A Study in Cyborgs

by W.R. MacNeill

On a good day, Hana Moss is 33.9 million miles from her hometown on Mars, but today is not a good day. Earth’s gravity weighs heavy on her, she’s lost in the sky-high labyrinth of Victoria City, and she has nowhere to sleep. When Hols Keller offers her a room to rent, Moss doesn’t ask too many questions.

Within hours, she's in the middle of a crime scene, helping her new roommate investigate a murder.

Who killed this retired colonial governor? How are cyborgs and AIs all over the city getting hacked when that shouldn’t be possible? Most who is Hols Keller really, and why is Moss ready to follow her anywhere?Sherlock Holmes meets the Murderbot Diaries in this queer sci-fi/mystery series.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2021

Reviews

[Laura Freeman]

Sherlock Homes meets Firefly meets The Murderbot Diaries! Hanna Moss, a human Martian, arrives in Victoria City to study medicine, but quickly becomes entangled in a mystery involving murder, theft, and her new roommate: an enigmatic "Retroductionist" named Hols Keller. MacNeill excells at world-building. Within Victoria City's solarpunk future, explores big ideas, such as the line between organic and artificial life, a post-20th century style of policing, and gender. Sherlock fans will recognize familiar story beats, but it is far from predictable. I fell in love with the characters, and can't wait to see how their stories progress in what is sure to be a continually innovative and surprising series.

[Carson]

I devoured this book in a few days and thought about it when I had to put it down. The world is fascinating and fun, and I am in love with these characters. I hope there will be many, many more Electric Detective books to come. A must-read for any Sherlock Holmes fans!

[Cedar Liskami]

I absolutely loved reading this book! It made me realize that I really, really enjoy reading sci-fi detective stories. It was also nice and refreshing to see a non-binary character that uses they/them pronouns in a book that isn't necessarily a coming out story. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be published.

[Lex Lindsay]

The beginning of a series I'm excited to read, this novel gives us: a murder mystery, a well-fleshed-out future society with dash of solarpunk, cyborgs and robots and that age-old sci-fi philosophical dilemma: at what point does a being made in a factory have a soul and deserve the same rights as the rest of us?, memorable characters, memorable settings that fill the brain with breathtaking scenery, and what seems to be the first sparks of a slow burn between an off-world futuristic cowgirl type and her not-quite-a-detective type roommate (oh my god, they were roommates).

I'm looking forward to the second installment.

[Yasaman]

A fun scifi take on Sherlock Holmes that changes up enough to keep it interesting. I liked the solarpunk setting, and Hanna Moss (our Watson, freshly arrived from Mars) was an engaging narrator. The mystery doesn't wear out its welcome, with a zippy pace that nonetheless packs in a lot of worldbuilding detail.

[terpkristin]

A mystery in a world where there are cyborgs, AI, robots, and neuromorphs. Oh, and Martians. A Martian comes to Earth to attend medical school and ends up rooming with a "reductionist" who tries to help solve mysteries for the local constabulary. I enjoyed it, and bought the follow up immediately upon finishing. This book was written by the sister of a friend, but that didn't influence my enjoyment.

[Alexander]

Good sci-fi mystery

Good characters, fairly easy to follow, logical plot, not a rewrite of A Study in Scarlet, though clearly based on it.