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The Patchwork Girl

Author: Larry Niven

One of the joys of combining science fiction and the detective story is the way that life on another world or with different technology can complicate the crime, while the patient solution of the crime helps to explain the setting. And that's exactly what we get with Niven's novel.It was the fourth novel he wrote featuring his detective Gil Hamilton. In this instance, Hamilton is on the Moon to attend a conference on Lunar Law when one of the other delegates is shot. The shot seems to have come from outside on the lunar surface, and the only person who was out on the surface at the time is someone Hamilton is convinced must be innocent.Why it's on the list:It's only surprising there aren't more crime stories set on the Moon: solving the crime really is an excellent way of solving the puzzle of what it's like on the Moon.

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The Patchwork Girl

Author: Larry Niven