Infinity Beach [L0008]

2000 - HCDJ excellent condition with wear on dust jacket. We are alone. That is the verdict, after centuries of SETI searches and space exploration. The only living things in the Universe are found on the Nine Worlds settled by Earthlings, and the starships that knit them together. No life has been found. No intelligent aliens, no strange ecologies, no awesome civilizations. Not even an amoeba, a lichen, a germ. The Universe is as sterile as a laboratory that was used only once. Or so it seems, until Dr. Kimberly Brandywine undertakes to find out what happened to her sister (and clone) Emily, who, after the final, unsuccessful manned SETI expedition, disappeared along with four others--one of them a famous war hero. Kim is about to discover the answer to life's oldest question. And she's going to like the answer even less than she imagines. With his trademark ingenuity, scientific audacity, and narrative energy, Jack McDevitt has penned a mystery in which humankind is the detective--and the universe itself is the corpse. Infinity Beach takes us into the strange, yet strangely familiar, civilization of our own far future--and into the heart of a bold woman whose search for her family's secret leads her to the greatest discovery of all time.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Usually sci-fi books are filled with technical jargon, or unpronounceable names and places with a lot of consonants, and far reaching story lines. Infinity Beach was a genuine murder mystery set in the future. It just happens to have space travel and a few alien sorts, but the book was definitely a mystery first and so well done."; "Excellent, engaging, entertaining, written with insight and vision; keeps you focused and wanting to read more. Strongly recommended to those who like sci fi and those who like rational thought." "A top-notch blend of science fiction and mystery. Infinity Beach takes the reader on an exciting ride; adventure, strong characters, a gripping mystery, burnished prose, and good science--this book has it all. It is an engrossing science fiction mystery. In addition to telling a great story, it offers the reader thoughtful questions about what it means for humanity to mature rather than stagnate as a species. McDevitt has served up another exciting, literate yarn."