Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield: Book Review

Final Orbit is the third book in the Apollo Murders series by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Released on October 7, 2025, it takes readers back to Houston and the Apollo program. This time, it’s July 1975, and Kaz is back at Johnson Space Center working on the final Apollo mission. Only this time, it’s a joint mission with the Russians. A launch was recorded from China. What does this mean for the Apollo crew?

I want to thank Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Final Orbit. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

1975. A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz carrying three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new dawn of Soviet-American cooperation.

But a third power is rising in the race to dominate Space. As NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, three of the six astronauts are killed in a depressurization accident. And from a remote location in east Asia, a capsule secretly launches with China’s very first astronaut aboard, purpose unknown . . .

My Opinions

Final Orbit is the third installment in the Apollo Murders series, and it fits in perfectly! Overall, the series reads much like a Tom Clancy novel. Full of intrigue, mystery, and lots of political implications.

Final Orbit takes the readers back to the depths of space, which is something The Defector did not do. We are reunited with characters we have known and enjoyed, as well as one that we may have even missed from the first book.

Several characters and events in the book are based on real-life. While what happened in the book with these real people may not have been what really happened, it’s nice to consider it all plausible. Hadfield includes a guide at the end of the novel that identifies the real people. He also admits that he may have twisted and adjusted timelines to fit the story, rather than accurately recounting what really happened.

Who would I suggest read this book? Do you like action-adventure movies? What about books set in space? Or books that feature political intrigue, especially from the Cold War era? If you answered yes to these questions, you should definitely give Final Orbit a read.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.