The Falls

A skillful blend of science fiction and murder mystery which keeps ratcheting up the stakes

This installment is set around 10,000 years before the 4 earlier Diving Universe books, when The Fleet was relatively young. Sector Base E-2 has been a thriving community for generations, and the city which has grown up around it has become a major tourist destination due to the stunning scenery in the area, especially the spectacular Fiskett Falls. But when a base engineer on his usual scenic walk home after work discovers a body in the pool below the falls, a cascade of secrets and lies are uncovered.

Because I really love this series, I splurged on a re-read of the first 4 books. The last one, Skirmishes, leaves off in a really good place for further adventures. Instead, this novel is a prequel--but a thoroughly enjoyable one (and with a little bit of a tie-back to the series' present day). Rusch is a prolific award-winning author in several genres, including the mystery field, and here she has accomplished a skillful blend of science fiction and murder mystery which kept ratcheting up the stakes and had me avidly reading right through to the end.

While books 2 (City of Ruins), 3 (Boneyards), and 4 (Skirmishes) really shouldn't be read without reading the first book (Diving into the Wreck), this one does well as a standalone, I think. Novel #6, The Runabout, will debut in Asimov's April/May issue, and the book will be released in September.