Book Review: Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

A 60-year-old auntie/detective is put back into a human body unexpectedly when a “murder” occurs on a generational ship in this cozy, sci-fi mystery.

3/5 Stars

I chose to read this ARC in the midst of a reading slump when I knew I needed the validation of completing a book. Clocking in at 100 pages, this short read was just the thing to get me back to my reading list again, and I am so grateful for it!

If you’re a sci-fi/fantasy girlie (like me!) and you’ve always been curious about cozy mysteries (guilty), then you’re in luck! In Olivia Waite's Murder by Memory, the consciousness of each and every passenger aboard a generational spaceship is stored in a library and downloaded into a new, fabricated body at the “end” of one's life. Dorothy Gentleman, one of the ship's detectives, is put back into a human body unexpectedly when a “murder” occurs.

This book gave me the vibes I felt when I watched the TV show Elsbeth the other day. Everyone is gay (SO HERE for "Miss Gentleman" being used to refer to the MC), and the main character likes knitting (and has a moment in a yarn store). This ARC came with a cute little recipe card for the MC’s favorite cocktail, a Summer Storm, complete with cute storm cloud illustrations that had my meteorology heart singing! This book is a very quick read in a very cool world with very sweet characters that I hope the author gets to revisit, as I could see some really interesting reflections on the nature of life/death taking place in a world like this. What does death even mean when it's not permanent? How many generations of consciousness does it take to grow tired of existing? And how can deeper questions like this be mined in the cozy genre? At a solid 3/5, this book was a bit too fast-paced for me, but I would gladly revisit the world and the characters again if there is a sequel.