Cold Dark Matter: A Morgan O'Brien Mystery

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

The second mystery featuring Morgan O’Brien, investigator of research
fraud for the National Council for Science and Technology, moves between
Ottawa and Hawaii’s Big Island, where the FrancoCanadian Telescope
complex nestles between the peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. A former
fellow investigator, Duncan, begs Morgan to find the research diaries
belonging to a recently deceased astronomer who allegedly committed
suicide while working at the observatory. In Hawaii, although
stonewalled by the observatory staff, by a tough-guy public relations
type, by a Canadian astronomy icon, and initially by the attractive
local detective handling the case, Morgan manages to co-opt assistance
from a French astronomer. However, before her investigation proceeds
very far, another astronomer dies—the estranged wife of Duncan, who,
with his two children, has disappeared. Who can be trusted becomes a
major question as Morgan, herself in physical danger, sorts through the
increasingly complex evidence to illuminate the “cold dark matter.”

Back in Ottawa, with the able assistance of her scientist-librarian
friend Sylvia, Morgan discovers that events in Hawaii may be linked to
the Cold War era and Canada’s 1950s and 1960s McCarthyesque attempts
to identify potential national security risks among civil servants.
Thousands were tested by the “fruit machine,” a device that
purportedly identified homosexuals (thought to be susceptible to
coercion from foreign governments); many (among them members of the
Canadian Astronomy Institute) were terminated or forced to resign from
all sectors of public service based on flawed scientific test results.
One researcher allegedly defected, but mysteriously all records of his
existence and his research appear to have disappeared.

Events of the past intrude on the present, and Brett weaves the
elements together in a well-paced, multi-layered, and complex
mystery/crime novel replete with rich characterization, brisk dialogue,
nail-biting suspense, clever plot twists, suitably nasty villains, and a
satisfying conclusion. Morgan, an appealing and adept investigator,
engages the reader in the action while imparting complex scientific
information in intelligible terms.

In view of current governmental emphasis on fighting terrorism,
Brett’s cautionary tale reminds readers that citizens’ rights must
not fall victim to politicians’ paranoia.