Let me first say, if you’re looking for a sci-fi cozy fantasy, this ongoing series of novellas is absolutely perfect! We return to Giant – the planet Jupiter renamed by the humans who colonized it after the climate crisis made Earth unlivable – and to our beloved main characters, Pleiti and Mossa. Pleiti’s life has resumed relative normalcy: mentoring and advising Classical students at Valdegeld University, visiting her partner, and working on some new-to-her avenues of research. Mossa, our investigator, surprises Pleiti one night on a work trip in Valdegeld: a student has gone missing from the university, so she’s following up on it. They join forces, once again, to locate this missing student, but soon uncover over a dozen more recent disappearances from the university – students AND employees. Flattered by Mossa’s desire to work with her on another case, Pleiti uses her connections at the university to gather information and feeds it back to Mossa. Together, their investigation takes them to Mossa’s home planet, Io, and halfway around their resident planet, Giant, before the case comes to an end.

This series has been dubbed a cozy murder mystery, and there’s no better way to describe it! Malka Older manages to build an intricate world with a rich history through her descriptive language and imagery. The internal dialogue of our narrator, Pleiti, provides insight in their world, and depicts the realistic sapphic longing she feels toward Mossa. Though they are in an established relationship, we witness Pleiti’s doubts about Mossa’s affection throughout the story, showing her vulnerability as a character, though the two are certainly getting better at navigating their relationship together. Watching the two grow together through their investigations is very reminiscent of a sapphic Sherlock and Watson situation, which I thoroughly enjoy, so I’m eager to see how the future investigations of Mossa and Pleiti continue to play out!