All the Gold of Ophir

by David M. Drury

When private detective Mike Flynn is hired to investigate the death of two employees on the Conglomerated space station Jupiter, he uncovers the true secret of the company, with the help of company... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594144214
• ISBN13: 9781594144219
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Five Star (ME)
• Length: 419 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

It's more of a mystery than science fiction

"All the Gold of Ophir" is a quite uncommon sort of a book. It appears to be a science-fiction book; after all, there is a picture of a space station on the cover. And indeed, this book's story does take place on a space station. But this book is not a science-fiction story as that would be normally understood. There are no space aliens and no exploding space ships. This book is a mystery thriller that happens to be set in space. If one wanted to imagine this book as an episode of an old-time TV show, its plot would not have fit on "Star Trek," but would have fit well on "Rockford Files" or "Mannix," except that it is set in space. However, it is a good story, and a reader who likes mysteries should like this one. A reader who likes mysteries and science-fiction should like it a lot. As a mystery, the book works very well. The plot concerns several mysterious deaths, some apparent dealing in illegal drugs, and a crusty private eye with a heart of gold that has to discover what is going on. The solution to the mystery is not obvious. Flynn, the protagonist, has many wrong hunches and follows several false leads, so the story is engagingly complex. At the same time, the solution is not ridiculously convoluted or absurd, so the reader can follow the solving of the mystery well. There are one or two qualities in the author's style that may put off some readers, though they did not bother me. David Drury, the author, is an engineering professor, so some quite "hard" science appears in the book from time to time. For example, the reader is informed that the water falling in a decorative waterfall on the rotating space station falls in a curve due to Coriolis force, and the outside walls of the station are heated by eddy currents in the steel caused by the station rotating in Jupiter's intense magnetic field. The book is certainly not full of scientific and engineering jargon, and the scientific references do not in any way obscure the plot or the characters. But a reader who is put off by actual science (as opposed to science-fiction) might find the references a bit mystifying. Also, the characters generally tend toward sarcasm and caustic insults. Some of the comments are quite entertaining, but people who do not like that sort of put-down might be offended by how commonly such comments appear. Over-all, this is a well-written book. I suppose you will find it on your bookstore's science-fiction shelf; just be aware that it fits better on the mystery shelf, and you should enjoy it.

fantastic and exciting thriller set in space

The Asterbrooks travel to Jupiter Station to retrieve the body of their son Phillip who died in an industrial accident. The Conglomerated Mining and Manufacturing Company's representative informs them that the body was jettisoned into space because they had no instructions from the Asterbrooks. The Asterbooks discover proof that the company knew they were coming and obtain their son's belongings, but discover Phillip's journals are missing and believe a cover up of some kind is going on. They hire independent private detective Mike Flynn to discover what the company is covering up and how it pertains to their son's death. Flynn discovers that all the people connected to the case have been transferred to better positions in different parts of the galaxy. He persuades Wendy Chadwick, the head of the legal department, to let him enter a restricted area; she agrees on the condition she accompanies him. While there, company security forces try to kill them. Although they escape the director of security Silvanus Drake is watching Flynn and putting roadblocks in his path, which convinces the sleuth that the company is hiding something. He intends to find out what it is or die trying. ALL THE GOLD OF OPHIR is a fantastic and exciting thriller set in space in the not so distant future. The protagonist is a hard boiled detective who can't be bought or bribed and always stays on the right side of the law. He has a theory about what the company is trying to hide but he leaves himself open to other ideas as they present themselves and conducts the investigation as if his idea might not pan out. David M. Drury's potboiler will appeal to readers who like exciting creative mysteries in outer space. Harriet Klausner