The Devil's Eye by Jack McDevitt

I literally just put this one down.

I must admit that in the beginning I was somewhat bored with the book. Just another Alex Benedict novel of galactic treasure hunting with a twist ending and smug smiles from our hero.

Wrong! This one turns into a nail-biter and Alex isn't the hero. Chase Kolpath, trusty pilot and sidekick manages to steal the show and save the world (literally) from its own short-sightedness as well as a small matter of an imprnding gamma ray bombardment that will only last 3 days. Now if only the Confederacy and the Mutes can get along after only a couple of centuries of hostilities, maybe somebody can do something. But who and what? The answer is formulaic and profound, its almost Zen in its causal/reactionary unfolding.

This is the best McDevitt I've read since The Hercules Text and it is much more approachable emotionally than that great work. This is a great read...and after I panned Cauldron. My faith is restored and my cup runneth over. I give it 4-1/2 stars. Which ain't perfect, but as close as you can get without actually being there. Read this one.