Martian Knightlife Book

The Knight is a saint (with a twist)

At least you might think so if you read his curriculum vitae. You would swear, in fact, that this private eye of the future is honest, paying for what he gets, getting what he's paid for, wth somehow a little extra for everybody to go around. Take this case for example.

Well, perhaps not, because that would be telling, something this knightly saint would never do. But it did involve a matter transmitter which the inventor tested on himself—then found his bank accounts empty and his credit cards overflowing, all done by someone whose DNA looks just like that of the rightful owner...

But that wasn't all. There was also an archaeological expedition which had uncovered ruins that might solve the mystery of the Martian race that had vanished from the planet eons ago—except that a greedy interplanetary corporation was all set to bulldoze them over in pursuit of the bottom line unless a gallant knight—or Knight—could come galloping up on his charger...

Then there were some people who were not amused at how the Knight had foiled a sure-fire scheme worth billions, and were looking for him with heavy muscle and heavier artillery....

People in trouble and people who are trouble just seem to populate his life—and thank goodness, because they are the very thing the Knight needs to keep his life from getting boring. And the bad guys never seem to know what hits them...

Publishers Weekly

In this modest SF-mystery hybrid, set on Mars circa the 22nd century, Kieran Thane (aka the Knight), a sort of futuristic Saint or Travis McGee, and his female companion, June, who's not quite a full partner but more than a sidekick, tackle the mystery of a teleportation experiment gone wrong. Instead of teleporting, the process duplicates the individual, with unfortunate consequences for one of the scientists involved, Dr. Leo Sarda. One Dr. Sarda is left with holes in his memory, while the other puts a hole in his double's bank account. The trail leads Thane and June to high-powered corporate shenanigans, which threaten to destroy through development priceless archeological sites that may hold a clue to the fate of the vanished Martian race. In addition to using biotechnology to wage psychological warfare against the corporate meanies, the Knight has to disguise himself as a mystic, the Khal of Tadzhikstan, and hire some plain old physical weaponry and its wielders. An amiable mutt named Guinness, part Lab, part Doberman, lends some canine interest. This lightweight page-turner, which demands a certain tolerance for expository lumps, libertarian preaching and Gods from Outer Space, won't make new converts for Hogan (The Proteus Operation; Endgame Enigma; etc). However, the author's competent handling of a number of standard themes in the SF adventure category will more than satisfy established fans. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.