Murder on the Intergalactic Railway by Kate MacLeod
This sci-fi mystery is the first in a series featuring two military cadets at a remote training school. This novel is set on the railway journey to the school.
Murdina Ritchie is a young woman who dreamed of being a diplomat for the Union of the Free Worlds, and has tried to get in to the training program for years. She had almost given up hoping, but has finally been accepted. One of the reasons that she's had so much trouble is the disgrace involving her father Gustav Ritchie, a diplomat. Before the disgrace, she had led a happy life in an upscale area of one of the worlds. Shackleton Fitz IV has been kicked out of numerous military academies for his behaviour, and this school is his last chance. He knows that he has to take this seriously and change his attitude. He and Ritchie grew up as best friends, until the change for her family led her and her mother to move away, and they lost touch. He knows he should have tried to reach out to her before, but he also knows things that have led to his choice to let her slip out of his life.
When they realize that they are two of four cadets on this train, escorted by Colonel Hansen who is also travelling there. As they travel from the Intergalactic Transport Depot Delta-Gamma-Delta to the Oymayakon Foreign Service Academy they begin to renew their friendship after a frosty stary, and find themselves teaming up to solve what they believe to be a murder case. They also want to stay in the good graces of Colonel Hansen, after both getting off to bad starts. The other cadets, Moreau and Weld seem pleasant enough. Ritchie hasn't travelled much and is fascinated by the details of the train and the views from it. The train trip will take at least twenty-four hours, arriving on the world the following afternoon and then moving towards their destination. The train goes into what it is called jump space to travel long distances. The world they are going to, Oymayakon, has no space ports due to the perpetual storms that surround it. The navigator will look for the calmest patch to drop through the atmosphere and then the train will continue the journey anchored to the ground by guidance pods.
At dinner that evening, they see some of the other passengers. One is Lady Marie-Claire Fabron, a woman previously on probation for attempts to colonize another world. She is accompanied by her assistant Mr. Rose and a pet Felzkinder, a species that has recently been declared sentient. It strikes Ritchie as looking like a cross between a charming toddler and a sweet puppy. But like a toddler, it occasionally has a tantrum. Another passenger is Captain Berger, who they meet at lunch the following day, a man who hunts avidly.
As Ritchie and Fitz investigate, I enjoyed seeing their ideas work together and how they supported each other. The plot was interesting and I found the mystery plot engaging as well. A good read, and I plan to read more in this cross-genre series.
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