Dark Matter: Ellis McFadden Mysteries

By: Kristen Painter

Narrated by: Robyn Maryke

Step into the enigmatic world of the Athos—a vessel that blends the luxury of a cruise ship, the intrigue of a scientific research station, and the might of a military starship. Here, amidst the stars, you'll find Ellis McFadden, the ship’s head librarian, enjoying the quiet of the fallow phase with her knitting, her android cat Harry, and her growing romance with Frank.Even better that she gets to experience it all while in proximity to her daughter, who just happens to be the vice admiral. But life aboard the ship takes a darker turn when the Athos docks at Bastion 8 to take on three prisoners—including the trillionaire mining magnate accused of brutally murdering his lifelong best friend and business partner.As the ship’s librarian, Ellis is required to provide reading material to the prisoners. When the main suspect insists he’s innocent and begs for law books to build his defense, Ellis can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. With the help of Frank, Harry, and her friends, she begins quietly digging into the case—only to discover some key witnesses are also aboard.Armed with her wits, the loyalty of her eclectic friends, and a growing sense that the official story has too many holes, Ellis dives into a mystery as dangerous as the rare and dangerous mineral at the heart of the crime. Can she uncover the truth and clear an innocent man before the real killer strikes again?©2026 Kristen Painter (P)2026 Kristen Painter

Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Kristen Painter
Elis McFadden mysteries #4. Sci-fi space opera. Can be read as a stand-alone but better if you’ve read at least one of the first three.
The Athos is a military scientific starship crossed with a cruise ship. Ellis McFadden is the head librarian. She’s on the ship to be close to her daughter, the Vice Admiral. Ellis and Frank Kitson, one of the ship engineers, have been instrumental in solving a few mysteries aboard the ship and this is a new adventure.

The Athos takes on three prisoners during a stop at Bastion 8. As Head Librarian, Ellis is allowed to talk to the prisoners and supply them with reading material on the voyage to the courts. One of the prisoners asks for law books to help him prove his innocence.
Soon Ellis and Frank are scouring the databases for background and details to help.

🎧 I read both an ebook and audiobook. The narration is performed by Robyn Maryke who does the full series as POV from Ellis McFadden. Ellis is a 50 something professional, mother, and amateur detective. The performance is consistent over the four stories and brings to mind a smart woman with a head for details. There are additional voices for Frank, Harry with a slightly British accent, and other secondary characters. I love these performances as I’m swept into the mystery and often amusing android pets. The audiobooks are compelling and fun.

No spiders in space. Sign me up!
Ellis, or the author, goes over the top in describing all the food at meals, often making me crave whatever the dish is.
LOVED the little surprise at the end. So thoughtful and touching.
And of course, Harry and Gracie are wonderful secondary characters often providing just a touch of humor.

Another adventurous mystery I couldn’t wait to dive into. A bit of a space opera with a bit of humor from the pets and happenings around the ship.

I received an early copy from the author. I also purchased a copy to keep.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½ - A good mystery, just a bit less exciting t

Dark Matter: Ellis McFadden Mysteries

I really liked the book. The series as a whole has been good, Dark Matter was a decent read but I thought it lacked the action and excitement of the first three.

I still enjoyed spending time with Ellis, Harry, Frank and the rest of the crew on the Athos. The mystery was good and it was fun to watch Ellis piece it all together as it turned out to be something rather more than it first appeared.

I'll tell you what, I actually worked out who the killer was before the big reveal! That's not something that happens all the time so I was quite pleased with myself. LOL!

It did move a bit more slowly than the last couple of books, but it was still a very good mystery and had the usual suspects that I've come to love. Looking forward to what Ellis gets herself into next!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars! ⭐