Zero World

I’m not quite sure of what I make of Zero World by Jason M. Hough or rather I’m not sure how to discuss what I make of the book without giving away plot points that the author is very good at revealing unexpectedly.  What we have here is basically a thriller with SF overtones and an author who likes to keep everyone in the dark.  Peter Caswell is a spy, an industrial spy.  He has an implant that resets his memories after every assignment so, while he knows he has killed, he never knows details of any kind.  He is sent off on a mission to a recently recovered space craft where he finds all but one of the crew dead.  Discovering that the crew had been through a mysterious rift in space to an earth-like planet, he is sent in to see if he can find and assassinate the missing crew member.  

The book is quite good - though this is an author with no compunction about killing many, many characters.  I, however, found that the author’s parsimonious release of information about the overall structure of the world and his continual use of surprise annoying.  Try at your own risk.