If you’re in the mood for a science-fiction mystery with glam, grit, and a heroine who can’t afford to fail, this is the moment to jump in.
A glittering crime scene in orbit
Bijoux de L’Etoile is Earth’s most glamorous casino — only it isn’t on Earth. It’s in orbit, a floating palace of wealth and secrets where everyone has something to hide and the truth doesn’t travel in a straight line.
When murder hits a place designed to keep everything polished and contained, the whole station becomes a pressure cooker.
And here’s my favorite detail: Bijoux de L’Etoile is tethered to the planet by a space elevator — an elegant lifeline of engineering that turns “arrival” into a long climb through glitter and gravity.
Staff arrive via the elevator. Guests arrive by space jet. That single design choice bakes a rich/poor divide right into the station’s bones.
And then there are the views: acrobats in backpack rockets flipping past the casino windows, a high garden where you can look out at Earth through a breathtaking pane of glass, and even a pool where you can swim with the whole blue planet spread out beneath you.
Janey McCallister can’t afford to fail
Janey McCallister is a veteran military investigator from the Space Wing. This is her first case in the private sector. She’s not chasing glory. She’s trying to do her job well enough to keep it, because her mother’s expensive experimental drugs depend on her paycheck.
So when a priceless gem goes missing and the case turns deadly, Janey doesn’t get to opt out. She has to prove her competence — fast.
Janey is both clever and relentless — the kind of investigator who doesn’t let go once she finds the first loose thread.
Theft becomes murder, and the killer wants to disappear
A gem vanishes. Then someone dies. And suddenly Janey isn’t chasing a thief. She’s hunting a killer in a closed environment where “escape” can mean vanishing into the black.
And she’ll have to decide who to trust, including the mysterious insurance investigator Orlando Valdez.
A murder case, a dangerous attraction, and nowhere to hide.
Expect intrigue, red herrings as the plot thickens, and a unique sci-fi world.
Quick note from me
I’m Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction author, and I love stories that pair big imaginative settings with very human pressure-cooker choices.
I wrote Into the Black because it wouldn’t leave me alone. The story grew out of a vivid dream and gave me the chance to write what I’ve wanted for years: a mystery series with a strong, smart heroine, told through the lens of the science fiction I’ve loved since I was a teen.
Get Into the Black (Book 1) on sale here at the vendor of your choice:
Buy direct from me — the author!
On sale for 99¢ until August 31st 2026
