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.