When space academy dropout Sylvia Stryker lands the position of Uniform Inventory Manager aboard Moon Unit 5, she jumps at the chance to leave her small planet behind. Besides, who will find out she faked the results of her physical? But when the ship’s second navigation officer is found dead in the uniform closet shortly after departing the space station, Sylvia’s problems become bigger than … falsified test results. And when her supervisor places her on probation for her own uniform infraction, she’s at risk of being dropped off at the nearest substation. Juggling red shirts, white lies, and little green men, Sylvia has to expose a killer before Moon Unit 5 becomes space dust.
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Sylvia Stryker has hacked her way onto Moon Unit 5’s maiden voyage, and she is hoping to keep a low profile. However, within hours of getting on board, she finds a body in the uniform closet. Now she finds herself facing questions not only about whether she should be on the ship but about the murder itself. Setting out to clear her name, she begins to wonder if something much bigger is going on. Can she stop it?
I loved this mystery set in space. It took me a little while to fully feel comfortable in Sylvia’s world, but that was a minor complaint. The mystery starts quickly and the pace is steady until the end. The characters we got to know were strong, and I can’t wait to see them again. The setting really was creative and well done.
Murder on Moon Trek 1 is a fun book in Diane Vallere’s new Sylvia Stryker Mystery series.
Sylvia Stryker is half-Plunian/half-Earthing and a stowaway on Moon Unit 5. Well, not so much a stowaway as she is there illegally after hacking the system and setting herself up as uniform inventory manager after the current manager broke her leg. She’s always wanted to be part of the space program and as a space academy dropout, under less than stellar reasons, this was her best chance to leave her small planet and family-owned/run dry ice mining business. Only, things are off to a rocky start when she trips over the dead body of the second navigation officer in her uniform closet. Then, things get worse when she’s detained by Neptune, who then decides to use her to help with the investigation into the murder.
Sylvia and Neptune of fantastically created characters with a love-hate type of relationship. Sylvia is determined not to get kicked off of the ship so she agrees to help Neptune figure out what a second navigation officer was doing dead in her closet. Neptune is a low-key kinda guy who doesn’t do a lot of small talk. Therefore, the discussions that go on the book are not filled with useless chatter. There is a nice amount of character development regarding Sylvia. The reader finds out a lot about her past, what brought her to Moon Unit 5, her family on her home planet, and more. Neptune is more of an anomaly, which is okay because it suits his character.
Murder on Moon Trek 1 was engaging from the start. The story pulled me in and kept me entertained. The interactions between Sylvia and Neptune cracked me up at times. Neptune was also kind of infuriating but that’s another thing that made this book great. The characters weren’t cookie cutter characters. They were unique and different, as was the entire story.
I enjoyed this new side to Diane Vallere’s writing. Her trip into sci fi was well-written, perfectly paced, and full of fun (even though there was a murder). Sylvia’s penchant for fashion was not lost on me, as that is Diane Vallere’s specialty. I look forward to the next book.
Interesting story about academy dropout Sylvia Stryker. She finds herself involved when there is a death of a moon unit officer and possible sabotage. I’m not into space fantasy books, but this really had me wanting to keep reading and try to figure out whodunit. Diane Vallere is an excellent writer and since I love her other series, I thought I’d give this one a try. I’m glad I did. It had me guessing until the very end. The ending also makes me interested in what Sylvia’s future holds. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Diane continues to please as she ventures out into “outer space” with this story. I would call this a spacey cozy mystery if I could give it a genre.
Sylvia Stryker hacks her way into a position on Moon Unit 5. She thinks this will be an easy job, after all it’s the Uniform Inventory Manager. Well, things are not as easy as she thought, especially when the ship’s second navigation officer is found dead in the uniform closet! Explain that one to your supervisor! Then she gets in trouble for her own uniform infraction! Geesh!!! Some serious stuff here!. I voluntarily read a copy of this book and the review is my own opinion.
I really enjoyed reading Murder on Moon Trek 1 by Diane Vallere the first book in her new Outer Space Mysteries series. Think Star Trek crossed with a cozy mystery and you might have an idea where the humor and fun comes from in this story. You have a space academy dropout who hacks her way into a position aboard Moon Unit 5, leaving her small planet. Sylvia Stryker is not your normal alien; she’s purple, off the charts smart, and a photographic memory that saves her hide more than one. While working during this voyage Sylvia is juggling laundry, white lies, little green men, a hot security guy, and a prankster all while trying to find a killer before Moon Unit 5 and the people aboard becomes space dust.
I genuinely enjoyed reading this funny, sweet and intriguing book and had trouble putting this book down. Ms Vallere kept me on my toes guessing who the killer was, until I turned the last page. Her writing had me feeling as if I was there, watching the events unfold. I highly recommend this book to other readers and hope to read additional books in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.