The premise and plot had a lot of promise, but the romance aspect was a bit contrived and felt more like something from high school. ( )

Schwartz, Jenny. Space Deputy. 2018. Interstellar Sheriff No. 1. Kindle, 2020.
The title and the setting of Space Deputy scream space opera western like Mike Resnick used to write. We are a thousand years in a star-faring future, but the American Old West is an unlikely cultural influence. Our heroine Thelma is a girl from the despised Rock Sector who has graduated at the top of her class in the Justice Academy. The only job she can get is a seven-year contract as a roving deputy patrolling the Saloon Sector for Galactic Justice. She joins the crew of the Lonesome, captained by Sheriff Max. The ship has a strong AI, and there is a fully conscious warrior robot that must keep its sentience undercover. Sentient AIs can only be powered by mysterious and valuable “raphus geodes,” which are the McGuffin of the plot. The premise does not promise much, but the robot-human work family on the Lonesome is appealing, the action is zippy, and the prose is not dreadful. Readable. 3.5 stars. ( )