On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.
Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.
There is life on Jupiter. Malka Older's The Mimicking of Known Successes is a cozy holmesian mystery set on a colony on the giant planet. Humanity has depleted Earth's resources and moved to Jupiter to live on floating platforms; but there's who wants to fix Earth's ecosystem in order to return there. Our Watson, Pleiti, is a scholar at university, working on that very same problem, and when a university man disappears, the investigator Mossa rekindles her old flame with Pleiti and lets the woman help her in the investigation.
What follows is a delightful mystery novella, perfectly self-contained, filled with interesting details about the world-building. The colonies on Jupiter are vividly described, and the situation on Earth clearly explained. Alongside the investigation, Pleiti reflects on her old relationship with Mossa, and it was lovely to see their romantic tension reignite into a satisfying conclusion.
The Mimicking of Known Successes is a lovely mystery for readers wanting to branch into scifi.
✨ 3.5 stars
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