In the not-too-distant future, mining operations, scientific equipment and human habitats litter the Moon's Earth-facing Nearside. The Farside is dominated by a private colony called Purgatory, a den of hedonism and lawlessness ruled by aerospace mogul Fletcher Brass. Purgatory is a haven for drugs, questionable surgery and wanted men, like Brass himself, whose personal fiefdom gives him refuge from legal troubles on Earth.
Lieutenant Damien Justus (pronounced like "Eustace") is yet another man escaping a troubled past on Earth for Purgatory. He takes a job with the Purgatory Police Department just as his new home is hit by a series of high-profile assassinations. Damien, despite being a newcomer to the colony, is put in charge of the investigation. His instincts honed as a cop on Earth tell him something is very wrong in Purgatory, that a dangerous game is unfolding between powerful players and he is caught in the middle.
Elsewhere on Farside, an immaculately dressed android appears outside the airlock of a lunar prison cell. The android, programmed with Fletcher Brass's semi-psychopathic business rules called the Brass Code, begins a rampage across Farside that eventually intersects with Damien's troubles in Purgatory.
The Dark Side by Anthony O'Neill (The Lamplighter) is a winning mix of hard science fiction and detective noir, like Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress meets Raymond Chandler. The mysterious rampaging android and Damien's investigation play out separately until the end of the novel, when both stories merge into a satisfying climax. The Dark Side has plenty to love for both sci-fi and mystery fans. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer