A review by ncrabb
Marque and Reprisal, by Elizabeth Moon

3.0

Because of Kylara Vatta’s family’s wealth in the shipping business, moving cargo among the stars, it is often a target of those who either want what it has or simply wants to annihilate the family’s holdings. As the book begins, Ky has been sent to another planet to do a small amount of business for the family. During her absence, her family’s home and nearly all of its holdings are obliterated by forces hostile to the family. Her parents and siblings are killed, shipping authorities immediately freeze her lines of credit, and she is left with only a tiny crew of loyal associates and a small second-rate ship barely able to perform normally let alone to carry out the added tasks assigned to it. It’s Ky’s job to find out who destroyed her family and to reestablish her name in the cargo business. I’m frankly struck by the similarities between westerns and some of these sci-fi space military adventures. But this was a fun, light read that served as a good distraction.