Jack McDevitt’s new book Coming Home, the latest book in the Alex Benedict series, and serves as a great example of what McDevitt has to offer. Set thousands of years in the future, Coming Home features antiquarian Alex Benedict and his assistant/friend Chase Kolpath as they unravel the mystery surrounding a piece of ancient space technology while also grappling with a race against the clock to save thousands of passengers who are trapped in hyperspace–and one of those passengers is Alex’s uncle Gabe Benedict.

A master storyteller, Jack McDevitt delivers another compelling tale of mystery, intrigue, and antiques hunting with Coming Home. After the death of a colleague (Garnett Baylee), a rare artifact from a lost treasure trove of ancient space travel equipment is brought to Alex Benedict’s attention. Alex, being Alex, can’t turn away from the potential of solving an ancient mystery and discovering something from the earliest days of interstellar travel. However, as Alex and Chase get closer to unraveling Garnett Baylee’s secret, they discover that the truth could cost more than their lives. Meanwhile, Chase is being pulled away to help with the recovery and rescue of the passengers stranded on the Capella, the interstellar spaceship that is fluctuating between warp space and regular space. However, success is not so easily found and the rescue mission is left with no easy answers.

While fans of the Alex Benedict series are sure to enjoy Coming Home, new readers might feel like they stepped into the book in media res since one of the story lines is a continuation of the previous novel. However, McDevitt does a nice job of leaving just enough breadcrumbs from the last novel to keep new readers from feeling lost. By incorporating two very different story lines, there is competition for Alex’s and Chase’s attention as they struggle with their guilt, desires, curiosity, and duty to each other and those who have placed their trust in them. On the surface, Coming Home may appear as just another Alex Benedict novel, but in truth it is a jumping off point that leads into the great unknown…which is a wonderful thing for any reader or author who has been with a series for a long time.

In many ways, Coming Home feels like an ending to a long journey. There is a sense of resolution and finality in the novel, giving the distinct impression that things are never going to be the same for Alex and Chase. Coming Home is a great addition to the Alex Benedict series, and it definitely gives McDevitt’s fans something fun to ring in the New Year reading.

Coming Home is a terrific read, packed with all of the best that Jack McDevitt has to offer with a few extra surprises to boot!

Title: Coming Home: An Alex Benedict Novel
Author: Jack McDevitt
Publisher: Ace Hardcover (November 4, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-0425260876

I received this book from the publisher.