In the Black

An awkward mash-up between a murder mystery and a lukewarm romance establishes the spacefaring, politically corrupt setting for Nantus's Tales from the Edge series. Overqualified Capt. Samantha Keller babysits the Bonnie Belle, a Mercy ship carrying courtesans to isolated mining bases. She revisits old feelings of both determination and guilt when one of her charges is murdered on the ship and she must fight with a Guild that would rather see business remain as usual than see justice served. Marshal Daniel LeClair, called in to catch the killer, discovers that Sam's competence makes her both a difficult colleague and an appealing potential conquest. Sam sees Daniel as a possible release after six months of frustration, since working on a sex ship revs her up but she doesn't want the awkwardness or cost of utilizing the courtesans' services. Nantus (Blaze of Glory) bogs down the mechanical plot with generic space setting, stereotypical characters, and romantic leads who are willing to blandly and sensibly wait for passion until the work is done. (May)