Denver Moon: The Saint of Mars

Hammond and Viola’s exciting second Mars-set Denver Moon novel (after Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars) begins six months after rough-hewn detective Denver and her AI gun, Smith, unmasked an alien conspiracy to enslave all humans—and learned that her grandfather betrayed humankind to save her. Now a gruesome missing-persons case, pursued on behalf of an anonymous client, throws Denver back in the company of her estranged grandfather and the aliens’ leader on Mars, and soon she’s battling killer robots and the ruthless rising leader of the powerful Church of Mars. While missing some of the first book’s breathless suspense, this compact, swiftly paced story stays tense—including during personal scenes such as Denver’s unwilling reunion with her grandfather—and bursts with scenes of desperate action. It also lets in the welcome first ray of hope that Denver and co. will succeed against both a superior enemy and the gritty Marscape itself. Fans of the first book will enjoy seeing “Saint” Denver and Smith step up again. (Sept.)