Nobody's Baby (Dorothy Gentleman Book 2)

Ahoy there me mateys! I enjoyed the first book of the series though I had some issues about it being a bit too short and wanting more worldbuilding. Luckily, I enjoyed this book even better than the first. This is a cozy sci-fi mystery for sure. Dorothy Gentleman is a ship’s detective on a generation ship, the HMS Fairweather, on a centuries long trip to a new planet. There are 10,000 passengers who never die. Everyone onboard gets a new body with a memory upload when the current one wears out so no one is ever below the age of 20. Except for now. A baby is dropped off to Dorothy’s nephew’s doorstep. Where did it come from? The mystery of the baby’s parents seems low-key due to genetic testing. But there is a larger issue because reproduction is prohibited. So how was a pregnancy and the first five months of the baby’s life hidden from the ship? And why doesn’t the mother remember her baby? And does the baby’s existence fall under ship law or planetside law? Dorothy has to solve these questions and fill out the paperwork! One of the fun aspects of this novella is the use of “flickers” which are movies or memories that some people can project out of their heads using items called “skimmers.” There is an entire theatre district on the ship where people skilled at being “projectionists” live and work. At first passengers tried to replay memories of old films they saw on Earth. But then they realize that imaginative people could make their own. Want Louise Brooks and Charlie…

(Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.) There’s so much iceberg’d here; so much narrative depth in such a limited run time. I would have loved to sit in on a Waite brainstorming session as she worldbuilt, because it’s evident how much thought and care went into it. Not a bit of worldbuilding goes to waste, despite how short this novella is. Part of me wants to go in depth about the nuanced themes surrounding hyper-extended life, but at the same time, experiencing the way the world works is half the fun. So I’ll skip anything detailed. What I won’t skip is expressing my love for Dorothy! She gives me Benoit Blanc vibes, which frankly are the very best vibes to have. It’s all clever, competent, and eccentric detective energy. I adored her as a character and cannot wait to see more of her in the future. Given how much substance is packed into this small space, I would love to see what Olivia Waite would do in full-novel mode. But whether we ever get 120,000 words or she continues to wow with her novella skills, I am READY for the next entry in this series. (Completely unrelated to this story, but looking up the author I found that she's written a series of sapphic Regency Romances. I'm so there and will be checking those out soon!) Audio-Specific 🎧: The story clocks in at a super short 3 hours and 27 minutes. Blair Baker does a stunning job narrating. Her delivery balances the detective’s caring and wit beautifully. Her character work is easy to follow, even at higher…

This was such a unique cozy mystery! I loved how this book blended sci-fi with mystery as the characters tried to figure out where a mysterious baby came from. This book has a great cast of quirky characters and a cool futuristic setting, making this an intriguing read. I read this one without having read the previous book and was easily able to jump into this story. Overall this was a quick, fun read that is perfect for anyone who loves sci-fi and cozy mysteries. - @jaimes_mystical_library