The Patrian Transgression by Simon Hawke (Star Trek #69, April 1994).

The Enterprise is sent on a mission to Patria as that world is considering Federation membership. In a pleasant surprise, the diplomat the Enterprise carries is an old friend of Captain Kirk's from Starfleet Academy, who has gone into the diplomatic service. The planet of Patria is peaceful, and the mission appears to be simple and straightforward.

When the ship arrives, soon it is discovered that things are anything but peaceful. A rebel faction has been protesting against the government, and now they have gotten energy weapons, beyond the Patrian technology. A capture of some weapons shows there must be a Klingon supplier. Obviously, the Klingons are trying to destabilize the government for their own ends. Now the Captain and his crew join forces with the Patrian police to track down the rebels.

However, once again it happens that things are not as they seem. Kirk is passed word that it is not the rebels who are using Klingon weapons and Spock surmises that the Patrian police have officers who are telepathic....and are authorized to shoot first and ask no questions at all, when they find someone contemplating a serious crime. I can think of some people now who would be interested in that.

Kirk, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise must uncover the truth, and find out just what the true threat is to Patrian society and to themselves. As the situation gets more and more dire, inventiveness and quick action will be required to make this mission a success.

Hawke here writes the best Star Trek novel in some time. It has a clever plot with plenty of twists and turns to hold reader interest, and reveals characters by dialogue rather than the lazy man's (or woman's) method of sitting inside a character's head for pages on end. The language level is that of a young adult novel, not terribly challenging, but the crisp dialogue and solid plot will keep the pages turning. This is a good book.

Kirk and Dr. McCoy are the featured characters, and by a clever twist it is McCoy who gets the love interest this time. Kirk, Spock and McCoy are solidly in character. Scotty is well-done as well, although the author makes the mistake of thinking Mr. Scott is happy filling the command chair, when all Trekkers know Scotty is always dying to get back to the engine room.

Sulu and Uhura get little to do here, and there isn't much play for Chekov although he gets to go on the landing party. Chekov is also referred to as the "helmsman," although he is the navigator at the TV-era time. This is an example of the few minor mistakes. A bit of better editing would have helped.

The writing is solid from Page 1 to the end. Hawke manages to turn some Star Trek conventions on their ear, and keep some going in a wink at the reader. The diplomat is a friend, but still ends up at odds with Kirk. The diplomat has a beautiful assistant...who falls for McCoy. At the end, it is Kirk's ingenuity that saves the day. It all would have made for a solid TV episode, or a decent movie. As it is, it's a good book.

This tome will be a good book for any Star Trek fan, and would also be a good read for those who are not conversant with the show. It's a good, solid story.