Hey, I have a science fiction novel recommendation:
"Navigational Entanglements" by Aliette de Bodard
It's a shorter novel, at 160ish pages.
It's about a group of junior space navigators who have to track down and disable a creature who feeds on human minds (killing them in the process).
The book's characters make for an interesting medley of conflicted relationships which evolve over the expanse of the story.