Mur Lafferty’s newest addition to the Midsolar Murders is just as quirky and fun as the first two. Baby sentient ship! (Maybe my favorite part) LARPing! Annoying literary agents! Murder mystery convention!

Mallory is pretty unhappy when she finds out a murder mystery writer’s convention is coming to the space station she lives on. She came to Station Eternity to get away from humans, because murders follow her wherever she goes. And now a whole con’s worth of people are coming her way? Spectacular. Just great. But her annoying agent has signed her up as the keynote speaker and she can’t seem to find a way out of it.

I loved it for the quirky characters and the fun plot. I don’t think it reached the same highs as the first two books but it’s still a really solid little cozy mystery series. If you like your cozy mysteries with unique settings, or your light sci-fi settings with a cozy plot, then it’s a great pick.

And the cats! THE CATS.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review! It was a great time, as always.

The third in Lafferty’s Midsolar Murder series starring Mallory Viridian — one of the few human inhabitants of a sentient space station. Human murders tend to occur when Mallory is around (the reason explained in book one or two), which is why she made such an extreme relocation. Turns out that Mal is very good at *solving* the murders that occur and that provides a nice story to show off the fantastically quirky world Lafferty has created teeming with creative alien cultures, sentient mechanisms, and the “fun” everyone has trying to get along.

Each book adds more to the world — while I would recommend reading books one and two first, the author does a decent job of giving you the info you might need if you don’t. In this installment, a one-of-a-kind ship is making its way to the station with massive holodeck like capabilities and the physical embodiment of the entire Internet (including fan fiction sites — this is important!). And it is carrying … a mystery fan convention. What could go wrong?

I like Lafferty’s world building — more focus on alien cultures than alien tech which I find much more interesting. The mystery is a nice excuse to roam around meeting strange beings. I really like the bonding between sentient ships and stations with (often human) hosts. Plenty of action, but not the super stressful kind. Lots of fun to read — I always look forward to the next one, and I’m happy to say that she writes quickly!

Infinite Archive, by Mur Lafferty, is the third installment in the author's The Midsolar Murders series. This novel follows amateur sleuth Mallory Viridian as she navigates a sentient space station, a mystery convention, and the arrival of a ship carrying the entire Internet from Earth, along with a fresh murder to solve. Mallory, a reluctant detective with a knack for stumbling into murders, has settled into life on the sentient space station Eternity, where she’s one of the few human residents among a diverse array of alien species.

After a quiet few months, uncharacteristically devoid of homicides so that she can help raise baby Mobius, a sentient starship, Mallory is bored, a stark contrast to her past, where death seemed to follow her like a shadow. Her tranquility is disrupted when the Metis, a massive data ship carrying Earth’s entire Internet, docks at Eternity, bringing with it a mystery fan convention called Marple’s Tea Party. To her dismay, Mallory’s literary agent, Aaron Rose, is aboard and has volunteered her as the keynote speaker and a participant in a live-action role-playing (LARP) mystery game.

The arrival of thousands of humans, coupled with Mallory’s history of attracting murder, sets the stage for chaos. Sure enough, when Aaron is found dead, and another author dies soon thereafter, Mallory must race against time to solve the crime. Complicating matters are a strange new alien species with unclear motives, the sentient and powerful data ship Metis, and the emotional complexities of characters like the Gneiss queen Tina, who desires to be punched in the throat.

As Mallory digs deeper, she uncovers a web of intrigue involving alien politics, technological anomalies, and her own tangled past. Station Eternity is a bustling, sentient hub populated by a colorful array of aliens, from the rock-like Gneiss to insectoid hiveminds. The introduction of Metis, described as the “physical embodiment of the Internet,” adds a fascinating layer to the setting. Mallory remains a compelling protagonist—flawed, self-doubting, yet fiercely loyal. Her struggle to trust her instincts, shaped by a history of being surrounded by death, adds depth to her character.

Supporting characters like Xan, bonded to the ship Infinity, and Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, Eternity’s tiny but formidable human host, are equally well-drawn. The Gneiss queen Tina, described as emotionally toddler-like, brings both humor and pathos. While it may not be the ideal entry point for newcomers and occasionally stumbles under the weight of its ambitious cast, its strengths—vivid world-building, relatable characters, and a clever mystery—far outweigh its flaws.

I wanted to read this book because of the cover, I love cats and thought this was so cute!

But I'm going to be honest, I was kind of a little disappointed with this.

We've got a sentient spaceship, mysteries, a murder mystery convention (is that like Crime Con?), and aliens. And those are all such cool and fun things!

This did have some really fun moments and I could definitely see this being successful as a tv show (maybe because it kind of reminds me of Based on a True Story a bit, at least the second season with the crime convention), but I wasn't super captivated by the story or the writing style. That can be such a problem for me, if you don't get me super invested at the start, it's really hard for me to become invested in the story at all.

It just needed a little more oomph to be my perfect cup of tea, but I really can see so many people loving this book and this series. Maybe I'll check out other books by this author, maybe that'll help.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

"Amateur sleuth Mallory Viridian has just about got her bearings aboard the space station she calls home, but now the physical embodiment of the Internet is on its way, and it's bringing murder with it.

Mallory Viridian has had a quiet few months. Even with the increased influx of humans visiting Station Eternity, she hasn't seen so much as a bar brawl. Used to people dying left and right around her, the lack of murders to solve has left her unexpectedly...bored.

But humanity's favorite way to waste time is on its way to her sector of the galaxy. A giant, one-of-a-kind data ship called Metis is bringing the entire Internet from Earth - as well as a mystery fan convention. On top of that, Mallory's literary agent is aboard, and he tells Mallory that she's the keynote speaker.

It's almost a relief when a killer decides to strike at the convention. When Mallory finds her agent dead, she knows she has to work fast to find the murderer. With a strange new alien with unknown motives, a ship with impossible abilities, a lonely living, comprehensive Internet, and a deadly crime to solve, Mallory has her work cut out for her...."

The most dangerous thing here isn't the killer, it's the Internet!

Mallory fled to space to escape the fact that murder seems to follow her around. She had a quiet period on the alien space station but now, as more humans venture into space and on to the station, murder rears its head yet again. Now, as a huge space ship containing all the Internet, as well as a murder mystery convention, approaches Station Eternity, Mallory is drawn in a real murder yet again.
This series is a cozy mystery series with a twist, set in space with lots of alien characters and sentient ships. The characters, even the aliens, are people I’d enjoy meeting in real life. While Mallory solves the murder we are left with several questions about the ship and some of the aliens that hopefully will be further addressed in the next installment. Overall I am really enjoying this series and recommend it highly

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for my review.

Mallory's life continues to be a bit of a mess. However, she's making progress toward communicating with the bug swarm, is raising a baby spaceship, and is dealing with a murder mystery convention coming to the spaceship.; her agent has volunteered her to be the keynote speaker at the convention once it docks with the space station; Tina, the extremely immature rock giant alien who is also ruling a prison planet is on the convention ship and bringing her own new alien into the mix. What could possibly go wrong?

I think if you liked the first two of these you will enjoy this one too...some series tend to decline in quality as they go on, but not this one. It has an interesting combination of weird space station/sentient ships and various strange aliens but then the plot is a pretty straightforward mystery (almost like a cozy in some ways) that feels like you could solve it yourself. This one has some cute Easter Eggs too and some music references I appreciated.

While I always enjoy getting to climb aboard Station Eternity and learn more about Lafferty's alien races, I found myself getting annoyed more frequently with our main characters this go around. So many times I exclaimed aloud at our main character's choices. She would either not remember an important detail, or not pay attention to people (or aliens) that had important information, or some other thing that would lead to a crisis or calamity that could have been avoided!
Overall though, 4 stars for world building and me being completely unable to solve the mystery before it was revealed.

Mur Lafferty delivers another hilarious and mind-bending episode featuring reluctant detective Mallory Viridian in Infinite Archive. Mal is still recovering from her previous adventure when her literary agent barges in with an offer that she can’t figure out how to refuse. A murder mystery convention is on its way to Station Eternity. Aaron Rose has signed Mal up not only to deliver a keynote address but also a spot in a live-action role-playing game. Readers of the previous novels in the series (Station Eternity and Chaos Terminal) will know that the primary reason Mal has chosen to live in space is because every time she gets near a gathering of humans, someone gets murdered. Life among various alien species is much safer for everyone. (If you haven’t read the first two books in the series or if it’s been a while, Lafferty includes plenty of reminders about what’s happened previously.) And now an entire space cruise ship is headed her way, filled with thousands of potential victims, suspects, and witnesses.

Infinite Archive feels like two stories stitched together. The first part wraps up a lot of events from Chaos Terminal. Queen Tina and the Cuckoos return to cause mayhem. Mal is learning how to raise her new baby spaceship, Mobius. There’s a lot of diplomatic posturing in this half of the book, which could’ve been a bit boring if it weren’t for the fact that Tina is so much fun to watch on the page and that wee Mobius is adorable. The Cuckoos are still species non grata onboard Eternity after what they got up to last time, but Tina has thrown another spanner into the works by bringing along a member of an apparently sentient species no one has heard of or has a way of communicating with.

The second half of Infinite Archive is almost surreal in its creativity. This part begins when another incident caused by Tina sends Mal, her friend Xan, and Xan’s brother over to the Metis, the ship that’s hosting the convention. I suspect Lafferty knocked her own socks off with some of the things she cooked up for her characters. One sequence involving fan-fic had me laughing so hard I dropped my Kindle on the cat that was sleeping in my lap. (Sorry, Mogwai!) Metis is even more bonkers than Eternity because, for reasons that are explained later, it contains a copy of the human internet and has devoted entire rooms to different themes. There’s a room devoted to cats and cat videos. The med bay is staffed by actual doctors plus fictional doctors from TV and literature. And, yes, there is a Room 34. (The 4chan room, among others, is strictly off limits and under quarantine.)I admired Mal’s ability to focus in all the bewildering hubbub. Thankfully for all (well, most) involved, Mal is an extremely capable leader when she lets herself dive in and start asking questions.

I’ve adored every novel in the series so far. They’re delightfully creative, and I can never predict where Lafferty is going to take us next. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I really like the MIDSOLAR MURDERS series, but this one definitely stands on its own less than the previous two. If you're in it for the mystery, this one might be a pass for you, but if you're in it for the characters (Tina iykyk), you'll have a fun time.

I had a great time with this one, just like the other 2 in this series. I love mysteries and having them in space is even more fun! I really enjoy the world building that happens along with the mystery. My one request is that we now need a children's picture book about the adventures of Mobius!

Ahh - finally: A SCI=FI cozy mystery!!! I loved it so much! This third book brings back Mallory Viridian, who honestly just wanted one peaceful murder-free week in orbit. But instead, she’s now a reluctant keynote speaker at a mystery convention (??), her literary agent shows up (awkward), and—surprise—ends up dead. And because it’s Mallory, of course things get weirder from there. Cue the sentient Internet, secretive aliens, space politics, and an actual murder to solve in the middle of a convention full of people who think it’s part of the show.

The pacing? Fast. The vibe? Total space cozy, but with bite. The worldbuilding continues to be wild in the best way—aliens that actually feel alien, a living station that’s somehow both wise and shady, and a main character who’s so over being followed by death but keeps stepping up anyway.

You have to read the first two books to fully appreciate the plot here—there’s no handholding—but if you’re in, you’re in. The mystery is clever, not super twisty, but satisfying. What made it sing for me was the character work. Mallory’s voice is sharp and tired and deeply relatable. She’s trying to survive in a world that literally isn’t built for humans, and somehow still ends up being the emotional glue that holds everyone together.

Is it a little chaotic? Sure. There are a lot of moving parts. But it works because it’s fun. It’s messy and imaginative and full of heart in that “found family on a space station where people keep dying” kind of way.

"Infinite Archive" is the third book in Mur Lafferty's Midsolar Murders scifi mystery series. Mallory Viridian is learning how to deal with being part of an alien hivemind as well as being the mother of a tiny sentient ship, when her book agent tells her that she's going to be the keynote speaker for a mystery convention that is coming to her space station. A giant data-filled ship is bringing the conventioneers as well as a few other surprises. Will Mallory have to solve another murder?
This is a fun space mystery, but you definitely have to have read the previous two books. A recommended purchase for scifi collections.