Here’s a unique premise: a spaceship lands on Earth, and a notable American is promptly murdered. One of the visitors stands trial for the crime. This is a brisk, enjoyable courtroom drama. It’s not (pardon the cliche) out of this world, but it’s curiously digestible. It has an inherently compelling weirdness, and it poses intelligent questions. The science and world-building are impeccable, and the details are absorbable even if you’re not a sci-fi geek.
One minor quibble: the murder trial takes up all the oxygen in the story. When little green men finally come to visit us, the prime concern won’t be whether one of them killed so-and-so; it will be whether the aliens want to zap us to dust or enslave or eat us. But that’s maybe a pedantic nitpick. This is a book that’s easy to get a kick out of.