Six clones wake up on a ship surrounded by their own murdered bodies and have to understand who killed them and why before it’s too late.

Six Wakes is another novel with a great premise that let me down overall. There’s a huge amount of suspense right out the gate, but the novel immediately slows down as if nobody is truly concerned about what is happening around them. Some things could play into this. As clones, they are used to the process of death and rebirth, so this would lower their threat level a bit, I suppose. Also, without spoiling anything, they are remembering who they are, and the ship is getting back up to full power, so they can’t exactly do a ton of research into the subject. Regardless, the wind was quickly taken out of the sails.

Lafferty does her best to channel a slow-burn Agatha Christie-style story, and considering this was nominated for multiple awards, including a Hugo Award nomination for Best Novel in 2018, she must be doing something right. I’m not going to be negative; there’s a good story in the underbelly, but it felt undercooked. I didn’t find it captivating or unique, and the end reveal felt overly dramatic — like something a James Bond villain would come up with in his earlier films. That line will actually mean something to those who read the novel.

Lafferty also narrates the audiobook, which doesn’t help matters. She’s clearly not a professional voice actor. Lines come off as stiff or with the wrong deliveries. All characters start sounding the same, and I had to force myself to stick with what was actually taking place.