The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses

De: Malka Older

Narrado por: Lindsey Dorcus

A brand-new entry in the Hugo, Nebula, and Ignyte Award-nominated sapphic, cozy space-opera mystery series The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, which Charlie Jane Anders calls "an utter triumph."

When a former classmate begs Pleiti for help on behalf of her cousin—who’s up for a prestigious academic position at a rival Jovian university but has been accused of plagiarism on the eve of her defense—Pleiti agrees to investigate the matter.

Even if she has to do it without Mossa, her partner in more ways than one. Even if she’s still reeling from Mossa’s sudden isolation and bewildering rejection.

Yet what appears to be a case of an attempted reputational smearing devolves into something decidedly more dangerous—and possibly deadly.

“The mystery will enthrall those looking for more sci-fi/mystery blends, while Mossa and Pleiti’s relationship is a delight for sapphic romance readers.”—Library Journal

©2025 Malka Older (P)2025 Recorded Books

This Installment Challenges Mossa and Pleiti’s Relationship

I’m going to preface a lot of my below review by sharing that I tend to dislike stories about couples struggling in their relationships, so this colored my experience with this book (this preference is born out of my parents divorcing when I was in high school).

We get insight into Mossa that she struggles with some mental health issues, causing her to push away Pleiti in this third installment of the series. This isn’t a spoiler, because it happens in the very beginning of the book. This forces Pleiti to enter into an investigation at another college on a different part of Giant without Mossa’s assistance. Pleiti frets a lot about whether she is capable enough to do this without Mossa, and while it’s reasonable that she would, I got tired of this narrative very quickly. Likewise, the whole drama with Mossa pushing Pleiti away became equally tiresome.

The story focuses on what appears to be an attempt to discredit a brilliant scientist working at the other college as she is about to essentially get tenure (it’s referred to as a donship, but I get the feeling that’s what it essentially is). Things escalate quickly, but a lot of the investigation feels like spinning wheels, because Pleiti constantly questions her ability to handle the investigation while also obsessing over Mossa’s absence.

This is the longest installment in the series, and at first, this made me excited. Once the story got going, though, I wished it could have been shorter. Older does a good job capturing the kind of drama and frustration that would unfold from a couple dealing with one member’s depression, but I didn’t enjoy the experience as a reader. I felt a lot of the problems would have been solved if Pleiti and Mossa had just talked it out in the beginning, and based on how things play out, I feel justified in this opinion. Having the pair separated for the majority of the story also robbed the book of a lot of the charm that the first two books contained, which involved Pleiti and Mossa working together.

Even when Mossa and Pleiti eventually reunite through the course of the investigation, I found it unsatisfying. In many ways, the story tries to capture elements of The Hound of the Baskervilles, in how Holmes investigates at a distance while Watson flounders through his own efforts, unaware of what Holmes is doing to investigate matters. For me, the partnership of Mossa and Pleiti is what makes this series so enjoyable. I like the odd couple moments where they balance out one another.

Regarding my distaste for stories about couples who struggle, I recognize not everyone will have that reaction. For them, this will provide an important and hopefully enjoyable installment in the series. Ultimately, I get the feeling the importance of this book is to make Pleiti better understand that she is more Mossa’s equal than she gives herself credit.

I do feel like things could have been tightened up significantly, and the mystery itself doesn’t feel as tightly woven compared to the first two books. The actions of the antagonist and the way they ultimately get caught don’t ring true to me. That might simply be the byproduct of a first person POV story without any real moments in the head of the antagonist.

If I were to rate this story more accurately, I’d give it 3.5 stars, but given part of my distaste came from a personal bias, I opted to round up to 4. I’m still on board for a fourth book, and will eagerly read it when it arrives.

I also want to give added praise to narrator Lindsey Dorcus, who gives yet another phenomenal performance in the audiobook. The quality of Older’s writing, coupled with Dorcus’s narration, is part of why I’m hooked on this series.