Serenity has a hold full of unknown cargo and is on the way to the planet Kerry, where Inara also happens to have a client waiting for her. The delivery is for an Alliance nobleman, not Mal's favorite kind of person, but when the coffers are low, one can't be too choosy about who they work for. For once though, the delivery goes without issue and the Duke turns out to be a pleasant man, despite being Alliance and all.  He is even so kind as to extend his hospitality to the entire crew, offering them all good food, entertainment, and comfortable lodgings. It's a great opportunity for each of them to enjoy some time off the ship, and with the promise of more work, things seem to be looking up for everyone. That is, except for Zoe, who feels like something is off about the whole situation. Mal knows enough to trust Zoe's gut feelings, plus with everything going so well it is obvious the 'verse is getting ready to throw them a curve ball...

Of course, Zoe is right. Things eventually get complicated, and in typical Firefly fashion, the crew of Serenity uses their diverse skillsets to tackle the problem at hand. There is something for each member of the crew to take on, each in their own way, and the story is interesting enough; however, don't expect there to be any groundbreaking revelations along the way. There is little overall character development this time around, but it is still a chance to spend a few hours amongst old friends, and that makes it shiny enough for me. If you are a fan of the TV series then these books remain your best bet for smoothing over a bit of the scar left by the premature cancellation of the series. This isn't the best book in the series, but it is still worth your time.

If you are listening to these then you will see that James Anderson Foster remains the narrator and that is a good thing. He just gets it right.