Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore (2013)
Fast: Frantic: Deadly
Book cover blurb
Necromancer is such an ugly word, but it's a title Eric Carter is stuck with.
He sees ghosts, talks to the dead. He’s turned it into a lucrative career putting troublesome spirits to rest, sometimes taking on even more dangerous things. For a fee, of course.
When he left L.A. fifteen years ago he thought he’d never go back. Too many bad memories. Too many people trying to kill him.
But now his sister’s been brutally murdered and Carter wants to find out why.
Was it the gangster looking to settle a score? The ghost of a mage he killed the night he left town? Maybe it’s the patron saint of violent death herself, Santa Muerte, who’s taken an unusually keen interest in him.
Carter’s going to find out who did it and he’s going to make them pay.
As long as they don’t kill him first.
Interested in buying this title?
Click the link to find this book via a favourite online store.
Amazon.co.uk
My Review
Wow! Well, that was one hell of a ride!
If you can stomach all the gore and profanity, dive in, this thing is a riot.
It starts with a bang and just doesn't let up. It grabs you by the lapels, drags you into the action, and there's no fighting it.
Eric Carter, our main character, isn't exactly a person you like. But considering everything he's had to deal with in his life, it would be ridiculous for him to be a nice guy. You're on his side because you can understand why he is the way he is.
The clincher for me buying this book was the descriptions of items he carries into battle as featured on the first page. The smudge of graveyard dirt on his forehead. A dead man's straight razor. And particularly his pocket watch, which offers enough detail I managed to find the exact item with an internet search. I even found a few I could purchase! And yes, I was tempted. I've always wanted a vintage pocket watch. I love that kind of thing. It makes everything so much more tangible and immersive.
Throughout the book, we're offered so many little history and side shoot titbits that it's easy to imagine just how vast this world could open up to be in subsequent offerings. The characters populating this universe are interesting, fully formed and wildly varied. Several of which I'd love to see again in upcoming books. Although, considering the body count in this thing...
Having said that, death isn't as final as you might think in Eric's world.
I went looking for a series like this because I wasn't satisfied with the whole Dresden Files thing. Now, don't jump down my neck here. Dresden is great, I'm just not a fan of the wizards and such stuff. I thought a similar arc with a Constantine touch, the Keanu Reeves movie, not the comics, might be pretty cool. And I wasn't wrong.
I've scoured the internet and bought all nine books from the current series, so I'll definitely be reading more.
My copy of this novel
DAW paperback edition.
Published in 2013
295 pages
ISBN 9780756407742