Review: The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa

Synopsis: A subversively cozy Japanese murder mystery with an ingenious Groundhog Day twist: a teenager’s time-loop race to solve—and possibly prevent—his grandfather’s murder!

Contemporary Japanese legend Yasuhiko Nishizawa makes his English-language debut with this slick, funny murder mystery which adds a sci-fi twist to an age-old setup: a murder in a wealthy family with an inheritance at stake.

Hisataro, a young member of the wealthy Fuchigami family, has a mysterious ability. Every now and then, against his will, he falls into a time-loop in which he is obliged to re-live the same day a total of 9 times. Little does he know how useful this ability will be, until one day, his grandfather mysteriously dies...

As he returns to the day of the murder time and again, Hisataro begins to unravel its secrets. With a sizeable inheritance up for grabs, motives abound, and everyone is a suspect. Can Hisataro solve the mystery of his grandfather’s death before his powers run out?

Written in a witty, lighthearted voice, this clever and playful book will appeal to fans of both traditional murder mysteries as well as readers of cozy mysteries. It's a delightful treat for fans of the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie, the gentle humor of Richard Osman, and audacious inventiveness of Stuart Turton.

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"The Man Who Died" is very akin to the "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - a bit of sci-fi time travelling similar to "Groundhog Day".

Mixed feelings. I really wanted to love this and read it through to the end, but was rather bored to be honest. Unlike "Evelyn Hardcastle", the narrator in this one relives each "time" in his own body - so we don't get the different points of view of the events. The "time loops" are an opportunity or mechanism in this instance, for the narrator to interrogate / investigate each individual suspect and to ultimately solve the mystery.

However, just not engaged with this one unfortunately though others will devour this with eagerness.

Review: The Launch Party by Lauren A Forry

Synopsis: THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU'D DIE TO BE THERE.

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It's an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days' journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?

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"... we are all just strangers floating in a metal tube ..."

Ten people win a trip to a luxury hotel on the moon - alone on the journey, one is found dead. The guests are on their own - the staff and ship have mysteriously left. The guests assume they are in a reality TV show.

This is a cosy sci-fi mystery all about revenge for past actions and more than one guest is linked to the events.

That's pretty much it. I breezed through this as there was very little to tax the brain, despite the premise of a locked-room mystery, which could have been set in an abandoned and isolated hotel ... anywhere. Further exploration of the setting would have been useful as would character development. Read it for what it is ... light fluff entertainment. Agatha Christie or Lucy Foley this is not.

Review: Punishment by Scott J Holliday

Science-fiction enters into the repertoire of crime fighting - and of punishing those who commit crime.

Detective John Barnes is tired, he drinks too much, he's violent, he's had enough and want to retire. Enter one serial killer who taunts him at every move, and drove his predecessor insane.

But the police have the technology to unlock the last thoughts and emotions of the victims, and thus find the clues to solving these murders. Now the police can literally visualise each crime scene as the last moments of the crime are played out. As we know, police and scene of crimes officers see so much brutality already, the introduction of this machine makes for a disturbing view of a kind of future policing and gives new meaning to the words "information overload".

Can Barnes find the killer before he too goes mad from all the voices in his head. You, the reader,  need to ask yourself ..... are you willing to take the ride?

An Interview with Catholic Sci-Fi Author John C. Wright

Angelo Stagnaro interviews Catholic Sci-Fi author John C Wright for the National Catholic Register. Excerpts below:

I initially came to know John C. Wright in the same way most people come to know him―through his science fiction and fantasy novels. I knew I wanted to read more of him and possibly meet him when I found he had converted to Catholicism after having been an atheist for many years.

In 2015, Wright received five Hugo Award nominations―another important award for s-fi writers―including three in the Best Novella category ("One Bright Star to Guide Them," "The Plural of Helen of Troy," and "Pale Realms of Shade"), a fourth for Best Short Story ("The Parliament of Beasts and Birds"), and a fifth for Best Related Work ("Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth.")

Sci-fi isn't about ray guns, alien brain-eating invaders and exploding rocketships―even though that's the fun part. Rather, good sci-fi is about social commentary and as Wright is a devout Catholic, his writing gets to the core of what our society has become and the moral disasters which might ahead of us all the while holding forward a Christian moral and spiritual ideal to which we, and society, might aspire.

Read full interview at the National Catholic Register