I missed the first publication of this Arkady Martinez’s novels but jumped on the occasion and bought it as soon as I learned there was a new edition being published. I really liked the world building of her previous novels and what she was publishing elsewhere on Internet under her civilian name of AnnaLinden Weller.

What is it about

Someone is dead in the Rose House. Not its architect, Basit Deniau, who died there years ago and whose remains, turned into a diamond, are exposed in it as per his last wills, someone else. Someone who is not supposed to be there. Someone who should have not been able to enter the house, as it was supposed to be shut tight after Deniau’s death, the AI embodied in the house granting access to only one of his former student, Dr Selene Gisil, only once a year and for 1 week.

In short, it’s a huis-clos-like whodunnit. And more.

And more

First thing first: I liked this story. The characters, the way questions are answered or kept open etc. The book is short, 115 pages or so and the plot is resolved over 3 days, but it didn’t feel short or thin.

One of the reason behind this last point is what I call the Dr Weller / Ms. Martine effect. I felt the book was written by 2 people: an architecture- and urbanism-loving one, Dr Weller, and a science- or tech-loving one, Ms. Martine. Both echoing each other, building upon the different elements of the story and its characters. And sharing a deep love for the Mojave desert.

Final word

Read it