Nobody's Baby

By: Olivia Waite

Narrated by: Blair Baker

Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple in the second entry of this cozy sci-fi mystery series, helmed by a formidable no-nonsense auntie of a detective.

Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty's most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.

A wild baby appears! Dorothy Gentleman, ship's detective, is put to the test once again when an infant is mysteriously left on her nephew’s doorstep. Fertility is supposed to be on pause during the Fairweather’s journey across the stars—but humans have a way of breaking any rule you set them. Who produced this child, and why did they then abandon him? And as her nephew and his partner get more and more attached, how can Dorothy prevent her colleague and rival detective, Leloup, a stickler for law and order, from classifying the baby as a stowaway or a piece of luggage?

Told from Dorothy’s delightfully shrewd POV, this novella series is an ode to the cozy mystery taken to the stars with a fresh new sci-fi take—perfect for fans of the plot-twisty narratives of Dorothy Sayers and Ann Leckie.

"Narrator [Blair] Baker keeps this novel's tone firmly cozy..." —Library Journal on Murder by Memory

"[Narrator Blair] Baker's tone and cadence are a good fit for the semiretired ship's detective." —Kirkus on Murder by Memory

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com

Critic reviews

"In this exquisite, slim novel, Waite blends a cozy locked-room mystery and inventively logical world building to create an addictive read that will delight mystery and SF fans." —Booklist, starred review

"Sharply plotted... Waite is just as successful balancing sci-fi worldbuilding and twisty mystery here as in the first installment, all while probing complex themes of memory and personhood. Fans will not be disappointed." —Publishers Weekly

"Waite follows up Murder by Memory with this warm, locked-ship, sci-fi mystery that is a delight for cozy mystery readers looking for new sleuths and settings." —Library Journal

"Quirky characters, wry dialogue, and a puzzle-like plot reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books... A gentle charmer of an SF mystery that surprises as it satisfies." —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Murder by Memory

"Waite perfectly blends futuristic technology and cozy mystery with lush descriptions and a twisty plot that delivers at every turn. Readers will be eager to hear more from Dorothy." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Dorothy is terrific as an investigator, and traveling the space lanes from inside her wry, witty head is a great way to solve a mystery." — Library Journal, starred review

"[A] playful hybrid of Golden Age Detective fiction and an entirely novel version of the generation-ship trope.... Playful in tone but serious in aspect, it makes for a refreshing morsel." — Locus

"Waite’s fascinating take on a generation ship lends an interesting twist to the structure of the mystery and will satisfy readers who prize novel world building." — Booklist

"Intelligent and always surprising, Waite’s book artfully weaves a queer love story into a unique mystery/science fiction hybrid form that is pure entertainment from start to finish...An engaging novella that combines cozy-mystery charm with the edginess of high-tech SF." — Kirkus

"An incredibly fun and clever novella."— BookRiot

Another Excellent Novella!

Nobody's Baby is the second book in the Dorothy Gentleman sci-fi mystery series by Olivia Waite. When a baby is dropped off on her nephew's doorstep, Detective Gentleman has many questions to answer. First off, where did the baby come from? Since none of the ten thousand passengers should be able to reproduce, and none of the retromats can print a baby, tracking down biological parents seems like a logical first step. When they find the mother, however, it turns out she'd died of a stroke three days ago. So who dropped the baby off on Ruthie's doorstep?

HMS Fairweather is a luxurious interstellar mind-ship, where all passengers have artificial immortality for their "centuries-long journey across the stars." In the process of providing new bodies for the ten thousand adults, "bodies had been carefully treated to prevent conception and reproduction so the population would remain stable" until their destination.

Nobody's Baby brings more depth to this world, with insight into ship laws and the way laws will change once the Fairweather reaches humanity's new home. It also has a lovely touch of sapphic romance between Detective Gentleman and a woman she met on a previous case, as seen in the first book.

The writing is delightful and the characters are all complex and memorable. This universe is rich with unique details, such as each passenger bringing one heirloom item for future generations. It makes you wonder; if you could only bring one item with you on transit to a new planet, what would you choose?

Detective Gentlemen is a delightful sci-fi mystery series with endless possibilities, and I will eagerly await further books.