The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older is a sci-fi cozy mystery novella set on Jupiter with sapphic romance elements (4/5 stars)

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older is a sci-fi cozy mystery novella set on Jupiter with sapphic romance elements.

If you like Holmesian stories but want more lesbians and sci-fi in your mysteries, this is the novella for you. I listened to the audiobook via my local library, which was narrated by Lindsey Dorcus.

Humans messed up Earth so much that we now have settlements on the gas giant planet Jupiter. There are scholars, like our main POV character, Pleiti, who study–with hope to someday reconstruct–Earth’s lost ecosystem. Mossa is a high-ranking investigator who is presently searching for answers about missing person who was also involved with the university. And did I mention that Pleiti and Mossa dated back in college?

Overall I had a fun time reading this one, but the plot felt a little meandering somewhere in the middle. Mossa is never outright stated as being neurodiverse, but definitely reads that way.

I’m excited that there will be more books in this world, and I don’t have long to wait since The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles is slated to come out next February!

CW: violence, firearms

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