The Apollo Murders
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4.4 • 160 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
The #1 bestselling Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is back with an exceptional Cold War thriller from the dark heart of the Space Race.
“An exciting journey to an alternate past” Andy Weir, author of The Martian
“Nail-biting” James Cameron, writer and director of Avatar and Titanic
“Not to be missed” Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal
“Explosive” Gregg Hurwitz, author of Orphan X
“Exciting, authentic” Linwood Barclay, author of Find You First
1973. A final, top-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts in a tiny module, a quarter of a million miles from home. A quarter of a million miles from help.
As Russian and American crews sprint for a secret bounty hidden away on the lunar surface, old rivalries blossom and the political stakes are stretched to breaking point back on Earth. Houston flight controller Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis must do all he can to keep the NASA crew together, while staying one step ahead of his Soviet rivals. But not everyone on board Apollo 18 is quite who they appear to be.
Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders puts you right there in the moment. Experience the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of Space and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, as told by a former Commander of the International Space Station who has done all of those things in real life.
Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This thriller set in the world of space aeronautics feels chillingly real. No surprise—it was penned by an actual former astronaut. It’s 1973 and tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union are running high. The Apollo 18 moon mission is well underway, and America hopes it will provide some insights into a not-so-secret Russian space station. But when the mission goes deadly wrong and three astronauts are trapped in space, flight controller Kaz Zemeckis finds himself in a race against a ticking clock, technical problems, and a potential mole in his own ranks. We were glued to shuttle-era astronaut Chris Hadfield’s suspenseful story. The Apollo Murders has all the political backstabbing and cloak-and-dagger intrigue you’d want from a Cold War thriller, mixed with a good, old-fashioned “...IN SPAAAACE!” adventure story. And these two elements go together brilliantly.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Hadfield (An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth) makes his fiction debut with a spectacular alternate history thriller. In 1973, the Apollo 18 moon mission, which was canceled in real-life, becomes a military reconnaissance operation aimed at gaining intel about a new Soviet space station, Almaz. Because Almaz, in effect "a huge, manned camera," threatens U.S. national security, the Apollo 18 team is charged with trying to sabotage the station, but one Apollo astronaut's death in a plane crash puts that goal at risk. The tragedy triggers an investigation into its cause and whether the astronaut's aircraft was deliberately tampered with. Houston flight controller Kaz Zemeckis works desperately to keep things on track, unaware that someone involved on the American end is a Russian mole. Hadfield keeps readers in suspense about the identity of the Soviet agent and how the cold war confrontation in space will play out. His mastery of the details enables him to generate high levels of tension from just a description of a welding error, which cascades into something significant. This is an intelligent and surprising nail-biter that Tom Clancy fans will relish.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!
Wow!
Excellent
Great read a page turner of a thriller
Just had to keep reading….
At first, I found all the technical jargon daunting, but the story intriguing so I continued to wade thru’ until I no longer found it drudgery, but actually embraced every technical word, but appreciated the education. Thank you, Chris Hadfield!