Finder by Suzanne Palmer

Title: Finder
Author: Suzanne Palmer
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 391 pages
Publication: April 12, 2019 by Daw Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He'll slip in, decode the ship's compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.

Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant-harvesting colony called Cernee. But Fergus' arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger's enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly--and inconveniently--invested in the lives of the locals.

It doesn't help that a dangerous alien species thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following Fergus around.

Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he's called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process.

Finder had me at “…thief, con artist, repo man.” In my opinion, all the best stories involve them. Finder introduce readers to Fergus Ferguson on a mission to recover (steal back) the spacecraft Venetia’s Sword. His goal is to get in and get out without complications, but that optimism is blown to kingdom come when his life entangles with the Vahns. Fergus suddenly finds himself in a middle of a war of his own making and half of Cernee and the entire galaxy gunning for him.

I really enjoyed Finder, it was a fun, action packed space adventure! The world building had all the familiar sci-fi techno baubles and jargon; various terrains, interesting and unique species, a governmental council, tyrants and rebels. The little pocket of space that Fergus found himself in was ran by five main gangster-type syndicates, all dabbling in some sort of illegal activity which was no surprise that one of syndicates stole The Sword. What I liked most about Finder was the perfect balance between seriousness, tender-moments and humor as well as the characters themselves. I thought Fergus was a great character. Throughout the book Fergus probably broke hundreds of rules and isn’t necessarily a good guy but he does the right thing when it mattered. Which is really ALL that matters. I loved his personality, his lightening fast thinking and sheer luck in narrowly escaping every predicament he found himself in. The vibrator and tennis balls were ingenious and hilarious! Mari, Fergus’s teenage companion was the perfect sidekick. They worked well as a team and their banter made for amusing dialogue.

A reviewer compared Finder to Guardian of the Galaxy and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a fun and light sci-fi read that will appeal to those who like unconventional heroes and an all-around good space adventure. I’m a bit bummed that this is a standalone but am glad I got a chance to read this book because it introduced me to Palmer’s work. Looking forward to reading more of it.