Jack McDevitt 
Seeker (Alex Benedict – Book 3) 

The Nebula-Award winning novel from the multi-award winning SF master Jack Mc Devitt. Also a Campbell Award finalist. Third in the acclaimed Alex Benedict series.When Alex Benedict, interstellar dealer of antiquities, examines a seemingly unremarkable artefact, he is convinced it is from the infamous Seeker – a transport ship which fled the religious dictatorship in 27th century America. With the help of his pilot, Chase Kolpath, he follows a deadly trail to the Seeker, now strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But their discovery raises far more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and Chase into the very heart of danger.