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One of Our Spaceships is Missing
In the 23rd century, spaceships just don’t go missing.
FBI agent Ray Volk is assigned to a task force to investigate a tragic accident: the disappearance of interplanetary passenger liner ValuTrip Cardinal, carrying 500 souls between Mars and Earth on a routine run. What looks like a cut-and-dried case of pressure loss is complicated by the arrival of a Martian Captain. A very cute Martian Captain who keeps sticking his nose in Ray’s investigation.
Martian exchange student Kelly Rack knows the disappearance is no accident. She survived the ships’ hijacking, but learns the former cruise entertainer leading the pirates has plans for the passengers, and they don’t include sightseeing. Kelly has avoided the murderous pirates, except now an off-duty Earth Commander insists on organizing resistance for the passengers. She forces Kelly to climb through service tunnels on sabotage runs, risking capture and death.
Can Ray shake down the right accomplices to capture the good ship ValuTrip Cardinal before its new captain spaces everyone on board? Will Kelly discover the pirates’ hidden plans for their prisoners? The race is on, because One of Our Spaceships is Missing!
Genres: Space Opera / Military Sci-Fi / Science Fiction / LGBT and Non Binary
Market: Adult
FBI agent Ray Volk is assigned to a task force to investigate a tragic accident: the disappearance of interplanetary passenger liner ValuTrip Cardinal, carrying 500 souls between Mars and Earth on a routine run. What looks like a cut-and-dried case of pressure loss is complicated by the arrival of a Martian Captain. A very cute Martian Captain who keeps sticking his nose in Ray’s investigation.
Martian exchange student Kelly Rack knows the disappearance is no accident. She survived the ships’ hijacking, but learns the former cruise entertainer leading the pirates has plans for the passengers, and they don’t include sightseeing. Kelly has avoided the murderous pirates, except now an off-duty Earth Commander insists on organizing resistance for the passengers. She forces Kelly to climb through service tunnels on sabotage runs, risking capture and death.
Can Ray shake down the right accomplices to capture the good ship ValuTrip Cardinal before its new captain spaces everyone on board? Will Kelly discover the pirates’ hidden plans for their prisoners? The race is on, because One of Our Spaceships is Missing!
Genres: Space Opera / Military Sci-Fi / Science Fiction / LGBT and Non Binary
Market: Adult
10 pages, Audiobook
First published June 25, 2022
9 people are currently reading
1220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 21, 2025
I don't remember where I heard about this book, but I know that by the time I started reading it I thought based on the title that it was going to be a funny SF book. If you decide to read this, please be aware! It is not a funny book! (Sure it has some good one-liners. But it's significantly darker and less humorous than I was expecting.) There are, though, a lot of in-jokes referencing modern SFF books (or authors) as well as semi-recent politics. The references were amusing at times, but there were a lot more of them than I prefer, so I ended up rolling my eyes more than I laughed about the jokes.
It also felt like this was two separate stories for a large part of the book. There was the pirates/hostage book, and the police procedural book. (Surprising myself, I liked the police part of the book best.)
I have very mixed feelings about this book. The plot is either a space heist / escape romp or a police detective mystery, and both parts were fun to read. You can tell that the world was built out in detail, and the space military aspect of the character was really well developed, too. On the other hand, though, I never really connected with the characters and there was a lot of un-sexy sex and people getting naked for various reasons. (If you don't like romance books but are okay with sex that's not hidden but also not shown, this might work for you.) If the book sounds interesting and you like plot-based books (and don't need any character development in your science fiction) then maybe give this one a shot.
It also felt like this was two separate stories for a large part of the book. There was the pirates/hostage book, and the police procedural book. (Surprising myself, I liked the police part of the book best.)
I have very mixed feelings about this book. The plot is either a space heist / escape romp or a police detective mystery, and both parts were fun to read. You can tell that the world was built out in detail, and the space military aspect of the character was really well developed, too. On the other hand, though, I never really connected with the characters and there was a lot of un-sexy sex and people getting naked for various reasons. (If you don't like romance books but are okay with sex that's not hidden but also not shown, this might work for you.) If the book sounds interesting and you like plot-based books (and don't need any character development in your science fiction) then maybe give this one a shot.
July 4, 2022
I was immediately engrossed in this amazing space opera, mystery thriller! Great writing with interesting characters!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 24, 2022
I received an advance copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
The first thing that attracted me to this was the title. It immediately grabbed my curiosity. I didn't even bother reading the back-cover blurb before I downloaded it.
One of Our Spaceship's is Missing is a tale of piracy in the darkness of space. It is a military space-opera sci-fi tale with non-binary LGBTQ+ characters. Set in a future where space travel is common to the point, there are cruise ships that plough through Earth's inner solar system, carrying passengers to planets that are, or have been, made to be inhabitable. Each inhabited world has its own sovereign government with its own laws and navies. In this story moves from setting to setting by following the principal character's points of view for each chapter. We get to see what they see colored with their own perceptions and thoughts.
Overall, I got into this story from the very opening pages and finished it in a couple of days. It's an excellently crafted story with interesting characters set in places and settings that are well described and plausible.
Be advised, even though one of the characters is a girl in her late teens, this is not a young adult novel. Owing to the thoughts revealed by the characters as they interact, it is, in my opinion, an adult story.
Aboard the space cruiser Cardinal, passengers enjoy an inner-system cruise scheduled to arrive at Earth from Mars. In the main lounge, a woman sits at a piano, playing and singing popular songs from the past and present to help everyone relax and enjoy themselves. During her performance, she casually flirts with another female passenger while passengers move about. What everyone doesn't know is the piano player is eagerly awaiting to opportunity to hatch a plot she and others have been planning for two years.
The plan is to hijack the Cardinal and hold it and its passengers for a lucrative ransom.
Also on board is a young woman from Mars who finds herself thrown into a dangerous situation. She has a small amount of military training. That, along with her ability to adapt and think on her feet, helps her to avoid becoming a casualty as she works against the hijackers.
On earth, a gumshoe detective who has a hard-boiled reputation for resorting to the use of his weapon, investigates why and who an interplanetary cruise ship has suddenly gone dark without a trace.
The artist in the first-class piano bar named Victoria, the young girl is Kelley, and the detective is Ray. These three, along with other characters, come to life in this page turner that starts moving full speed ahead from the opening page and never slows down until the end.
My favorite character in this story was Special Agent Ray Volk of the FBI. It was fun reading about a character who presented a noir-ish feeling in the story. Ray is a straightforward experienced investigator, and once on the case, he is relentless until he has all the facts. He goes to great lengths to gather the information to break a case. He goes without sleep, food, and will jump on a plane at a moment's notice to follow leads. As with many investigators, he is often a pain-in-the-butt for his boss, who tells him he needs to leave his weapon in its holster, even when he comes under fire. Ray's character adds a portion of dry humor to an otherwise dark tale.
All the characters were well written and relatable. There was also a wide diversity both in cultural ties and sexual orientation.
Aside from following the adventures of Ray, my favorite point of plot was the military aspect of the story. One can certainly tell the author is a veteran of the US Navy. I got a strong sense of authenticity during the military scenes. The author's experience added just the right nuance to the action and made those parts come alive.
My takeaway from this tale is if one gambles, one shouldn't count their winnings before the game is over. Even the best planned operation will not turn out as the planner expects because there are just too many unpredictable outside factors that cannot be considered.
One of Our Spaceships is Missing is a great story, carefully written, with interesting characters. It hits the ground running and doesn't stop until the end. Even with the fast pace of the story, everything is written clearly and with enough detail to give the mind's eye a good feel for the backdrop the characters are playing in. It is an adult oriented story, and I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. Some may find the sexual encounters and thoughts between the characters a little unsettling, but not gratuitous.
The first thing that attracted me to this was the title. It immediately grabbed my curiosity. I didn't even bother reading the back-cover blurb before I downloaded it.
One of Our Spaceship's is Missing is a tale of piracy in the darkness of space. It is a military space-opera sci-fi tale with non-binary LGBTQ+ characters. Set in a future where space travel is common to the point, there are cruise ships that plough through Earth's inner solar system, carrying passengers to planets that are, or have been, made to be inhabitable. Each inhabited world has its own sovereign government with its own laws and navies. In this story moves from setting to setting by following the principal character's points of view for each chapter. We get to see what they see colored with their own perceptions and thoughts.
Overall, I got into this story from the very opening pages and finished it in a couple of days. It's an excellently crafted story with interesting characters set in places and settings that are well described and plausible.
Be advised, even though one of the characters is a girl in her late teens, this is not a young adult novel. Owing to the thoughts revealed by the characters as they interact, it is, in my opinion, an adult story.
Aboard the space cruiser Cardinal, passengers enjoy an inner-system cruise scheduled to arrive at Earth from Mars. In the main lounge, a woman sits at a piano, playing and singing popular songs from the past and present to help everyone relax and enjoy themselves. During her performance, she casually flirts with another female passenger while passengers move about. What everyone doesn't know is the piano player is eagerly awaiting to opportunity to hatch a plot she and others have been planning for two years.
The plan is to hijack the Cardinal and hold it and its passengers for a lucrative ransom.
Also on board is a young woman from Mars who finds herself thrown into a dangerous situation. She has a small amount of military training. That, along with her ability to adapt and think on her feet, helps her to avoid becoming a casualty as she works against the hijackers.
On earth, a gumshoe detective who has a hard-boiled reputation for resorting to the use of his weapon, investigates why and who an interplanetary cruise ship has suddenly gone dark without a trace.
The artist in the first-class piano bar named Victoria, the young girl is Kelley, and the detective is Ray. These three, along with other characters, come to life in this page turner that starts moving full speed ahead from the opening page and never slows down until the end.
My favorite character in this story was Special Agent Ray Volk of the FBI. It was fun reading about a character who presented a noir-ish feeling in the story. Ray is a straightforward experienced investigator, and once on the case, he is relentless until he has all the facts. He goes to great lengths to gather the information to break a case. He goes without sleep, food, and will jump on a plane at a moment's notice to follow leads. As with many investigators, he is often a pain-in-the-butt for his boss, who tells him he needs to leave his weapon in its holster, even when he comes under fire. Ray's character adds a portion of dry humor to an otherwise dark tale.
All the characters were well written and relatable. There was also a wide diversity both in cultural ties and sexual orientation.
Aside from following the adventures of Ray, my favorite point of plot was the military aspect of the story. One can certainly tell the author is a veteran of the US Navy. I got a strong sense of authenticity during the military scenes. The author's experience added just the right nuance to the action and made those parts come alive.
My takeaway from this tale is if one gambles, one shouldn't count their winnings before the game is over. Even the best planned operation will not turn out as the planner expects because there are just too many unpredictable outside factors that cannot be considered.
One of Our Spaceships is Missing is a great story, carefully written, with interesting characters. It hits the ground running and doesn't stop until the end. Even with the fast pace of the story, everything is written clearly and with enough detail to give the mind's eye a good feel for the backdrop the characters are playing in. It is an adult oriented story, and I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. Some may find the sexual encounters and thoughts between the characters a little unsettling, but not gratuitous.
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April 1, 2023This review was originally posted at http://bit.ly/3M7xUS4.
FBI agent Ray Volk has been tasked to look into the disappearance of a interplanetary passenger liner with 500 people on board. What started as a cut and dry depressurization case seems there is more to be found with the help of a cute Martian. There is a possibility of a hijacking and without communication from those onboard there may be no hope of rescue.
I received a copy a this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book was suggested to me as an LGBT book and trust me it definitely lives up to that. I honestly don't believe there was one completely straight character in the entire book. Nothing wrong with that, just wasn't what I was expecting necessarily. Just giving you a heads up.
On to the book itself. While the blurb of the actual book leaves the question as to what happened to the ValuCardinal you will know within the first three chapters, not all of the details, of course because where would the fun be in that, but enough to know what happened.
The characters are all well rounded. The teenagers have problems with authority. The military defaults to training even if they've never seen combat. Grudges are held on sides of an old war. All kinds of things that you'd see in normal life as well.
The descriptions in the book are also great. There is enough detail where you can picture what is going on without it taking a page to describe a single scene. There also wasn't much in the way of typos which is always a plus. Indie author books have a tendency to be hit or miss in that regard and I'm always happy to receive an edited book.
FBI agent Ray Volk has been tasked to look into the disappearance of a interplanetary passenger liner with 500 people on board. What started as a cut and dry depressurization case seems there is more to be found with the help of a cute Martian. There is a possibility of a hijacking and without communication from those onboard there may be no hope of rescue.
I received a copy a this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book was suggested to me as an LGBT book and trust me it definitely lives up to that. I honestly don't believe there was one completely straight character in the entire book. Nothing wrong with that, just wasn't what I was expecting necessarily. Just giving you a heads up.
On to the book itself. While the blurb of the actual book leaves the question as to what happened to the ValuCardinal you will know within the first three chapters, not all of the details, of course because where would the fun be in that, but enough to know what happened.
The characters are all well rounded. The teenagers have problems with authority. The military defaults to training even if they've never seen combat. Grudges are held on sides of an old war. All kinds of things that you'd see in normal life as well.
The descriptions in the book are also great. There is enough detail where you can picture what is going on without it taking a page to describe a single scene. There also wasn't much in the way of typos which is always a plus. Indie author books have a tendency to be hit or miss in that regard and I'm always happy to receive an edited book.
June 21, 2023
This was a very engaging read. It's well plotted (up to a point - see below), with interesting, well-crafted characters. Moreover, it's a fascinating extrapolation of future political developments, given the future events the author envisioned. It's well-paced, well written . . .
I was all ready give it an enthusiastic 5 stars, and then it STOPPED. Well, the main thrust of the action stopped. The problems were addressed in the real time of the story. But the minute they were, I felt as if I'd slammed into a plate-glass window I hadn't seen coming. Because at that very moment the book ended. No resolution to speak of. A couple of too-short scenes did, kinda-sorta-but-not-really, intimate how things might play out.
But there was no wind-down to make sure all the threads were tied up (there were a lot of dangling threads left that could/should have been tied up). "How did everything work out after that?" I wanted to ask. "Did their lives go on in interesting ways?" I'd really grown to like some of these characters.
SPOILERS WARNING:
I wanted to know things such as: Did Mark go back to Mars, or on to Colorado Springs? Did Ray and Ralph develop a fulfilling relationship? Did Kelly stay on Earth or go back to Mars? Did she get grief counseling? How did Victoria pay for her crimes? And so much more!
END OF SPOILERS.
I'll never know. There's no hint of a sequel, no intimation that if I'll just hold these thoughts Book Next is coming and it'll be even better. It's as if the author got tired of writing and just stopped. Or maybe he used up some unspoken word count. Well, that word-count needed to be bigger. I want that resolution, dang it!
I was all ready give it an enthusiastic 5 stars, and then it STOPPED. Well, the main thrust of the action stopped. The problems were addressed in the real time of the story. But the minute they were, I felt as if I'd slammed into a plate-glass window I hadn't seen coming. Because at that very moment the book ended. No resolution to speak of. A couple of too-short scenes did, kinda-sorta-but-not-really, intimate how things might play out.
But there was no wind-down to make sure all the threads were tied up (there were a lot of dangling threads left that could/should have been tied up). "How did everything work out after that?" I wanted to ask. "Did their lives go on in interesting ways?" I'd really grown to like some of these characters.
SPOILERS WARNING:
I wanted to know things such as: Did Mark go back to Mars, or on to Colorado Springs? Did Ray and Ralph develop a fulfilling relationship? Did Kelly stay on Earth or go back to Mars? Did she get grief counseling? How did Victoria pay for her crimes? And so much more!
END OF SPOILERS.
I'll never know. There's no hint of a sequel, no intimation that if I'll just hold these thoughts Book Next is coming and it'll be even better. It's as if the author got tired of writing and just stopped. Or maybe he used up some unspoken word count. Well, that word-count needed to be bigger. I want that resolution, dang it!
November 1, 2024
A queer space opera with space pirates (bad guys), spunky high schoolers, burnt out police men, and an all-around fun cast. The story isn't comedic but it is entertaining. The investigation Earth-side is a good police procedural.
Loss of a star to the portrayal of sexuality by women. The queer men work well; even got an solid ace male in the mix. But the queer women are almost hypersexual and the CIS-het women use their sexuality as tools of the trade (example, an officer unbuttoning the top buttons of her shirt before going to question a suspect). None of the women sexual relationships are loving or going that way - enjoyable and mutually consented within the couple, but the lack of emotions is tiresome when everything else about the story has excellent storytelling - the female sexuality rubbed against the rest of the story in a blistering manner, bringing it out above the surface instead of integrated in.
If you would like your space opera with a side of police procedural in a multi-person POV, this story could work for you.
Loss of a star to the portrayal of sexuality by women. The queer men work well; even got an solid ace male in the mix. But the queer women are almost hypersexual and the CIS-het women use their sexuality as tools of the trade (example, an officer unbuttoning the top buttons of her shirt before going to question a suspect). None of the women sexual relationships are loving or going that way - enjoyable and mutually consented within the couple, but the lack of emotions is tiresome when everything else about the story has excellent storytelling - the female sexuality rubbed against the rest of the story in a blistering manner, bringing it out above the surface instead of integrated in.
If you would like your space opera with a side of police procedural in a multi-person POV, this story could work for you.
July 20, 2022
I read an ARC of this book and very much enjoyed it!
From a secretly-royal piano player who hijacks a ship, to a gay detective on Earth, to a bisexual woman prisoner, this book has a lot of personality! If you like military sci-fi with queer characters, there's a lot to love.
There's a lot of swearing in the book, so be aware if that's not your thing, but there's also a cool look at a future society that descends directly from our own.
Overall, it's a fun look at military and politics around the solar system. Bureaucracy is alive and well in the future, as are the ways people get around it!
From a secretly-royal piano player who hijacks a ship, to a gay detective on Earth, to a bisexual woman prisoner, this book has a lot of personality! If you like military sci-fi with queer characters, there's a lot to love.
There's a lot of swearing in the book, so be aware if that's not your thing, but there's also a cool look at a future society that descends directly from our own.
Overall, it's a fun look at military and politics around the solar system. Bureaucracy is alive and well in the future, as are the ways people get around it!
August 1, 2024
I like all the characters, the changing of point of views, the story in itself. Bu what really sold me was the details. Like the difference between Earth and Mars, the fact that Alaska is now a country (found it quite funny!), the tidbits of history here and there. Also, it was also a nice touch to put racism there, not by the color of the skin, but by what planet you’re from. Finally, love the casual depictation if LGBT+ people. We’ll judge you on your actions, not for who you are! (And from where you’re from lol)
June 15, 2025
It's a fun romp and a fun thriller about a spaceship being hijacked; the nature of that spaceship is reminiscent of a cruise ship, which is funny as both Chris and I have been on the Writing Excuses 2015 Retreat, on a cruise ship. I do wonder how much of this was based around that.
Anyway. It's fun; it reads like a good episode of a crime drama, like NCIS, except in space and queerer. If I were deeply into NCIS I'd love it, but I'm not, so I'll stick to an 'It's-not-really-my-thing-but-still-fun' four stars.
Anyway. It's fun; it reads like a good episode of a crime drama, like NCIS, except in space and queerer. If I were deeply into NCIS I'd love it, but I'm not, so I'll stick to an 'It's-not-really-my-thing-but-still-fun' four stars.
July 23, 2022
Space Pirates. Science. Space exploration. Martians. Mercurians. Earthlings. Unique story about a luxury space ship traveling from Mars to Earth when it is hijacked by space pirates. Brief romance and death are focal occurrences. The narrative is given by multiple characters to paint the entire picture of what is going on. Very interesting story involving solving a mystery of who the pirates are and their plans. It does end with a bittersweet ending.
July 19, 2022
Interesting!
The story was very good. Too much sex and cussing for me but i liked the story telling and the world building. I am hoping to see more from Chris in the future!
The story was very good. Too much sex and cussing for me but i liked the story telling and the world building. I am hoping to see more from Chris in the future!
December 27, 2023
Great SF and. Dective book
I enjoyed this book. Plot moved quickly and made a great deal of sense. Liked the way the way the story ended.
I enjoyed this book. Plot moved quickly and made a great deal of sense. Liked the way the way the story ended.
February 9, 2024
I downloaded a sample after seeing this on Scalzi's "big idea". Queer space opera is totally my thing ... unfortunately, the opening scene is more "male-gazey lesbian space opera", which very much isn't.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews