We are alone.
That is the verdict, after centuries of SETI searches and space exploration. The only living things in the Universe are found on the Nine Worlds settled by Earthlings, and the starships that knit them together.
No life has been found. No intelligent aliens, no strange ecologies, no awesome civilizations. Not even an amoeba, a lichen, a germ. The Universe is as sterile as a laboratory that was used only once.
Or so it seems, until Dr. Kimberly Brandywine undertakes to find out what happened to her sister (and clone) Emily, who, after the final, unsuccessful manned SETI expedition, disappeared along with four others--one of them a famous war hero. But they were not the only ones to vanish: so did an entire village, destroyed by a still-unexplained explosion.
Following a few ominous clues (including a model of a starship that never existed) Kim discovers that the log of the ill-fated Hunter was faked. Something happened, out there in the darkness between the stars. Someone was murdered--and something was brought back. Something that still leaves ghostly traces in the night.
Kim is prepared to go to any length to find out the truth, even if it means giving up her career with Beacon, the most colossal--and controversial--of all the SETI projects. Even if it means stealing a starship. Even if it means giving up her only love.
Kim is about to discover the answer to life's oldest question. And she's going to like the answer even less than she imagines.
With his trademark ingenuity, scientific audacity, and narrative energy, Jack McDevitt has penned a mystery in which humankind is the detective--and the universe itself is the corpse. Infinity Beach takes us into the strange, yet strangely familiar, civilization of our own far future--and into the heart of a bold woman whose search for her family's secret leads her to the greatest discovery of all time.
About the Author :
Jack McDevitt is the author of A Talent for War, The Engines of God, Ancient Shores, Eternity Road, Moonfall, and numerous prize-winning short stories. He has served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, taught English and literature, and worked for the U.S. Customs Service in North Dakota and Georgia.
Review :
"Gripping mystery, taut intrigues...and fascinating aliens; an altogether splendid, satisfying puzzle."-- "Kirkus" (starred review)"Jack McDevitt is that splendid rarity, a writer who is a storyteller first and a science fiction writer second. In his ability to absolutely rivet the reader, it seems to me that he is the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. "Infinity Beach" is a ... fascinating look at how first contact with an utterly alien species might happen. I simply couldn't put it down. You're going to love it even if you think you don't like science fiction."-- Stephen King"Unfolds as precisely as an origami flower, and will hold readers in thrall."-- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)"Combines elements of mystery and horror with a classic story of first contact in a masterly tale." -- "Library Journal" "Exquisitely timed revelations maximize suspense, and fine characterization and world building also hold the reader's interest, as do many original touches." -- "Booklist" "A slick First Contact story...a fine read."-- "The San Diego Union-Tribune" "Bottom line, "Infinity Beach" is a good read, a deft combination of science-fiction and a whisp of horror in a future that is almost believable. McDevitt makes it a page-turner." -- "The Florida Times-Union" "The new novel by Jack McDevitt, one of science fiction's most spine- and mind-tingling authors, presents contact--or lack of contact--with an intelligent alien species as a cosmic puzzle, a murder mystery, a ghost story and a philosophical debate..."Infinity Beach" is layered with multiple plots, thrust by a metaphor-filled, nimble-narrative writing style and emboldened with the most humane of ideas, feelings, hopesand fears...It's jaw-dropping time."-- "The Macon Telegraph" "[McDevitt's] best yet thanks to a clever plot, superior characterizations, and several outstandingly good scenes."--"Science Fiction Chronicle""Another page-turner...thoroughly entertains and absorbs you in its unfolding drama."--"The New York Review of Science Fiction"
