Planetside by Michael Mammy

The first in a trilogy by Michael Mammay, Planetside melds the best in the military science fiction tradition with a murder-mystery, and a droll and somewhat jaded perspective of the lead protagonist, in the guise of Col. Carl Butler. Who, with a healthy dose of scepticism, in an action-packed plot infused with plenty of action, gets to the bottom of the odd disappearance of a young lieutenant. But what should be a simple premise—find out what happened to Lt. Mallot—turns out to be anything but simple, for Butler and his team. And when he doesn’t trust the team he’s been given, any more than the commander of Capa Base, Col. Butler’s job becomes a game of matching wits with those around him. Military personnel who, at best, are either not enthusiastic about helping, or are doing their best to hinder his investigation while hiding secrets of their own. What Planetside is, at its heart, nestled within a framework of military science fiction, is a multi-layer and very cleverly written…