist, and much of the book follows Ty's soul-searching look at her condition.
(It reminds me of Anne Perry's Face of a Stranger.) In Opalite
Moon there is less soul-searching and more mystery, making for a better story.
If you enjoy cross-genre fiction you'll find her books a delight
(although mystery readers may struggle with
the science fiction elements). Vitola understands the resignation of
seemingly futile struggles, but keeps her the book from being dour because
she has an equal understanding of the creativity that people can exhibit
when they are able to find loopholes and bend the rules. In fact, much of
the fun of the book are all the scams she invents, from magic chairs to
various ways to steal heating fuel. She is also able to knit all the various
elements (mystery, science fiction, and the fantastic) together into a
coherent whole, for a unique and satisfying read.
Lela Olszewski is an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, mystery and romance, as well as an eclectic mix of other fiction and non-fiction. She is also a librarian with an interest in readers' advisory, and believes fully in Rosenberg's Law: Never apologize for your reading tastes. She has no cats. |
If you find any errors, typos or other stuff worth mentioning,
please send it to editor@sfsite.com.
Copyright © 1996-2014 SF Site All Rights Reserved Worldwide