Fantasy Fiction, Detective Fiction, Social Science Fiction, Crimes - Fiction, Character Types - Fiction
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Overview
On a planet of barren beauty near the edge of the civilized galaxy, two religions are practiced. Both sects worship the same goddess - the Triumphantes in joy and splendor, the Fideles in solemnity and selflessness. As different as day and night, sun and shadow, joy and grief, the two sects are now bound together in death... A serial killer is stalking the priestesses, killing first a Triumphante, then a Fidele, in turn. Six women are now dead, and the planetary authorities are at a loss. Enter Interfed Agent Cowen Drake. A cunning professional, he must immerse himself in an unfamiliar world of stark spirituality to catch the killer. A world that will trap him between opulence and sacrifice, between duty and desire, and between two extraordinary women - one who could become the killer's ultimate victim...Editorials
Faren Miller
...[T]here's a whiplash of comedy driving through the grim and gritty scenes, the perceptive comments on serious moral questions... —LocusLibrary Journal
Two religions worshiping the same goddess exist on the planet Semay; a serial killer chooses his victims from the priestesses of both sects. Called in to find the murderer, Interfed Agent Cowen Drake discovers that the path to his goal leads between opposing forces of joy and sorrow, hope and despair. The author of the "Samaria Trilogy" (which concluded with The Alleluia Files, LJ 4/15/98) has produced a story both rich in detail and profound in spiritual underpinnings. A topnotch selection for most sf collections. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.Faren Miller
...[T]here's a whiplash of comedy driving through the grim and gritty scenes, the perceptive comments on serious moral questions...— Locus
James Seidman
Set in the future on a distant planet, it is, at heart, a murder mystery...Wrapt in Crystal has something to interest almost any reader.— SF Site
Kirkus Reviews
Science-fiction murder mystery from the author of Jovah's Angel (1997), etc. Desert planet Semay hosts two sects who revere the goddess Ava, the joyful and sensual Triumphantes and the austere, selfless Fideles. But now a serial killer stalks the priestesses, killing first a Triumphante, then a Fidele, at three-week intervals: altogether, five have died. Governor Ruiso calls in the interplanetary peacekeepers known as Moonchildren. Just as agent Cowen Drake arrives, a sixth priestess dies, under similar circumstances. According to the local police liaison, Benito, there are no clues, no motive, and no witnesses. Drake, attempting to understand both sects, meets Triumphante Jovieve and Fidele Laura. Priestesses, Drake learns, fearlessly give evidence in trials where they are witnesses, revealing a possible revenge motive. Five years previously, a certain Triumphante, Diadeloro, whose brother and boyfriend were murdered, subsequently vanished. Drake painstakingly attempts to trace her but the trail peters out. He tells the priestesses to go in pairs, teaches them self-defense, and finds he's falling in love with the emotionally damaged Laura. The next attack comes on schedule, but this time the pair of Triumphantes escape: Drake gets a description, learns that the killer has off-planet connections, and why he's so interested in the crystal pendants the priestesses wear. Intriguingly, only Diadeloro knew that the monks sign each crystal they prepare. Drake realizes that Laura is Diadeloro, and travels off-planet to gather information about the killer. When he returns, Laura has gone missing. Taut, realistic police work, an involving love story, and a fetching backdrop, if somewhattop-heavy with religious debate: well up to Shinn's previous high standards.Book Details
Published
May 1, 1999
Publisher
Ace Books
Pages
324
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780441006168