Brill and Maxwell Series by Lee Killough

It looks like straightforward suicide to Detective Janna Brill. Starship outfitter Andy Kellener locked himself in his office after hours and took a fatal drug dose. But Brill’s exasperating new partner Mama Maxwell thinks it’s murder, and his chief suspect is Kellener’s partner Jorge Hazlett. The trouble is, Hazlett has an airtight alibi. In 2091's cashless society, every purchase is made with a data chip implanted in the individual’s wrist.. moreIt looks like straightforward suicide to Detective Janna Brill. Starship outfitter Andy Kellener locked himself in his office after hours and took a fatal drug dose. But Brill’s exasperating new partner Mama Maxwell thinks it’s murder, and his chief suspect is Kellener’s partner Jorge Hazlett. The trouble is, Hazlett has an airtight alibi. In 2091's cashless society, every purchase is made with a data chip implanted in the individual’s wrist...and Hazlett’s bank records put him in a shopping mall clear across town at the time of his partner’s death. To get their man, Brill and Maxwell have to prove Hazlett faked his shopping spree...and possibly destroy law enforcement’s best tool since DNA for tracking suspects!Reviews“This is a grittily realistic police procedural set in the 21st century. Don’t miss this one.” Analog Magazine“Like many procedurals the novel’s strength rests as much on the personalities of the cops as in the solving of the crime, and Brill and Maxwell make an entertaining pair.” Locus Magazine“Police Procedural SF is rare — that makes Ms. Killough’s fun romp all the more appreciated. The characters, plot, indeed the whole future society are very well developed in this novel.” SF Review 34 less

It started out as a routine vehicle theft. But when the stolen hearse and the body within it later turned horribly mutilated, Detective Jenna Brill and her partner Mama Maxwell felt they were on to something much bigger, and much deadlier - and Mama's instincts were never wrong.The evidence kept circling around the Spider, the construction-making miracle on the Lanour Space Platform. It would soon lead Brill and Maxwell on a twisted trail from a gang war on Earth . moreIt started out as a routine vehicle theft. But when the stolen hearse and the body within it later turned horribly mutilated, Detective Jenna Brill and her partner Mama Maxwell felt they were on to something much bigger, and much deadlier - and Mama's instincts were never wrong.The evidence kept circling around the Spider, the construction-making miracle on the Lanour Space Platform. It would soon lead Brill and Maxwell on a twisted trail from a gang war on Earth .. to a citadel of technology in space .. to a heart-stopping race from a corporate army all too ready to kill to protect its secrets - towards the web of the marvel that has now become a deadly Spider Play less