The Bathwater Conspiracy
The Bathwater Conspiracy by Janet Kellough Kobo Writing Life Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 27 Apr 2018
Review
Part speculative fiction, part murder mystery The Bathwater Conspiracy is a fascinating novel. After a devastating virus leads to the elimination of all men, society has redeveloped, relying on gene banks and artificial insemination. This is not immediately obvious. It is skillfully revealed bit by bit by the author. Mac MacHenry is a detective normally assigned the tiresome tasks, the hard cases with little glory. Then comes the death of a young graduate student. The autopsy is cut short and the Darmes’s (government forces) explanation of the cause of death doesn’t match the wounds. With little prodding, Mac begins investigating on the sly, and what she finds is a secret and a conspiracy that could change life forever.
The story is well done, the world depicted believable - neither a utopia nor a dystopia. There is the implication that there is far less violence and oppression than there was when men were in control. On the other hand, limited genetic stores limit population growth. The Bathwater Conspiracy poses a variety of thought provoking questions, encouraging us to reconsider traditional gender roles. At the same time, the novel is an intriguing mystery/thriller.
5 / 5
I received a copy of The Bathwater Conspiracy from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
— Crittermom
Description
Brutal murders don’t happen often in NowZo and City Detective Mac MacHenry is puzzled when Darmes national security interferes with the autopsy of a dead girl. It’s not MacHenry’s jurisdiction, but the outraged Medical Examiner asks her to dig deeper. Mac’s paranoia grows as she follows a trail into the crumbling ruins of the Decayed Zone and discovers a mysterious medical facility, a group of fundamentalist outcasts, and a secret that could change the world.
