Windswept

A great gritty mystery-adventure, with a flawed but strong and likeable protagonist, and no Hollywood endings

A Union leader on a planet where colonists struggle for survival in tough manual-labor jobs recruits (for a bounty) corporation indenture-breachers who decide to jump ship on their planet. New union members move into the lowest jobs and those ahead of them move up, which means that workers have a hope of eventually moving into better conditions and pay, or even perhaps retiring with benefits. She takes a huge risk in order to earn enough to finally retire and run her dream business--but, of course, no plan survives contact with reality.

Full of twists, reversals, and reveals--combined with the sort of sly and sarcastic humor that I love--this is a great gritty mystery-adventure, with a flawed but strong and likeable protagonist, and no Hollywood endings.