Maze-Born Trouble

I know I'm always going to find something strange when I pick up one of Ginn Hale's books, and I really enjoyed this original sci-fi noir story. It's set on a space station that orbits a black hole, and there's a lot of detail about the different levels of the station and the huge cultural differences that exist between the different groups of people who live there.

Lake Harmaa, the main character, is a tough private detective who grew up in the lowest part of the station, among a cult that ritually blinds its members. He can use a device that simulates vision, but he's most comfortable relying on his other senses. The writing really takes advantage of his perspective, with many sensory details that make the whole setting feel real.

As in other works I've read from this author, the world-building is absolutely top-notch, and the characters are very much products of their environments. The different groups of people in this world actually have different types of bodies, due to gravity changes, as in The Expanse series. There's some prejudice against Lake's people for a variety of reasons, and his own people don't like him much either. So he's had to work hard to make his own way in life.

He has carried a torch for his former police partner for many years. Their romance is not the focus of the story, but I feel it had a lot of emotional weight, especially since Lake is so hard-boiled otherwise. He doesn't always remember the good in himself, and he doesn't think he deserves a relationship with his love interest, whom he sees as a real paragon. But I definitely wanted them both to find a happy ending.

The main plot is a murder mystery, and both the mystery and the romance have satisfying conclusions. It's a fairly short book but didn't feel rushed or unfinished.

Content warnings for anyone with an insect phobia and anyone who prefers not to read about rape at all (it's not detailed and not meant to be erotic).