86. Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold (#5 in the Vorkosigan saga)

I am firmly in the Vorkosigan saga now and trying to decide whether I should read another one immediately after this or take another break.  So far, each book survives on its own, but there are references to Miles' past exploits as well as the very complex galactic politics around which civilization controls which jump gates that make me want to keep reading lest I forget it all again.  For instance, in Cetaganda, Miles and his physically superior and mentally inferior cousin Ivan travel on a diplomatic mission to Cetaganda.  This powerful and advanced empire made an attempt to invade some region (Wikipedia reminds me it was the Hegen hub) to control a jump gate.  Miles had foiled their plot in The Vor Game.  I remember it all coming quite fast at the end of that book, so it was nice to have a single plot line here, focused on a single adversary/allied civilization.

Barraya is ostensibly though warily at peace with Cetaganda and Miles and Ivan are sent to deliver a gift and participate in the funeral services for the Queen Emperor.  They get into trouble upon docking, when they are directed to the wrong airlock and as soon as it opens, they are attacked.  They rebuff their assailant, who leaves a very high-quality stun gun and a high tech sealed cylinder.  Instead of reporting this, Miles, telling himself he wants to avoid a diplomatic incident, starts investigating on his own.

We learn about the complex Cetagandan society, which is run by the haut, a genetically modified superior class and the ghem, lower in social scale (though still quite elite) and the ones who control the military and economy.  The haut are so high class that the women go around in floating chairs hidden by force shields so they are basically floating eggs at social events.  Their beauty is so rarified and their status so elevated that only other haut see them and high-ranking ghem to whom they are sometimes married. 

The plot involves a conspiracy to steal the genetic material that the haut use to continue to improve their species and maintain power.  The tension for Miles is to figure out the mystery without involving his own local superior or the ambassador, because he doesn't want the case taken away from him.  The risk is that Barrayar will be used as a scapegoat for the theft.  It's a lot of fun with some cool high tech and a neat look at a super wealthy and advanced society in this universe.