Third in the series, but okay if you haven't read the others. There are a couple references to the earlier books but if you haven't read them you won't even notice. Another search mission for Alex and Chase and once again the plot unfolds at a leisurely pace with Chase doing all the legwork, hitting dead ends, and Alex coming up with just one more place to look. I'm impressed by how much future history McDevitt invents for his plots. But people are still recognizably people with pretty much all the same strengths and faults as today. As in the last book I will say that once they had the first assassination attempt, they really ought to have been on high alert after that. It seems to take them a while to figure out they need to be careful. But that's a minor quibble, this is an enjoyable piece of SF.
Seeker is another Alex Benedict novel by Jack McDevitt. Set in the far future, Seeker tells the story of a group of people fed up with earth who make their exit and hope to establish a new society on another planet. Well, actually, it tells that story from the perspective of Chase Kolpath, Alex Benedict's assistant, thousands of years after the actual event. She and Alex follow some clues that lead in the direction of that ancient story and wind up, well, you should read it for yourself.
As with earlier Benedict novels, I have some mild reservations about telling the story from Chase's perspective rather than Alex's, but it holds together and is a pretty good read.
With the obvious exception of the Mutes and their unexplained telepathic communication, this is basic, hard SF. There is faster than light travel with rules, a society spread among the stars, and a few complications and limits that keep things interesting.
So far I like McDevitt overall, and this holds up well compared with the other works of his that I have read.
Recommended if you like real SF.
Really excellent speculative fiction from McDevitt. The plot unravels like a whodunnit with each new revelation topping the last. I read this book compulsively and lost sleep over it. Highly recommended.
