Timothy Zahn writes sci-fi mystery noir — a thrilling concept if one can keep all the various elements in motion throughout a book-length tale. In general, Zahn does this well in ODD GIRL OUT, imbuing protagonist Frank Compton with the requisite tough-guy cynicism and ability with a gun that all noir detectives need.
Compton is on the trail of the Modhri, a group mind that is able to travel throughout the galaxy via small clumps of coral polyps imbedded in their various alien hosts. The Modhri are parasites, generally leaving the hosts unmolested. But the Modhri can take over the host bodies at any time and force them to do whatever, while leaving the Modhri undetected — an excellent plan for galactic domination.
Compton and his sidekick, Bayta, want it stopped. But the problem is not everyone knows of the threat. When Compton is confronted in his apartment by a young woman who is worried for the safety of a 10-year-old girl, and then the woman is brutally killed in what appears to be an effort to destroy the Modhri colony within her, Compton is intrigued. When the police think he is the killer, he becomes involved.
The action is fast-paced, the plot is original and intriguing, and the characters are likable, well-grounded and thoroughly realistic in the world. The only drawback is that sometimes the plot and the machinations of the Modhri are inscrutably complex, and often needlessly so. But if you’re craving an adventurous mystery and don’t mind a non-traditional setting, then Zahn is an author you should seek. —Mark Rose
