Atlas Alone – Emma Newman

“Atlas Alone” is the fourth book in the Planetfall series, but it stands well alone: I didn’t read the first three books, and didn’t feel the lack. It is placed on the last starship from Earth. It wasn’t supposed to be the last, but people who didn’t want competition set off a nuclear war before leaving - and those people are on the ship. So is Dee, who is one of the few people who knows about that parting gift, and wants to do something about it. The opportunity to do something about it comes from an impossibly-gifted hacker, who can somehow turn her actions in a simulation into actual deaths on the ship.

Dee herself is badly broken. The early loss of her parents left her with trust issues. Her subsequent indenture left her unable to interact honestly with other people. The book is as much about finding healing for Dee as it is about dealing with the people who destroyed Earth before they can export that behavior to the stars.

A well-crafted book: Once I started reading, I kept going. The end of the book is unexpected - but reasonably foreshadowed.