The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton

Drifting powerless toward a graveyard of lost vessels, the freighter Pallas becomes a test of nerve, discipline, and survival in the dead silence of space. Captain Crain faces the crew with grim calm as Kent and Liggett cling to the hope that rescue—or at least fuel—may still be found, only to discover that the dead-area is a vast wreck-pack crowded with derelicts and bodies from across the solar system. That eerie hope sharpens into danger when six suited figures emerge from the debris. Their leader, Krell, claims to be a survivor of a tube explosion aboard the Martian Queen, but Kent's suspicions grow as he meets the ship's last passenger, Marta Mallen, and uncovers bloodstains, fear, and a story that doesn't fit. Marta's secret call confirms the truth: Krell and Jandron murdered the others and seized the ship, keeping her captive for themselves. As Kent searches the wreck-pack for fuel, he finds it aboard a Pluto liner—but the discovery triggers a brutal double-cross, a takeover of the Pallas, and a desperate struggle to reclaim both ships before Jandron escapes with the stolen fuel and every helmet in sight. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.