Crimes Against Humanity

THE BEST-SELLING UNDER JURISDICTION SERIES FROM CAMPBELL AWARD-NOMINATED AUTHOR SUSAN R. MATTHEWS CONTINUES. A new installment in the Phillip K. Dick-nominated series that Janis Ian called "a very scary series." Fleet Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko finds himself out of the frying pan and into the fire: "Rescued" from Gonebeyond to be offered up to the head of a devious crime syndicate.


Gonebeyond space: freedom from torture and genocide under Jurisdiction, but go there at your own risk – because the rule of Law has no place there, and undefended settlements can be exploited with impunity.


Until now. The Langsariks’ Hilton Shires is determined to bring order to Gonebeyond. He’s forged a coalition to bring the worst of the criminals—slavers—to justice, but the criminal cartels that have profited from the freedom of Gonebeyond for so long can’t have that. Taking away one of Gonebeyond’s most valuable resources would send a warning to the Langsarik Coalition—but where can they find an assassin to “disappear” the renegade Fleet Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko?


Enter his Excellency Danyo Pefisct. Years ago he honed his torturer’s craft against the Emandisan bond-involuntary Security slave Joslire Curran. Now he’s come to Gonebeyond to enslave Andrej Koscuisko himself for the personal pleasure of the head of one of Jurisdiction’s most powerful crime syndicates, and for all the protection Chief Stildyne and his “wolf pack” can provide there are only two people who can really stand in Danyo’s way—a man from Stildyne’s past with every reason to hate him; and a once-friend from Andrej’s student days who never liked him very much anyway . . .


At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).


Praise for Crimes Against Humanity:


"...a tightly styled, simply plotted examination of ambition, obsession, and the many faces of justice..."—Publishers Weekly


"Fans of space opera with a dark or grim twist will enjoy the idiosyncratic setting, full of former torturers and mind-control devices. . . ."—Booklist


About Blood Enemies:


"A very satisfying entry in a very scary series!"—Janis Ian


"Starting with An Exchange of Hostages, I devoured Susan R. Matthews 'Koscuisko' novels—all six of them—when they first appeared. Books with this much courage, clarity, and empathy are rare. The Under Jurisdiction series is a remarkable and unprecedented accomplishment.”—Stephen R. Donaldson, New York Times best-selling author of the Thomas Covenant series.


More praise for Susan R. Matthews:


“[Matthews] brilliantly uses science fiction’s freedom of creation to make a world in which she can explore deep moral conflicts.”—Denver Post


“. . . has a dark energy . . . an extremely compelling read.”—New York Review of Science Fiction


“A chilling and engaging novel of false accusation and the power of personal responsibility.”—Booklist on Angel of Drestruction


“A tightly woven space opera full of grand heroic gestures and characters strong enough to sustain all the action.”—Booklist on The Devil and Deep Space


Susan R. Matthews was raised in a military family and spent her younger years living around the globe in a myriad of places including Germany, both coasts of the U.S., and India. Often cut off from television and other media, she read voraciously. Her first encounters with science fiction came via classics such as I, Robot and Stranger in a Strange Land. Matthews' debut novel, An Exchange of Hostages, the first entry in her critically acclaimed Under Jurisdiction series, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. Matthews was also a finalist for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer. There are now seven novels in the Under Jurisdiction series. The first six are collected in two omnibus editions Fleet Inquisitor and Fleet Renegade. The newest entry in the series is Blood Enemies, published by Baen Books. Matthews lives in Seattle with her wife, Maggie, and two delightful dogs. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where she served as operations and security officer of a combat support hospital. She is also an avid HAM radio operator.