The Kassa Gambit by M.C. Planck

The Kassa Gambit is a science fiction ARC e-book from Net Galley and takes place long after the collapse of earth and the settlement of various planets by humanity.

 Prudence Falling captains a tramp freighter with a small crew, and on arriving at Kassa with a cargo run, discovers the planet has been attack by an unknown force and that survival has been limited.  Shortly after Falling's arrival and her attempts to aid survivors, a League ship arrives (not a good sign) with police officer Kyle Despar on board.  Despar is an undercover operative secretly operating against the League, but is feared and hated as a result of his League status.

O.K.  While the novel starts well and has some interesting aspects, it didn't really hold up for me.  Falling and Despar's attraction and distrust felt artificial and too much on the side of "romance" in the least believable way, and the plot itself left much to be desired.  Short and shallow.  Just my opinion, but then, I'm a David Weber fan and love 600-800 pages with lots of character-driven plots and details that make everything seem possible.

Release date:  Jan. 8; Tor Books.

Science Fiction.  2012.