Echo, a review

Echo by Jack McDevitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fun entry in the Alex Benedict series. Benedict, a dealer in antiquities in the far future, finds himself ensnared in mysteries throughout the series, and Echo is no different. The novel is written in the first person through the eyes of Chase Kolpath, Benedict's assistant and pilot.

In this book, a mysterious tablet once owned by an archeologist obsessed with finding alien life. Benedict and Kolpath's attempts to acquire the tablet drag them into a deep well of secrets, murder, and a terrible secret that unknown parties are willing to kill to keep secret.

One reason I like these books is that McDevitt never shies away from the ethical questions about Benedict's work, and in this case, the increasingly clear human damage caused by their quest. Benedict is an obsessive man, and Kolpath is forced to make some difficult decisions in both her professional and personal life.

The secret, once revealed, is appalling, and the reveal of the villain is a bit abrupt. This really reads like an Agatha Christie story, with a wide cast of characters, slowly unfolding clues, and finally the big reveal and denouement. My only complaint here is there are so many characters, it became difficult to remember who was doing what and when.

Very good book, I'll be picking up the next in the series pretty soon.



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