Customer Reviews

Cold Dark Matter: A Morgan O'Brien Mystery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hawaii, astronomy, and the Canadian government are three things most Canadians know a little something about. What they and other mystery readers might not know can be found in the pages of Alex Brett's engrossing novel, Cold Dark Matter. Ottawa-based Morgan O'Brien, investigator for the National Council for Science and Technology, is asked by her colleague and friend, Duncan, to retrieve the research diaries of an astronomer who apparently committed suicide while working in Hawaii. Morgan's questions about the suicide and diaries' content lead to her into a labyrinth of secrets, betrayals, and cover-ups stretching back to the Cold War era. Among the many appealing aspects of this book are vivid descriptions of a Hawaii I thought I knew, insight into the competitive world of astronomers, and revelation about a horrific and unfortunately true event in Canadian government history. You'll have to read the book to learn what the government's shameful Fruit Machine was because if I told you, you'd never believe me. Read the book. It's a great story.

COLD DARK MATTER

Alex Brett made an auspicious appearance two years ago on the Canadian mystery-writing scene with her first Morgan O'Brien Mystery, Dead Water Creek, a book that Margaret Cannon of The Globe and Mail called "an excellent debut novel". And it was. Now she has returned with the second novel in the series, Cold Dark Matter. And once more, Brett's grasp of complex scientific issues, and her ability to explain them to the lay reader, comes to the fore. In Dead Water Creek the subject was salmon research, and the complex and interesting people who carry it out. In Cold Dark Matter, as the title and the cover illustration suggest, the scientific issue under the microscope (or telescope) is astronomy. And Brett does tell the reader a lot about astronomy, the technology involved, and the people who pursue that discipline. But, as in Dead Water Creek, the real story is about the lives of the people involved.

And there is also a fascinating and insightful description and discussion of another, equally important, scientific issue that for a time captured the interest of the Canadian federal government, an interest lodged in the near-paranoia that gripped Canada and the United States both in the Cold War era. The world knows only too well about the horrors of the political and social witch hunts in the United States in what is usually referred to as the "McCarthy Era". I think many readers in Canada will be surprised to learn that Canada had its own "witch hunt", in which careers and lives were destroyed. It was, in essence, a shameful example of the perversion of science, supposedly in the interests of national security, and it was funded by the federal government.

But a mystery novel will not fly on the wings of scientific and social issues alone. A good story, believable characters, crisp dialogue, and crackling action are required, and Alex Brett delivers all of that in Cold Dark Matter. I was hooked from the first chapter. The story is fast-paced and exciting, and once more Morgan O'Brien emerges as an engaging character with equally engaging friends - and foes.

Five stars to Cold Dark Matter.

In a novel that will definitely appeal to those of us mystery lovers that lay rather fond, perhaps even snobbish, claim to the title of "geek", COLD DARK MATTER uses the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, located near the summit of Mauna Kea mountain in Hawaii at the lofty altitude of 4,204 metres as the site of a unique mystery set in the erudite world of scientific research, astronomy, cosmology and dark matter.

When an astronomer commits suicide, the Canadian authorities send Morgan O'Brien to find some missing data and notebooks. The barriers that O'Brien encounters, the questions she asks, the resistance she meets and the dangers she faces turn a suicide into a murder and lead down a dark path that has roots in the Cold War era of the 1950s.

COLD DARK MATTER is an interesting and informative mystery. In particular, the discussion of the culture of scientific research and the 1950s Cold War McCarthy witch hunt that manifested itself in this context in the Canadian Fruit Machine will make you shake your head in amazement. (No, I'm not kidding ... this is all true stuff and, in hindsight, pretty darn embarrassing to have it turn up in Canada's history).

Canadian culture in general and the more detailed, specific ethos and work setting of the Canadian civil service in Ottawa is well described and, from the perspective of this Canadian who used to work and live there, seemed to be pretty accurate. Again, to the outsider looking in, it would be both interesting and informative.

But none of this ever came up to the level of compelling and certainly never reached breathlessness or urgency. In fact, for me, it was much more often down at the level of mundane and matter of fact.

An interesting, unique plot idea with some really obscure history is worth 4 stars. A humdrum execution at the level of 2 stars brings the whole novel in at an average of 3 stars. Readable and interesting but definitely not high on the charts for me.

Paul Weiss

This novel was a disappointment; it received rave reviews from The Global And Mail and mystery-related publications, so I had high hopes, and with its science theme (astronomy) I had to give it a try. It's about the mystery behind the death of a Canadian astronomer in Hawaii. The protagonist is sent from Canada to investigate it, and she discovers there are a lot of politics and intrigue behind why he died.

I stopped reading it about half the way through; it bored me. I didn't care about the mystery. The characters seemed superficial and contrived, and the story was getting silly, with too much spy-like events occuring to be credible.

The Canadian author received rave reviews for their first book, Dead Water Creek, but I have my doubts about it now if it's anything like this one.

I love these mysterys set in the world of science. I hope there are more coming.

This is a unique book that manages to both entertain and educate. Brett has created an interesting cast of characters and a vivid sense of setting (both in Hawaii and the Ottawa area). The pace is good, and just varied enough to keep the reader on his/her toes. The story has some great twists and turns, all leading up to a satisfying resolution.