Spock's niece, Teska, is to be married to a Romulan boy whose family believes in Reunification. To keep her travel secret she and Spock travel in the midst of a group of Rigelians. Things go well until they stop on Rigel V, where while several members of the crew stop for a drink Teska wanders off. She discovers a dying man who has been stabbed through the throat; she mind-melds with him in order to discover his killer and quickly she and Spock are involved in a murder case. However someone doesn't want Teska to prove who it was, and she and Spock are at risk.
This was quite interesting. I found the discussions of possible genetic links between Rigelians, Vulcans and Romulans interesting, and have always thought the concept of Reunification fascinating. In the show we only really see Vulcans interested in it, so I liked seeing some Romulans taking active roles. Teska was very well-written, and a good combination of childlike behavior and careful Vulcan training. I felt the author made a bit too much of a big deal about Spock's mixed heritage and had him struggling with his control too much. He is shown as having the same level of control as a pure-blooded Vulcan most of the time, and I doubt one child to whom he has little attachment, would alter it drastically. I also felt that the author was really stretching to try and make Spock relate to Teska. They simply didn't have that much in common. The writing was otherwise solid, although a bit melodramatic at times.
4 Stars
Emme
