Nine thousand years from now Earth is mostly desert and is little more than a quaint tourist destination for history buffs. Humans have spread out across the stars colonizing as they went with varied success and even survived first contact with an alien race and the war that followed. That means there are a lot of historic relics just waiting to be found by antiquarian Alex Benedict and his pilot Chase Kolpath. In addition to brokering deals for his wealthy clients Alex spends chasing down rumors of lost colonies, missing ships, and even people for profit. This doesn't make him popular with museums and those who feel he's nothing more than a graverobber. In the eight book series Alex and Chase have dealt with a wide variety of puzzles and frequently narrowly avoid dying because there is always someone who would prefer that those unsolved mysteries remain unsolved.

A Talent for War (1989) is the weakest entry in the series but still good. Alex inherits Rainbow Enterprises from his Uncle Gabe who was on a cruise ship that vanished without a trace. Gabe had been studying the war with the Ashiyyur, also known by the derogatory term "Mutes" because they are telepathic without any physical ability to speak. Alex is intrigued by Gabe's notes regarding the human ship commander Christopher Sim because according to historical records his ship, the Corsair, was often seen in more than one battle at a time and there is no record of what happened to the ship and its crew. Finding the Corsair, will change the galaxy forever.

Polaris (2004) is about the sensational mystery surrounding the science vessel Polaris and the crew, including a very special guest, who vanished from the ship while it was in space. There was no distress signal, no sign of damage, the only shuttle was still aboard, and the AI had somehow been disabled. Its an irresistible puzzle for Alex and Chase but as usual someone is willing to kill to keep them from learning the truth. This is the one time I actually figured out what happened before our heroes.

2005's Seeker won the Nebula Award and is considered the best book in the series. The first effort by humans to establish a colony apart from Earth's solar system was a privately funded venture determined to establish a truly egalitarian government. To escape the control of Earth's government they left in three ships for a secret destination and were never heard from again even as human civilization spread out across the galaxy. Until a woman tries to sell Alex a cup from the Seeker, one of those three ships. Unfortunately, she doesn't know where it came from originally, but it would be a real coup for Alex to find that ship. Finding the ship is only the first part of the puzzle because he is also determined to find out what happened to Earth's first lost colony. That of course leads to another tantalizing puzzle....

The Devil's Eye (2008) is one of my favorites because following the trail of a famous horror author on a planet that uses its spooky atmosphere for tourism leads to some ridiculous situations. The author leaves Alex a message saying she needs his help right before she undergoes a voluntary memory wipe. She has essentially committed suicide without physically killing herself. To figure out why she did it Alex and Chase retrace her recent trip to a planet at the very edge of the Milky Way. What they discover is a horror of such catastrophic proportions it will finally overcome the deep distrust between Humans and the Ashiyyur as they must work together to prevent an epic tragedy.

Although there is a continuing storyline and character development for Alex and Chase throughout the series, it is particularly true of Echo (2010), Firebird (2011) and Coming Home (2014). Years after it disappeared a transmission is picked up from the cruise ship Gabe was on. The transmission could have come from the ship's planned course, but if so it originated years after it was lost. Chase has always been an integral part of the narrative but now she's the one trying to solve a puzzle based upon her knowledge of ships and physics. In the meantime the meantime the duo explore a lost colony that may have been destroyed by their own security machines as well as following the trail of a physicist whose theories might explain what happened to Gabe. In Coming Home they mobilize a rescue mission that may only have a couple of hours to evacuate the thousands aboard the missing cruise ship if it reappears as expected.

Octavia Gone (2019) is a research station studying a black hole that is experiencing strange phenomena. Gabe is at loose ends after coming home to find that he was declared legally dead. Alex wants to run Rainbow Enterprises together but Gabe isn't happy with the direction Alex went with the company. Since Chase was originally Gabe's pilot she's caught in the middle. When Gabe gets a message from a friend stationed on Octavia he and Chase head out to see what's happening.

Overall, its a good series that mixes sci-fi puzzles with well developed characters. Alex's outlook on archeology and private collections versus public museums is controversial but still makes a valid point about human nature. Many people enjoy owning a bit of history and that the value depends on the connection that item has to the people who made that history. Alex can also be a bit ruthless, but its Chase who is frequently daring and heroic. She's a sci-fi MacGyver on occasion so there is the occasional crazy death defying action scene.

All of the books are available in print, e-book, and  audiobook. The series is probably best read in order but its not strictly necessary. I read the first four out of order without an issue but the last four might involve spoilers if read out of order.