7th in the series, and a reader can start almost anywhere except this book needs to be read after FIREBIRD. The secret isn't quite so momentous as some of the other plots that McDevitt has constructed. Somehow I didn't feel why the archaeological secret needed to be kept so secret, and why the two that remained didn't go back after Baylee died. The compromise they reached with Benedict could have worked just as well without him. But that aside, it was another interesting puzzle. The Capella subplot was very suspenseful. Once again, good pacing, decent dialogue, especially enjoyed the trip back to Earth. I've now read this whole series in order over the last eight months, and I haven't been disappointed. It's a little formulaic, but the investigations are interesting and McDevitt does a great job world-building.

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