Combining detailed science with a complex alternate history thriller, The Apollo Murders ended up being an excellent and powerful read that I deeply enjoyed.Īt the heart of this novel lies a captivating and multilayered narrative surrounding a doomed mission into space. Hadfield, a former astronaut known for his excellent rendition of ‘Space Oddity‘ filmed aboard the ISS, was able to construct a compelling and fast-paced novel with an amazing story to it. This was a pretty impressive debut from Chris Hadfield, who really showed a lot of talent in this book. Forced to contend with the knowledge that an Apollo astronaut in space might be a murderous saboteur with nothing to lose, Kaz and the flight team at Huston can only watch helplessly as events unfold and the future of space travel is changed forever. Worse, it soon becomes clear that the helicopter crash that killed one of the astronauts was no accident. However, back on Earth, the Soviet government is determined to turn this to their advantage by any means necessary, even if it means utilising a long-hidden intelligence asset. Forced to work together with their Russian stowaway, the crew begins to descend towards the moon on an apparent joint venture. The encounter results in a terrible accident and a cosmonaut being trapped aboard the Apollo craft as it hurtles towards the moon.Īs the American and Soviet governments argue over the unfortunate events, the Apollo crew attempt to undertake a moon landing with limited crew and resources. However, the Americans are unprepared for the satellite to be manned by Russian cosmonauts determined to defend their station. Forced to take on a new crew member at the last minute, the team launches and begins to make for their primary mission, the spy satellite. However, Kaz is also under orders to prepare the military astronauts on board for a covert operation to investigate the Russians’ recent rover mission to the moon as well as a secret spy satellite orbiting Earth that could give the Soviets an invaluable advantage in the Cold War.Īs the crew prepares for their mission, tragedy strikes when a helicopter crash results in the death of one of the astronauts. On paper, NASA plans to send three astronauts to the moon, seemingly on a scientific expedition. In 1973, former test pilot turned government liaison officer Kazimieras “Kaz” Zemeckis arrives at Huston to supervise NASA’s latest voyage into space for their 18 th Apollo mission. Prepare for one of the most impressive and complex debuts of 2021, with the exciting alternate history science fiction thriller, The Apollo Murders, by former astronaut Chris Hadfield. Publisher: Quercus/Hachette Audio (Audiobook – 12 October 2021)

The apollo murders book review