Fans of the original "Star Trek" series will remember that when Captain Kirk was being court-martialed, he chose as his lawyer Samuel T. Cogley. Now the best lawyer in the Federation is making a return appearance.
The planet Aneher II is in the middle of the Neutral Zone, so neither the Klingons nor the Federation can claim it. At first the two colonies coexist in a delicate peace, but that shatters when Daniel Latham of the Federation is found murdered, and Klingon Mak’Tor is found hunched over Latham’s body holding a still-hot discharged phaser.
After Lieutenant Areel Shaw is assigned to prosecute Mak’Tor, Sam Cogley volunteers to defend the accused. After Cogley’s own investigation finds evidence that the prosecution can use and his courtroom antics backfire, one wonders if even he can save the day.
Star Trek: the Case of the Colonist’s Corpse does justice to all those "Star Trek" episodes and movies. The plot is tight, the dialogue crisp, and the characters varied and fascinating. The suspense is kept up until the last moment, and reader interest is piqued until the end. Recommended for science fiction buffs, especially Trekkers.