An older woman wakes up in the body of a much younger woman during a storm, and once the initial disorientation passes, she’s told by the ship that there’s been an unexpected death, and her investigative skills are needed.

This is the start of this novella and murder mystery set aboard a ship called Ferry heading over several hundred years to a distant planet. Technology has evolved to the point that people’s memories can be captured and stored, in a huge memory library, and can be downloaded into a new body, allowing individuals to live and die repeatedly over the journey.

Fifty-seven-year-old Dorothy Gentleman is now in the 27-year-old body of Gloria Vowell, who knows the dead woman, Janet Dodds, a member of the ship's custodial staff and a clothing designer, whose artfully displayed corpse is way too artful to be an accidental death, or suicide, leading Dorothy to deduce murder.

Dorothy begins investigating, learning that a section of the memory library has been deleted, which is shocking, as there are supposed to be protections in place. Despite this development, Dorothy knows that a murder, coupled with the deletion, are unusual occurrences, in the extreme, as there is no scarcity aboard Ferry (whose personality is delightful).

The suspect pool is tiny, and the mystery is straightforward with no twists, no doubt a factor of the story's length. This length does have the effect, though, of rendering the characters a little simply defined. Ruthie seems wonderful, as is his lover and gifted cocktail maker John. Though Dorothy is the central character, and likeable and smart, what we learn about her otherwise is that her lover of many years is dead, as is her sister, and Dorothy is a little surprised to be in a stranger's younger body, instead of her own. She's intelligent and analytical, but she wouldn't be an investigator on the ship otherwise.

The above complaints are minor, however. As this is the start of a series, I fully anticipate getting deeper into Dorothy's character in future instalment(s), and getting to know more about Ferry, Ruthie and John, and other inhabitants of this mission. I enjoyed this story a lot, and am I ever eager to follow Dorothy on further cases.

The audiobook is narrated by Blair Baker, whose calm tones told me immediately a lot about Dorothy's sense, unflappability, curiosity and intelligence, while her Ruthie conveys just the right amount of excitement, intelligence and curiosity tempered by two years, the time it's been since Dorothy last spoke with him.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

That was a lot of fun! The narrator did a great job with giving the characters their own sound, and the author did the same in the writing. I'll probably listen to that again when it becomes available.

Cozy murder mystery, meets scifi story with a main character who loves yarn…. Heck yes!!

This was a super cute, super quick little scifi murder mystery. I loved the plot, the characters and the obsession with yarn as I myself love yarn and crochet. Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a short fun read.

This is everything I want in a book please tell me it is the start of a series! Sci-fi detective story with interesting tech, big questions about the meaning of life, community, and love, and yarn arts connections told in Olivia Waite's clear, emotionally intelligent prose. Absolute perfection. Blair Baker cool, calm performance for the detective who had lived and lost over lifetimes while floating through space was also perfect. Honestly, give us 20 of these books!

This is a cozy mystery novella set on a sentient spaceship which has been tasked with transporting humans across the universe over the course of millennia. I found the futuristic sci-fi elements intriguing, especially the concepts of a library of lives and memories as cocktails. I liked Dorothy a lot, especially since she managed to be both a doting aunt and a complex character with her own goals and desires. Also, I have a soft spot for sentient ships and Ferry was delightful.

For me, the appeal of this story had more to do with Dorothy and her life as a detective in space and the realities of a society in which people are essentially immortal than it did with the mystery itself. This was probably partially because the book is very short—more of a novella than a novel. This meant there was only so much time to devote to the crime plot. That being said, I really enjoyed this little book. I’m hoping there will be more Dorothy Gentleman books in the future.

The audiobook is narrated by Blair Baker. I enjoyed her performance and especially appreciated the difference between storm-drunk Ferry and sober Ferry. I thought it was a quick and engaging listen.

A great little cozy mystery taking place on a spaceship. Knitting themed for those who are into it. It was a quick 2 hour audio, perfect for a day trip in a car or on a train. I enjoyed it.

Murder By Memory

What a fun sci-fi futuristic adventure! A cozy mystery spaceship blast of a time.

A knitting Auntie detective who wakes up in another body and sets out to solve the mystery of who murdered her and why some memory books have been deleted from the memory library.

This was an adorable, quick novella that I enjoyed for a lighter cozy mystery aventure!

Highly recommend the audio - the narrator did a fabulous job bringing the world to life and sharing Dorothy’s charm.

A surprising but unique blend of cozy mystery and hard science fiction. The story goes by quickly but it leaves room to expand this universe.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy featured this on one of her future fiction type posts and the concept appealed to me. It's exactly the kind of themes I love - space scfi, murder mystery, detectives, and technology. Murder by Memory is also a very quick read I did in one go.

We meet Dorothy Gentleman as she comes alive in a new body in a stalled elevator. She had been "resting" for the past two years. Apparently, during that time, there have been some magnetic storms which mess with the sentient ship's functions. Dorothy is a detective on the ship as they make their way to a new planet. People can replace their bodies as they grow old for a fresh start but keep their memories. Memories are stored in "books" in the "library."

Dorothy finds someone has died. Also Dorothy's book was erased and she is in someone else's body. She knows that the ship "Fairy" did that and her nephew, Ruthie, has everything to do with it. She proceeds to investigate the death and the mystery of how she came to be in another body. I won't solve the mystery for you here.

I loved Dorothy's quick mind. The sensory journeys of exploring the creative souls on the ship were fun. I enjoyed the cocktails, clothing and yarn creations. I am so excited to continue along with on these adventures in the Dorothy Gentleman series.

Narration:
This narrator is new to me. The story is primarily in Dorothy's so it that voice is most of the story. There were a few times Dorothy spoke with others and they sounded appropriate to me included "Fairy" the sentient ship. I enjoyed the performance. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite is the first book in the Dorothy Gentleman sci-fi mystery series. Tor.com is known for publishing excellent novellas, and this is no exception. The book draws readers in from the very first sentence and keeps their interest with plot twists and intrigue. There is a unique and interesting premise, complex characters, and a mystery to solve.

The book's tagline states "A mind is a terrible thing to erase..." which quickly sets up the intrigue. The official summary says:

"Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty's most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger."

These memory books are backed up regularly and kept securely in the Library. Murder, should it occur, is only a temporary glitch as a new body will be provided and the mind will be loaded from the last backup. While the events of the murder would not be remembered, there's a ship's detective ready to investigate the crime.

Waking up in someone else's body is unheard of, but that's exactly what ship's detective Dorothy Gentleman discovers when she's awoken from her voluntary shelving during a magnetic storm. The ship is uncooperative, the passengers are all on lock down, and the only free body for the detective's mind had been roaming the vacant halls just after a murder on board. It's a fast paced mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Murder by Memory is new take on the downloading consciousness and the artificial immortality such technology provides. It explores the flaws in such plans while showing what life could be like when humanity sets sail for a new home. In this case, ten thousand souls live in relative luxury, given replacement bodies when their original bodies grow old or suffer some fatal accident. Murder is rare because the victim would only be brought back. The memory books provide immortality to the passengers until they reach their destination some thousand years after leaving Earth.

Waite is a talented author and her words are beautifully written; she sprinkles skillfully crafted descriptions throughout the novella. Dorothy Gentleman is a brilliant detective unraveling a delicate web of crime, and the narrator, Blair Baker, does a fantastic job. Her voice is smooth, and suits the main character. It's a delightful novella and I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook version. I can't wait to see more books featuring Detective Gentleman.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my review copy. My opinions are my own.

This story tickled a itch that I didn't know that I really had. A sci-fi murder mystery with a detective waking up in a body that isn't theirs. And lies all over the place. I loved the memory drinks, the atmosphere of Ferry, the description of the Library filled with people's books, the idea that you lived your life, then when you died you were uploaded into your new copy body, and so much of little other details (oh and the big details - like the queer normality).

Dorothy Gentleman is a fascinating character and I can't wait to see what hijinks she gets up to in her next installment. Also can I just appreciate the fact that the main character is older, she is in her 50's and still living life, even if it's on a space ship on it's way to a new planet.

The narration by Blair Baker was fantastic and I really enjoyed their reading of the story and the nuances that they brought to each of the characters.

Highly recommend!

Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn't hers. For generations she's been a detective on an interstellar spaceship, cycling through lives, resting her mind in the "library" when she needs, and waking up again when she's ready in her own body. But she wasn't ready and this body isn't hers. So whose body is it and where is hers?

As Dorothy unravels a mystery, following clues generations in the making, she discovers the life her body donor lead and considers what she wants out of this next life.

This is a great start to a series and I can't wait for the next Dorothy Gentleman story!

A cozy sci-fi mystery that will put you in your grandma era.

This story follows a space detective who wakes up in the wrong body. What drew me to this story is the FMC is an older woman and gives real Jessica Fletcher vibes. Our FMC, Dorothy (yes, really that's her name and I LOVE THAT!), finds out that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.

We follow Dorothy as she untangles a web of lies and deceit by finding clues on board the giant space ship and eventually identifying the culprit.

Also, we visit a yarn store! Yes, this spaceship has a yarn store, because of course it does.

Pick this up if you love
✨ Cozy sci-fi
✨ Novella
✨ Amazing audiobook
✨Older FMC
✨Queer-normative culture
✨A deep dive on gender, bodies and identity

This book is best read while crocheting in a library, watch out for the murderer.

#MurderByMemory:⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio and @torbooks my for gifted copies! #TorBooks #MacAudio2025⁣
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This is basically everything I’ve ever hoped for and more. Space detective aunt?! I’m so happy to see a #1 in the series because I need like 15 of these immediately. It’s giving a new age sci-fi Agatha Christie. It is a short read, which has me satisfied and yet begging for more. ⁣
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Our girl Dorothy wakes up in a different body. Hold up. She was “shelved” in a library where you can basically get your slumber on in the future. She’s in Gloria’s body, finding out a lot of the shelves have been ruined. Now, who did this and how does she get back in her own body? ⁣
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Audio was perfect. A little under 2 hours, it’s a little bite size snack of locked room mystery!! I’ve been living for my space mysteries and this is no exception! Blair Baker did a wonderful job, and I hope to hear more of Baker as future narrations for the series. ⁣
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Out Tuesday the 18th, I’m really excited to see this one out in the world.

Olivia Waite is a new to me author and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a quick, easy listen with great narration and an intriguing premise and plot. If it's meant to be a series, I look forward to the next installment.

An intriguing premise. Body snatching, but with SciFi. A technological development that frankly scares me! Imagine going about your day and suddenly your mind inhabits a different body. How would you navigate finding the truth and interacting with people? I hope the series continues and we’re able to learn more!

The audiobook is narrated by Blair Baker. She is easily understood at faster speeds; however, this novella is short with a fair amount of details, you might want to keep it at a slower speed.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Olivia Waite for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Nothing I love more than a mystery without police, a mystery without jails, and here in Detective Dorothy Gentleman I have found a new delightful series. While this book sets up more mysteries to come for Detective Gentleman, it's a solid murder mystery in its own right. I cannot wait to read more of her adventures.

Notes and observations about MURDER BY MEMORY:
-I love an older woman main character, especially as the detective
-solid, interesting side characters
-gayyyyyyy 😍🌈✨
-tightly written mystery
-novella length worked for me; great scene-setting in a short time
-makes you think a lot about bodies and what it's like to live in them
-made me want to pick up my crochet project
-great narration by Blair Baker!
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I think this might be #1 in a series, and I hope that's true! I want more!

Love! The book was interesting and cozy, the narration was spot on. Cannot wait to read more!! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

🌌 BOOK REVIEW 🌌

MURDER BY MEMORY by Olivia Waite
4/5 🌟
Pub date 🇺🇸: Mar 18

If you are looking for a short SciFi read in a world with an interesting setting and even more interesting people, this novella is for you! I was really impressed with how Wait was able to pull the reader into the story in just a short amount of time. I will say, there were parts I had to reread to understand exactly what was going on in this complex world, but it was worth it.

This story follows a space detective who wakes up in the wrong body. The reader untangled the web of lies and deceit as she uncovers the clues on board the giant space ship.

Please read of you like the following:

🕵‍♀️ Agatha Christy in space
🕵‍♀️ Queer representation with a hint of betrayal
🕵‍♀️ The problems that come along with being transfered from body to body
🕵‍♀️ Yarn