Chris Hadfield's first novel, the thriller The Apollo Murders, to be published in October 2021
The Apollo Murders is a thriller set against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race
Chris Hadfield, astronaut and bestselling author, is turning to fiction for the first time.
His first thriller, titled The Apollo Murders, will be published by Random House Canada on Oct. 12, 2021.
The Apollo Murders is a thriller set in 1973, against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race. Three astronauts are trapped in a tiny module on the far side of the moon. Tensions between the United States and the Soviets are at an all-time high as the race is on to find a secret treasure on the moon. The flight controller, back in Houston, is doing his best to keep everyone calm and focused, but that's proving to be tough. Especially when one of the trapped astronauts isn't who he appears to be.
"The Apollo Murders is everything I love – high tech adventure, international intrigue, wicked danger far from home, people pushed to their limit, constant surprise – all happening in outer space at a pivotal moment in history," Hadfield said in a press release.
"I've written the book firmly based in the little-known reality of the Cold War and the Space Race, and then let the story run away with the possibilities. I'm really looking forward to people learning what spaceflight is actually like, getting to know the characters (real and imagined), and seeing what just might have been."
Hadfield was a military pilot and astronaut for 35 years. He was the first Canadian to walk in space and served as commander of the International Space Station.
He received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2002 and became a member of the Order of Canada in 2014.
Hadfield is also the author of the memoir An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, the children's book The Darkest Dark, which was illustrated by the Fan Brothers, and the photo book You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes.
