Enigma

Political backstabbing and interplanetary intrigue continue to thwart star-crossed lovers Sissy and Jake in this unwieldy sequel to 2008’s space fantasy Harmony . On ramshackle space station Labyrinthe VII, ambassadors from the Confederated Star Systems are trying to get their hands on former colony planet Harmony’s stash of Badger Metal, necessary for starship hulls and ship-to-ship communication. With civil war looming, Harmony has no intention of handing it over cheaply. Traumatized by an assassination attempt, fragile high priestess Sissy is trying to restore the covenant of the goddess also called Harmony, while “special liaison and military chief of staff” Jake must protect his love, push the diplomatic agenda along and deal with a possible serial killer, a deranged CSS spymaster and some mysterious aliens. Somewhat surprisingly, Bentley manages to tie up the soap opera’s biggest loose ends by the book’s close. (Aug.)