The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older

TL;DR: Maybe the strongest in this series so far!
Source: NetGalley , Thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Pleiti heads out on job on her own, and we see a fantastic challenge to an old Sherlockian trope.
Characters: I loved the cast on this one, there was a great cast here and we see a lot of development with our primary characters
Setting: As always I love this Jupiter settlement the ladies live on and in this one we see a different college and town!
Mystery: I solved this one but I didn’t expect it to go quite as hard as it did.

Summary:

When a former classmate begs Pleiti for help on behalf of her cousin―who’s up for a prestigious academic position at a rival Jovian university but has been accused of plagiarism on the eve of her defense―Pleiti agrees to travel alongside her and investigate the matter.

Even if she has to do it without Mossa, her partner in more ways than one. Even if she’s still reeling from Mossa’s sudden isolation and bewildering rejection.

Yet what appears to be a case of an attempted reputational smearing devolves into something decidedly more dangerous―and possibly deadly.

Thoughts:

This series just works for me, but I know it’s not going to work for everyone. It’s a bit dense, it’s a reworking of Sherlock Holmes story types and tropes, and it’s somewhat dark in places. But for me it’s on point. This third volume might be my favorite in the series so far. It’s the biggest volume and after the second one it’s the most interesting.

Mossa ends up taking a case on her own due to Pleiti’s fit of depression and apathy (something classic to Holmes). This makes for a fascinating discussion later on the series as the two are in a romantic relationship as much as a platonic relationship. Watching Mossa work on her own was very interesting as she has been learning the skills of investigating from Pleiti. Now, I’m not saying Pleiti is a bit of a damp napkin but this solitary investigation really suited Mossa here. We saw a lot more of the culture and language of the world, a new college environment and some very great growth in her character.

Pleiti does show up, and as I noted a good conversation is had about her apathy and depressive fit. I appreciated this a lot. As a trop we often see it repeated in Holmesian inspired work but rarely do we see it challenged or addressed. Additionally the mystery itself was darker and even with Pleiti there, had quite a bit of tension and suspense to it.

Overall a fantastic new entry in this series and one I really recommend continuing on to.