Deadman Switch

The author introduces a strange and deadly planetary system called Solitaire, a system rich in heavy metal but one that demands a human sacrifice as the price of admission "Solitaire: a unique ring of heavy-metal moons. For decades after its discovery an unexplained "effect sphere" kept all hyperships away from a metal-hungry galaxy's most tantalizing prize. Until a research ship penetrated the Cloud entirely by accident, when the man at the helm died of a heart attack just before entering the sphere. For the first time a hypership's drive did not fail as it approached Solitaire. For the researchers the difficult part came when it was time to leave ... Now every ship heading for the Ring Mines carries two death-row felons, one for entry, the other for exit. It's as bizarre a method as the effect it counters, but it works ... until the hero of Deaman Switch discovers that one of his condemned criminals isn't guilty ..."--Page 4 of cover