The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

I went into this novel knowing literally nothing about it other than three things: it was written by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, it centred around a “what if” scenario involving the Apollo 18 mission that never happened, and that murder was involved.

Had I read the cover blurb for it, I wouldn’t have nearly been as surprised by it as I was, so if you’re curious about an alternate history mystery surrounding the Apollo space program, stop reading this and go into it blind.

Okay, with that out of the way, let me break down how my perception changed while reading this book.

At first I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery set during the preparation for the Apollo 18 moon mission—a mission I knew had been planned, but ultimately cancelled (boo!). I assumed the murder would culminate in the cancellation of that mission that was subsequently covered up so that we’re all still comfortably in our current timeline.

Then I realized that not only were they going through with the mission, there was an opposing Soviet program going on at the same time, centering around an unmanned rover on the moon and a spy satellite in Earth orbit. At this point, I figured it was going to be a tense Cold War political intrigue between the two nations, with the slim possibility of everything being covered up as if it never happened.

Then the poop hit the rotary wind machine, and I realized this was the alternate history equivalent of Apollo 13.

Then I realized it’s a bit of all of the above. And by that point, I was only halfway through.

This book should appeal to a broad range of genres. History, alternate history, science, science fiction (even though the technical stuff is all real), mystery, political thriller… there’s something for everyone.

Hadfield’s style is functional, rather than poetic. You might be reminded of authors like Tom Clancy in that regard. But it’s a style that absolutely works for this story because it’s all about professionals being professional, even under pressure. So the narrative is equally professional sounding. Writing styles are like tools, and you need to use the right tool for the job.

At times Hadfield goes into extreme detail with how certain things work, but it’s never in a way that grinds the narrative to a halt. It serves a purpose, allowing us to see why something critical happens, rather than just have it happen, and reassure us of the verisimilitude of the moment. It’s something authors like Andy Weir and Michael Chricton do in their books.

The lead character in this story is former test pilot Kaz Zemeckis, who was going to be an astronaut himself when a collision with a seagull in his F-4 Phantom costs him an eye. He ends up being the military liaison for the upcoming Apollo 18 mission, whose mission parameters have recently been changed in light of a Russian spy satellite that is giving them concern. 

This station is called Almaz, and it’s worrying because they believe it has enough resolution to see everything America does. But that’s not all Russia is up to. Russia also has a rover on the moon called Lunokhod, which seems to have made a surprising discovery…

So, the crux of the Apollo 18’s mission is to sabotage Almaz while orbiting Earth before continuing its mission, and then find out what Lunokhod has been up to on the moon.

But before the mission even gets off the ground, there is an accident that kills one of the astronauts, requiring a change in crew. An investigation shows that it probably wasn’t an accident, but by the time Kaz realizes that, three of their suspects are now in space, travelling a quarter of a million miles away. They have to come back eventually, but after their encounter with Almaz, even that’s no longer a certainty.

That’s as far as I’m going to go with a synopsis, but this is the point where things get really interesting. Things go from bad, to surprising, to worse over the course of the rest of the mission, and don’t let up even when they return home.

Hadfield’s attention to detail helps bring the science and engineering to life. Again, I’d compare it to a Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton book, only better written (Crichton, I love ya, but you really can’t write an ending).

Hadfield does fall into certain tropes of the genre that I might have avoided… or I might have felt compelled to do as well, who knows? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with having a love interest if it’s done right—but does it really add anything to the story? The one thing you don’t want is for it to feel tacked on. This doesn’t… but it’s close.

If you are expecting a Hercule Poirot like moment at the end where Kaz has everyone in a room and says, “I suppose you’re wondering why I called you all here today…” then you’re going to be disappointed. The reader suspects who the killer is fairly early on, and has that suspicion confirmed not long after.

Something surprising I only learned after I finished the book was just how much was based on things that really existed, and it exposed just how little I knew about the space race between America and Russia.

There’s a lot of fact interwoven in with the fiction, far more than I realized. Hadfield doesn’t invent anything that wasn’t actually in use, but tweaks things to look at what could have been. Apollo 18 was cancelled. The Almaz station existed, but didn’t get a chance to be used the way it was intended. Lunokhod didn’t find anything extraordinary on the moon.

But what if…?

And, of course, Hadfield incorporates the actual people who would have been working there (on both sides), along with political and other entities that would have been involved. 

I had a surprisingly conflicted feeling while reading this book, but it’s not a fault of the book itself. This is, among other things, a cold war thriller. There are spies and subterfuge and secrets and double dealings going on. There are people who are trying to play both sides and all kinds of other shenanigans….

And I found myself wishing none of it had happened so it could focus on the proper Apollo 18 mission! I know that all those shenanigans were the point of the story, but still… I think it shows where my heart lies that I got endlessly annoyed that people didn’t just cooperate and study some interesting moon rocks!

My frustration wasn’t with the story, but the characters. At the same time, it’s a testament to the understanding of both politics and human nature that things play out the way they do. I didn’t want things to play out the way they did, but to handle things differently would have been dishonest, and indulging in wish fulfilment.

That said, I did find the space-related stuff more interesting, but then that’s why I liked The Martian so much. Fortunately, Hadfield delivered more than enough of that to keep me happy, so we’re good.

Whether your genre preferences lie in something more Tom Clancy or more Andy Weir, this book is going to fit the bill. Just don’t expect much Agatha Christie.