Review: Deep Deception by Cathy Pegau

Natalia is a Colonial Mining Authority agent who doesn't do everything by the book, but she won't risk an investigation either, so it's a bit of a shock when she's being investigated for corruption. Caught up in an unofficial (but possibly very relevant) investigation of a major mining corporation that sends her under cover with Genevieve, who she doesn't trust, but does find attractive, Natalia is working against the clock to figure out what's going on.

The world building in Deep Deception is done with a light touch, but it feels very real and immersive. The high tech world the characters inhabit is easy to visualise - recognisably close space culture futuristic, and neither completely utopian or dystopian. The differences between the high tech, city based living and frontier mining facilities was well-drawn and reminiscent of wild west narratives moving from Eastern seaboard cities to the frontier towns out west.

The characters are interesting and engaging, and the mystery in Deep Deception was great. The romance got off to a novel start and encompassed lots of trust issues, under cover aliases and built nicely from initial attraction to partnership.

#scifi #mystery #crime #spaceships