By Hayley Platt
The Apollo Murders (published in October 2021) is a novel following the Apollo 18 mission set in 1973. It is written by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield, and it is clear from the beginning that the technical details of the writing are accurate. Overall, this book fits into many genres, including science fiction, mystery and thriller, and historical fiction.
The story follows the crew and support and ground staff, beginning from their preparations to go to the moon through to the return of the crew to earth. The thriller aspects of the book come from the race to space during the cold war era, and as the title eludes, a murder or two.
Though this book is heavy in technical details, the writing flowed smoothly. Details are described using language that can be understood by readers with various backgrounds, and no prior knowledge of the themes presented is required to enjoy the story. Reading The Apollo Murders will give you enough information to begin to understand and appreciate the complexities of space travel. About one hundred pages in, the story shifts from background and story building and dives into the mystery and thriller storyline-- from there, it’s difficult to put down.
Instead of being split into traditional chapters, The Apollo Murders is split into larger sections based on where in the mission the crew is. Within these sections there are shorter segments told from different perspectives, which keeps readers quickly flipping pages.
There are a few instances throughout the novel where there are mechanical failures onboard the spacecraft. During these times, Hadfield takes us into a flashback of sorts to the point in time where there was an error in construction or design of the particular piece, who was working on it, and some of their history. This was a really interesting way to get a glimpse at how long and detailed the construction of a piece of machinery like this can be.
In real life, the Apollo program ended after Apollo 17, so it is clear that this book is fiction, but also falls within the realm of possibility. A note at the beginning of the book indicates that many of the characters are real, many of the events actually happened, and the novel is bookended with a comprehensive list of each of the real people and things with some explanation. Sections like this, explaining exactly what is historical and what is fiction, are always appreciated in historical fiction books.
The Apollo Murders is a complex and detailed novel that seamlessly merges sci-fi with the historical challenges of its era. It is recommended to both thriller and space lovers—and of course, fellow fans of Chris Hadfield.