Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
"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."
The Mimicking of Known Successes is the first novel in Mossa & Pleiti, a queer sci-fi mystery series by Malka Older.
First and foremost, I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance. Please note that this in no way affects my opinions. Also note that what I read was an ARC, and things may be subject to change for the official release.
While I did not remember what this book was about by the time I got around to reading it, I can see why I requested this. It is described as 'a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance.' That premise did call out to me, though in the end, I can't say that I was invested in it. The story was fine, but because of the short length, there was a lot of context or narrative missing that I needed.
For example, it is already known that this is a sapphic romance, but we don't get to know Mossa and Pleiti enough, both as individuals and as a couple, so I didn't end up caring about them. I also wished that the sci-fi elements were a little less subtle. They are there, undoubtedly, but not as complex as I would have liked.
Overall, the story was fine, but not really memorable and I know that I probably won't be reaching for the next installment. This just wasn't for me though, but I can see this appealing to fans of maybe Becky Chambers.
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