Why did this story, definitely not science fiction, make me think of Isaac Asimov?
Glad you asked.
Some thirty years ago I heard Asimov speak and he said (I am paraphrasing, obviously) that science fiction's great contribution to literature was starting in the middle. If you think about it, nineteenth century fiction (and earlier) often started by telling you the hero's ancestry and background, describing the town, etc.
If science fiction began that way, you would never get to the story and readers would give up before you were halfway through detailing the planet's history. So science fiction writers learned to leap in and fill in the details where and when needed. Readers had to keep up and most of them found that they enjoyed it, I think because it gave them a mystery to solve (Oh, there are different bases on Luna, each founded by a different country as you can tell by their names...)
But one problem for a reviewer is: how much should he or she reveal? Take Muessig's story. It's not like there is a a big twist ending but he definitely expects you to sort out the time, place, and circumstance a bit at a time. And why should I deprive you of the pleasure?
The protagonist is Sergeant Nolan, a Marine sergeant who suddenly finds himself facing multiple crises. His wife has left him for reasons you will discover. He has to decide whether to re-enlist for another six-year hitch. And his boss goes off on extended duty, leaving him as the only Corps member to look after a private who has been arrested for murder. Worse, that private is a Black man and this story takes place in a time and place where that can be a dangerous place to be -- especially if you are accused of killing a white man.
A fascinating tale, and one that told me a lot I didn't know about its time period.
