Six Wakes

Finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award. Finalist for Goodreads. From peaceful little villages to claustrophobic cityscapes—wherever Mallory Viridian is, she will inevitably be pulled into murder cases that only she can solve. But it’s only possible to remain a charming amateur detective who’s followed by death on the pages of a classic detective novel—in real life, you become a constant suspect and an outcast.

So when Mallory gets a chance to take shelter on a sensible space station, she grabs it. The murders will stop if her only company is alien creatures. And at first, that’s exactly what happens—calm surroundings and no murders. But when the station decides to invite a new delegation of Earthlings, Mallory realizes that the period of peace in her unusual life is over.

Right after the first Earth shuttle arrives, the station is in danger—because both aliens and people start dying. Caught at the center of an extraterrestrial investigation and wondering why this is happening to her again, Mallory must uncover the crime—fast—otherwise the list of victims will quickly include everyone on board…

“Wonderful novel. Murder, reasonable space stations, and humor. It has everything I needed.” — Mary Robinette Kowal

“A science-fiction detective story should combine both science fiction and mystery. This book brilliantly passes both tests. It’s as fun and enjoyable as your favorite murder TV series.” — Sara Pinsker, Nebula Award winner

“Lafferty’s characters leap off the pages, handing out slaps and making you remember their names. If Jessica Fletcher had ended up on ‘Babylon 5,’ it would still be nowhere near this clever, layered, fast-paced book. Station Eternity kept me up at night.” — T. Kingfisher, Hugo and Nebula Award winner

“Very entertaining reading with wonderful character development, interesting aliens, and a gripping plot.” — Buzzfeed

“Mer Lafferty became the Agatha Christie of science fiction, expertly handling an ensemble cast and deftly fitting each character’s personality. An entire new universe of alien civilizations was created for this novel, all under the wrapper of an exciting detective story. This gripping, fast-moving novel will definitely appeal to fans of the author.” — S. B. Divya, nominee for the Hugo and Nebula Awards

“A well-planned and richly told science-fiction story with intriguing characters and careful worldbuilding.” — Library Journal

“A novel that offers fascinating worldbuilding, a tricky mystery, ruthless spying, and a delightful introduction to a host of alien creatures. Fans of science fiction and intriguing detective plots will enjoy it and eagerly await the sequel.” — Booklist

“In the novel, science-fiction elements and detective elements are balanced—meeting aliens, understanding how to interact with them—and the story truly combines both genres. I’m already looking forward to how many more of these stories we’ll get, because it was fun.” — Locus

“The author once again proved she has a rare talent for mixing and weaving related genres: detective fiction and science fiction. She gathers her heroes—both humans and quirky aliens—on a reasonable space station, whose identification problems could lead to the death of everyone aboard. Meet the resourceful, sharp-witted bloodhound Mallory, who’s cursed with being a constant witness to murders and must uncover the mystery of Station Eternity to prevent an interstellar disaster. Smart and bold, this book will send you into orbit.” — James Patrick Kelly