The Devil's Eye
Jack McDevitt
Though this is the fourth book in Jack McDevitt's "Alex Benedict" series, The Devil's Eye is truly a "Chase Kolpath" novel.
Set in a far future where interstellar travel is possible, and only one other intelligent race has been encountered -- the telepathic Ashyyur -- Alex is an antiquities dealer, and Chase is his associate and starship pilot. Chase is also the point of view character, as she has been for the previous two novels in this series, and she dominates the action in this book.
Early in the story, Alex receives a very disconcerting message from a famous horror author, Vicki Greene, which also requests Alex's help. This begins the mystery of The Devil's Eye, and the investigation of the mystery takes Alex and Chase literally to the edge of the galaxy. In fact, they travel to Salud Afar, a world so far out on the galactic rim that there is only one visible star in the night sky -- the Milky Way is a thin hazy strip in the darkness.
As with all of McDevitt's novels, he finds interesting ways to insert true science into the resolution of the mystery, as well as speculating on science that might come to be. Since Alex and Chase are not scientists, we learn a bit along with them, but only enough to advance the plot and move us to the next puzzle in the quest.
Though the previous novel, Seeker, was probably the best in the series from the point of view of action and science and characters all captivating me, The Devil's Eye has much to recommend it. McDevitt writes a good, strong female protagonist -- clearly proven in his Priscilla Hutchins series -- and Chase Kolpath deserved a book like this. She proves to herself she is not just a glorified gopher, but capable of amazing feats of courage and discovery.
I'm convinced. I don't know what she can do for an encore, but I'm sure Jack McDevitt can think of something.
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