The Apollo Murders

&KULV +DG HOG Quercus £20 z HB

Chris Hadfield has an unusually extensive CV. He is not only an accomplished test pilot and astronaut, but a photographer, musician, best-selling author, and now novelist. In this, his first story, what appears to be an accidental death in the run up to the launch of Apollo 18 turns into something much more sinister, and three suspects are trapped aboard the claustrophobic capsule while Cold War tensions heat up.

Told from several perspectives, Hadfield draws on his experience of spaceflight in this alternate-history tale, which is part murder mystery, part political thriller.

Here Hadfield’s personal insight really stands out. Details such as the feel of the spacesuit, the headspace of the astronauts and the cabin layout, all put you into the story and make you feel claustrophobia, panic and determination alongside the characters. However, it does rely on having a good background knowledge of spaceflight and the Apollo missions. Without that, the frequent need to Google may take you out of the story a little. The multi-perspective storytelling can also take time to adjust to.

While often compelling, this book could also be streamlined: the minute technical details occasionally over-complicate the story and obscure the bigger picture.

Thriller fans used to a faster pace might be slightly underwhelmed, but Apollo and aeronautics buffs will love the detail and Hadfield’s exceptional insight into the experience of spaceflight.

Katie Sawers is a science writer specialising in cosmology and the history of astronomy