The Third Claw of God

Excellent closed room Sci-Fi murder story. Some have said they don't think it as good as the first in series, but I see no reduction in quality. I love the strong, brilliant, troubled heroine. In novels, as in life.

This book is an interesting combination of locked-room murder mystery and sci-fi. Although it's the second book in a series, it does a good job of getting you up to speed on everything you need to know. My only criticism is that the end rang hollow (I won't say more to keep from giving spoilers)

Every decade or so a super tough new hero or heroine appears and sticks; becomes part of the public consciousness. It was like that with Lara Croft and almost happened with Sky Captain. It even happened twice for James Bond. I'm not psychic, or even particularly hip but I think it may happen again soon with Adam-Troy Castro's new uber-bad protagonist Andrea Cort. Cort is all business in the mind bending sci-fi masterpiece "The Third Claw of God". She is the least likeable person in a galaxy of unlikeables. The difference is she doesn't delude herself. As Prosecutor at Large for the Confederacy's Diplomatic Corps, Cort cannot afford to make many friends and vengeful enemies are just part of the job. Through Andrea Cort's eyes, Castro shows us intriguing alien races, world-raping corporations, weapons too foul to describe and minds fouler still willing to commit any atrocity to further their own sick agendas. And that is just the first chapter. "The Third Claw of God" is the follow up to what is easily the most original sci-fi novel of the last five years, Emissaries from the Dead. The third installment is being written even as I type this review and I hope it will be in stores by next year. If you have been looking for a great sci-fi story "The Third Claw of God" is for you. If you have been wondering whose career to follow, check out the acclaimed works of Adam-Troy Castro. You can't go wrong on either score.

I love cross genre mysteries and this series is building up as one of the best, particularly in the science fiction field. Like Isaac Asimov before him Adam-troy Castro builds a completely fair mystery using an alien environment and solves it within the unique circumstances presented. I have only one quarrel with the book. It needed a good copy editor. There are dumb mistakes in syntax and grammar, particularly early in the book (or maybe I was too involved later to notice) that should have been caught. I look forward to meeting Andrea again.

This is the second story about Andrea Cort, Counselor, war criminal since the age of eight. She is highly intelligent and evolving, with the help of her partners, Oscin and Skye. The storyline reads very well. She's trapped on a space elevator with about 15 other people and one person has just been murdered. There has already been an attempt on her life. It's her job to solve the mystery. While this book reads great and keeps your interest it is very much a mystery novel set in a science fiction setting. Ultimately, Colonel Mustard kills the Bocaian in the parlor with the claw of God. Oops, hope I didn't give anything away! p.s. I do highly recommend this book and the first in the series also. Adam-Troy Castro is on my list of authors to watch.