An old school homicide detective gets paired with a young nerdy detective in Pryor & Cummings The GAIA Incident.
A computer scientist is found dead locked within a school lab. Video shows him getting shot but no one left the lab afterwards. Can Pryor and Cummings determine how the murder was committed and by whom?
First of all, I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters in this police procedural. I also liked the idea of a techie locked room mystery.
However, I disliked two aspects of the plot. The mystery of where the weapon had been hidden only revealed its clues after the detective solved it. There is no way for an armchair detective, like me, to determine the answer before the detective’s reveal. On the other hand, how the murder was committed (the locked room puzzle) was obvious to me, which ruined the twist a third into the book. Luckily, the action-filled conclusion made up for both of these negatives!
If you are looking for a modern police procedural with a technological, almost science fiction, focus, Pryor & Cummings The GAIA Incident is highly recommended. 4 stars!
Thanks to Integration Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.