The Apollo Murders

• 1. From Astronaut To Novelist

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  Chris Hadfield sat in a quiet room at the end of 2019. The COVID pandemic had just begun, and he found himself with time on his hands. His British publisher had read a foreword he wrote for Ray Bradbury's 1950 book The Martian Chronicles. That contact led to a suggestion that he write a killer fiction thriller. The publisher even proposed the title The Apollo Murders before Hadfield had written a single word of it. He mulled over the idea for months while working through his own fears about writing fiction. This was not like his previous non-fiction books such as An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth from 2013. He took a fiction writing class and studied Stephen King's memoir On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. His wife said he was so scared but she knew it would be good. The first draft reached 195,000 words before editors cut it down by a third to 135,000 words across 480 pages. Little, Brown and Company published the final version in October 2021 in the United States.

• 2. Researching Real History

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  Hadfield learned that two Soviet vehicles failed mysteriously in 1973 without explanation. Lunokhod moon rovers and Almaz military space stations both disappeared from public records during that year. He decided to build a novel around these real historical gaps. NASA turned its attention to developing a Space Shuttle after cancelling the Apollo program following Apollo 17. The Department of Defence dictated the shuttle's design including capabilities to seize Soviet satellites. Hadfield drew on his experience as NASA's CAPCOM at mission control center in Houston. He also speaks Russian and lived in Star City for five years working in Moscow's mission control center. When research sources ran dry he consulted former Apollo astronauts directly. This collaboration ensured technical accuracy throughout the narrative. Much of what happens in the book reflects actual events from the early 1970s Cold War period. The story remains grounded in real historical context despite its fictional elements.

• 3. The Moon Mission Begins

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  In April 1973 Apollo 18 launched toward the Moon under military orders. Kazimieras Kaz Zemeckis supported the mission from the ground after losing an eye when his F-4 Phantom jet struck a seagull. He served as liaison between the Apollo program and the National Security Agency. Tom Hoffman commanded the crew until dying in an unexplained helicopter crash. Backup astronaut Chad Miller took his place as mission commander. Luke Hemming piloted the lunar module while Michael Esdale flew the command module. Their first objective was to land near Lunokhod and disable it. But close to launch they learned Soviets were about to put Almaz into Earth orbit. The mission changed to rendezvous with Almaz photograph it and disable it before continuing to the Moon. Vladimir Chelomey at Moscow mission control secretly sent messages to Chad and Svetlana Gromova in Russian. Chad is a Russian orphan adopted in Berlin as a child after World War II by an American family. He pilots the lunar lander with Svetlana to the surface near Lunokhod. They retrieve a rock found by the rover then sabotage its thermal radiator by covering it with lunar dust causing overheating.

• 4. Space Station Confrontation

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  Apollo 18 intercepted Almaz but found two cosmonauts aboard the Soviet station instead of empty equipment. A battle ensued resulting in destruction of the space station. Luke Hemming and one cosmonaut died during the firefight. Svetlana Gromova survived and was taken aboard Apollo 18. With two Americans and one Russian the crew proceeded toward the Moon. Vladimir Chelomey continued sending secret messages through Moscow mission control. Chad received instructions from Moscow to retrieve a specific rock Lunokhod had discovered. He gave Svetlana no indication whether he would comply or where his loyalties truly lay. After returning to the command module they traveled back to Earth. Kaz and flight director Gene Kranz learned that Tom's helicopter had been sabotaged. They began questioning Chad's loyalty to the United States. Kaz waited aboard an American recovery ship in the Pacific Ocean for splashdown. Chad changed the capsule's re-entry point away from American ships toward a Soviet submarine. Kaz arrived by helicopter after splashdown to find Chad and Svetlana fighting over the Moon rock. Svetlana escaped with the rock inside a submarine while Chad died from injuries sustained in their struggle.

• 5. Authenticity And Suspense

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  Publishers Weekly called The Apollo Murders an intelligent and surprising nail-biter that Tom Clancy fans will relish. Reviewers complimented Hadfield's attention to detail which heightened the novel's suspense. Jacob Aron wrote for New Scientist describing it as an accomplished story from a first-time novelist. He noted the plot was improbable but not implausible given Hadfield's space experience. His techno-thriller jargon came across as quite authentic due to real-world knowledge. Natalie Xenos at Culturefly described it as a superior space thriller adding that technical details became the book's biggest strength despite feeling overwhelming initially. She found the story both exhilarating and terrifying while capturing Cold War tensions perfectly. Jeff Foust writing for The Space Review stated Hadfield skilfully balances narrative tension with technical detail without letting either interfere with pacing. Peter Spasov of the National Space Society called it a space adventure beyond compare for both truth and fiction. He highlighted how Hadfield's knowledge gives absolute credibility to the narrative immersing readers in action.

• 6. Pacing And Logic Gaps

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  Kirkus Reviews felt focus on technical descriptions impeded pace during the first part creating impression the book would never get off launchpad. They described the climax as somewhat over-the-top though noting basic bones of a good thriller remained. Jacob Aron complained about Russian dialogue presentation when Russians spoke to each other versus Americans using transliterated Cyrillic script translated into English producing grating effect. Jeff Foust acknowledged few leaps of logic including diverting Apollo 18 mission to disable Soviet station without public suspicion. He noted suppressing all reporting on the Apollo mission without arousing suspicion stretched believability slightly. Despite these criticisms reviewers agreed Hadfield pulled off engaging storytelling effectively. The balance between thriller pacing and technical detail received mixed but generally positive feedback from critics across multiple publications.