"The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe," by Tia Tashiro, in Clarkesworld, #220, January 2025.
I have reviewed science fiction stories at this blog before but this may be the first one from a science fiction magazine. But the important question is: is it a mystery? The answer is, you bet.
College student Tom Monroe has just been murdered, and he finds it very inconvenient. Is he a ghost? Not at all. His parents are very rich and have supplied him with a medtag which alerts the authorities when he dies and they have the money to have him revived.
(Now I can't help by here Billy Crystal saying:"You're friend is only mostly dead." But this is not a funny story.)
Someone killed Tom in order to steal his money which is protected by voice and fingerprints. His memories of the previous two months are cloudy, due to the revival process. Can he figure out how this happened?
Meanwhile, we are also following a woman named Jay who was hired to befriend Tom as part of the robbery scheme. Whose side is she on? For that matter whose side is anyone on? This novella is well-written and delightfully complicated.
