What critics are saying about Cold Dark Matter.

What critics are saying about Dead Water Creek.

Cold Dark Matter

"Morgan O'Brien is the gritty, resourceful female hero in a suspense, espionage scientific thriller... There's science, there's a bit of sex and there's a lot of suspense... " Anthony Germain, CBC Radio

“… this excellent novel about good and evil, past and present, and the social consequences of 9/11… is more than just a fine mystery. It’s full of fascinating information, all told in understandable language. The message, when it comes, is chillingly clear.” Margaret Cannon, Toronto Globe and Mail.

"Alex Brett delivers a lucid page-turner that illuminates and obscure chapter in Cold War history." Nairne Holtz, Lambda Book Report

"... Cold Dark Matter, the second Morgan O'Brien mystery, delivers a tight, complex plot and a trustworthy heroine. The pacing makes you want to race ahead and solve the puzzles that author Alex Brett lays out so well." Jeff George, Quill and Quire

"Cold Dark Matter is a suspenseful, well-written mystery. You might also learn a little something about science research, but that's gravy. The meat is the mystery and boy, does it taste good." David Pitt, Chronicle Herald Nova Scotian

"Scientific fraud begets murder in this mystery novel set in Ottawa and on Mauna Kea... Call it cloudy night reading for astronomers." Devan Burr, Astronomy

"Ms. O'Brien proves to be a gutsy, capable, take no prisoners PI." Jacqueline Rice, CrimeSpree Magazine

"This is mystery writing at its very best; an intelligent plot, always surprising characters, and a deeply-textured setting." Betty Webb, Mystery Scene Magazine

"... a fun mystery with great characters... the settings are all cold, even in Hawaii. Yet there is a deftness of description that wraps a blanket around the reader, providing warmth while trying to figure out the next obscure turn of plot and character development. The subject matter is serious; the style is light and breezy. With summer around the corner, this would be a good book to set aside for holiday reading." The Lethbridge Herald

“This book has everything a reader could want: fabulous, exotic settings; a protagonist you’d like to spend time with; unusual characters; a bit of romance; exploration of important issues; and a plot that kept this reader up until dawn as I tried in vain to anticipate the next twist.” Carroll Johnson, Reviewing the Evidence

“… one of the country’s hot new novelists… by adapting… Cold War horror stories, Brett brings into question present-day paranoia over terrorism. This question she poses now, as did those in authority during the Cold War: Just how far do you go to determine if a person is a threat to national security?” Mike Gillespie, Ottawa Citizen

“Cold Dark Matter is Brett’s second Morgan O’Brien mystery, the follow-up to Dead Water Creek. I have to say that even though I enjoyed the first, the second is better…[Brett’s] mix of science and investigative thrills is unique in the genre.” Catherine Thompson, New Brunswick Telegraph Journal.

“Sometimes a mystery isn’t just a whodunit… Cold Dark Matter is a well written and fast-paced reminder of times gone.” Joan Barfoot, The London Free Press (London, ON)

“Enjoyable all the way through, this is a definite should-read for mystery buffs. Recommended as a thoroughly satisfying read.” Anne K. Edwards, New Mystery Reader and Murder and Mayhem Book Club

“Billed as probably the only mystery novel that unites gay literature fans and astrophysicists, Cold Dark Matter gives us a good murder with a healthy dose of science added to the mix. But it doesn’t stop there: the novel also probes some of the darker chapters of Ottawa’s Cold War past…” Dale Smith, Capital Xtra

“Alex Brett’s setting, an astronomical observatory high atop a mountain in Hawaii, is a knockout, and the plot – murder in the hallowed halls of science – really intriguing. Cold Dark Matter is a great read!” Lyn Hamilton, author of the Lara McClintock archaeological mysteries

“Cold Dark Matter is a fast-paced read with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing." Peter Robinson, author of the Inspector Banks mysteries.

“In Cold Dark Matter, Alex Brett manages to make astrophysics both understandable and fascinating. Weave that into a murder mystery that moves at a cracking pace and you have a great read.” Maureen Jennings, author of the Detective Murdoch historical mysteries

“We've all "been in" observatories on the Science Channel, but Brett takes you into the observatory's bone-chilling cold and machine bleakness … If you want endearing characters, a complex plot and a satisfying payoff, Cold Dark Matter is for you.” Rex Anderson, author of Night Calls and Lawnmower Blues

“I was hooked from the first chapter. The story is fast-paced and exciting, and once more Morgan O’Brien emerges as an engaging character with equally engaging friends – and foes. Five stars to Cold Dark Matter.” Thomas Rendell Curran, author of the Inspector Stride mysteries

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Dead Water Creek

"An excellent debut novel in what, I hope, will become a series... If anyone had told me that I would find a novel about salmon stocks riveting, I would have said they were ready for the fish farm. But Brett, a former science writer, has managed to make the science believable. Her snippets about life among the bureaucrats are witty and O’Brien is a great character. Take this one to the beach." Margaret Cannon, Toronto Globe and Mail

"... Dead Water Creek is a compelling, well written and – not least – instructive entertainment. It helps that Brett herself has been a science writer, lab and field research technician, and press officer with the National Research Council of Canada, a background that results in both a grounding in the science of fish and a nicely sardonic outlook on government mandarins... Dead Water Creek, the start of a new novelist’s new series, looks like a winner." Joan Barfoot, London Free Press

"The book features good writing, entertaining characters, intense action, and some well-placed humour. Everyone should definitely take a bite out of this one. You might be surprised." Angel L. Soto, ReviewingtheEvidence.com

"Morgan O’Brien is a definite find, tough but tender and smart as a whip."
Jenni Mortin, Star Phoenix

"Brett’s book is a smart novel, one that tips her own love of science and fish... It also offers an inside tract to a whole world of research funding and the games some scientists play to get and keep their projects financed." Mike Gillespie, Ottawa Citizen

"Dead Water Creek is a good, solid mystery... Morgan O’Brien is a complex character, a woman who works hard to put her past behind her but never quite succeeds." Catherine Thompson, New Brunswick Reader

"In the novel, Brett brings readers into the behind the scenes, not-always-honest world of scientific research. The main character, Morgan O’Brien, is a witty, no-holds-barred science investigator who is sent to Vancouver to tackle a possible case of fraud... " Denise Rideout, Capital Xtra

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