Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite Narrator: Blair Baker
Series: Dorothy Gentleman #1
Published by MacMillan Audio on March 18, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction
Length: 2 hours, 21 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.
Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.
Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her feckless nephew Ruthie who, despite his brilliance as a programmer, leaves chaos in his cheerful wake. Or perhaps the sultry yarn store proprietor—and ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting—knows more than she’s letting on. Whatever it is, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because someone has done the impossible and found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state indeed. A mastermind may be at work—and if so, they’ve had three hundred years to perfect their schemes…
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy featured this on one of her future fiction type posts and the concept appealed to me. It’s exactly the kind of themes I love – space scfi, murder mystery, detectives, and technology. Murder by Memory is also a very quick read I did in one go.
We meet Dorothy Gentleman as she comes alive in a new body in a stalled elevator. She had been “resting” for the past two years. Apparently, during that time, there have been some magnetic storms which mess with the sentient ship’s functions. Dorothy is a detective on the ship as they make their way to a new planet. People can replace their bodies as they grow old for a fresh start but keep their memories. Memories are stored in “books” in the “library.”
Dorothy finds someone has died. Also Dorothy’s book was erased and she is in someone else’s body. She knows that the ship “Fairy” did that and her nephew, Ruthie, has everything to do with it. She proceeds to investigate the death and the mystery of how she came to be in another body. I won’t solve the mystery for you here.
I loved Dorothy’s quick mind. The sensory journeys of exploring the creative souls on the ship were fun. I enjoyed the cocktails, clothing and yarn creations. I am so excited to continue along with on these adventures in the Dorothy Gentleman series.
Narration:
This narrator is new to me. The story is primarily in Dorothy’s so it that voice is most of the story. There were a few times Dorothy spoke with others and they sounded appropriate to me included “Fairy” the sentient ship. I enjoyed the performance. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
This was a lot of fun, right? I liked how smart Dorothy is and the idea of a long journey where you just keep renewing yourself. Awesome review!
Thank you Tammy. I loved it.
Sold! LOL, it does sound like one I’d love and I’m always on the look out for blends of sci-fi and mystery.
I think you would really love it and it’s rather short.
This does sound interesting. Great review, Anne💜
It’s really a great read and very short.
This does sound really good! I love that mix of science fiction and mystery. 😀
That’s a favorite blend of mine as well.
Oh… this sounds really good. I’m adding it to my want to read pile!
It’s really quite short but I loved the whole setup. I am so excited it will be a series.
ooh, this sounds really interesting! I would love the chance to be in a different body for a bit and see what it was like. Sounds like a good one to listen to as well, short too.
Hey blog questions, you know your flames/hearts for your ratings? Do you have that set up somewhere in the UBB or do you add it yourself each time? I’m thinking I want to add a spice rating for my romance reviews.
It is short and a very interesting murder in space with technology story.
As for the spice levels it is in UBB. Under UBB go to *Flame ratings to pick whether you want to use her premade flames or your own custom image. Also under *Book Information, you can move fields around and you want to make sure flame ratings is enabled and where you want it on the post.
Thanks for the info, I’ll go see if I can find it!
Interesting concept. Sounds like it could be a really fun read.
I thought it was fun and short. I look forward to more in the series.
This was pitched to me as “Miss Marple in space,” and I am really looking forward to it!
Well it’s more modern and techy than Miss Marple but I really enjoyed it. I hope you do.
A nice short one!
This was short but so good. I really look forward to more in the series.