author : Peter F. Hamilton

England is slowly recovering from global warming, the effects of which have been exacerbated by a Credit Crash, and a disastrous 10 year rule of the People's Socialist Party. Greg Mandel, a private detective with Psi-enhanced empathy, is called in to help the Event Horizon corporation -- run by Philip and Julia Evans -- which is being attacked by unknown hackers for unknown reasons. He solves one case -- sabotage of memox crystal fabrication on the Zanthus space station -- but it turns out to be just a small symptom of a bigger conspiracy to bring down the New Conservative government. Greg calls on a range of old friends (Gabriel, another Psi-enhanced, with precognitive powers; Royan, a genius hacker crippled by PSP thugs; Teddy, an old army buddy who now runs the Trinities, an anti-PSP street gang) to help him crack the case. No surprises who the real villain is.

All the action takes place around Peterborough, Cambridge, and Wisbech, which adds to the fun if you know the area.

A well drawn post-cataclysm-but-still-high-tech future. The consequences of all this on society has been thought out in some depth (the Fens have reflooded, Peterborough is the economic capital of the country), and is believably integrated into the story.

It is two years after the events in Mindstar Rising. An eccentric scientist has been murdered, and Julia Evans discovers he was on Event Horizon's payroll. So she calls in Greg Mandel to help the local police. It's a classic "locked room" mystery -- only six people could possibly have done it, and Greg discovers each is innocent. But the more he looks into the case, the more motives he discovers, and he keeps getting odd psi-flashes about the lakes...

More great post-Warming England, geting slowly back on its feet, with a fascinating mixture of high and low tech, and loads of delicious little details. Some great sub-plots, and we get to meet many of our old friends from the previous book.

It is 15 years after the events in A Quantum Murder. Julia Evans' husband disappeared eight months ago, his only contact with her the gift of an enigmatic flower. When analysed, the flower is found to have a genetic structure like nothing seen on earth. And somebody is offering to sell her a fantastic new technology. So Julia calls on her old friend Greg Mandel, to track down the person who delivered the flower. He agrees to help, for old time's sake. After all, it's just a simple tracking job, no difficulty, no danger...

Twists and counter-twists abound, as Greg tracks clues through the labyrinthine divisions that comprise Julia Evans' Event Horizon super-corporation, until all the various sub-plots converge for the grand finale in New London, an earth-orbiting asteroid. The plot is wonderfully put together, but again it is the rich details of the near-future world, its technologies and its politics, that make this series so fascinating and entertaining.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Sonnie's Edge. 1991

• A Second Chance at Eden. 1997

• New Days Old Times. 1997

• Candy Buds. 1992

• Deathday. 1991

• The Lives and Loves of Tiarella Rosa. 1993. = Spare Capacity

• Escape Route. 1997

Peter Hamilton's SF detective novella is packaged back-to-back "Ace Double" style with a second novella by a different author that I am not reviewing.

It is 1832 in what is clearly an alternate universe, and a shocking murder has just been committed. There is not enough evidence to catch, let alone convict, the murderer. But the man in charge of the case is nothing if not dogged. And over the years technology improves, whittling down the number of suspects, until eventually, in a very different world, justice is done.

This is a lovely alternate world, and a lovely description of advancing science. It is not really a classic detective story, though, as we are not given the clues we need to solve the crime ourselves; we are just along for the ride. And I think the punishment finally meted out on the murderer is one of the most truely chilling I have ever seen suggested.

• Helicon 2 panel discussion of the Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist