Murder on the Galaxy Belle
(2026)(The first book in the Cosmic Casefiles series)
A novel by PJ Skinner
A battered cargo ship. A hostile crew. Is one of them a murderer?
When Stella Maris inherits a rust-bucket cargo vessel, her plan is simple: sell it, take the money, and start over. Unfortunately, the Albatross comes with unpaid, disgruntled crew members who refuse to hand over the ship until she settles their wages.Then her buyer walks away, leaving Stella stuck with a spaceship she does not want and a crew who do not trust her. A last-minute delivery job to the luxury liner Galaxy Belle offers a way out - One run, settle accounts, and go their separate ways.
During the handover of the cargo, a VIP passenger is found dead aboard the liner, and Stella’s crew are in the frame for murder. Security locks down the docking bay. No one leaves. Everyone is under suspicion.
Stella and her ragtag crew must work together to clear their names and untangle what really happened before they are declared guilty by convenience. There is just one complication. Stella’s charming, infuriating pilot, Kit Devereux, was the last person seen with the victim. Stella cannot decide whether she can trust the silver-tongued rogue or whether she is helping a murderer walk free.
For readers of Skyler Ramirez and fans of space detective series, sci fi detective agency stories, and sci fi whodunits.
Genre: Science Fiction