Review of ALREADY DEAD by Charlie Huston

Del Rey, December 2005

Death would be easier for vampire-detective Joe Pitt if he'd join up with one of the vampire organizations that rule New York. The Coalition owns the center of Manhatten and they've got plenty of money and access to blood. Further south, though, where Pitt lives, The Society has resources that could help him. (Pitt definitely doesn't want to join up with the crazy vampires of The Enclave--vampires who insist on starving themselves of blood in a weird hope that they'll thus overcome the 'Vyrus' that turned them into vampires. Being independent, a rogue, has some advantages, though. Pitt manages to work for multiple groups and keeps himself supplied that way.

When Pitt runs into a group of zombies, he realizes something has been added to the equation. Zombies aren't unknown, but they don't tend to run in groups. Somewhere, there's a vombie master, and the Coalition instructs Pitt to terminate him at once. Then there's the beautiful woman looking for her daughter. Could the girl have simply run away to enjoy the goth scene, or is there more going on? When Pitt's emergency blood stash vanishes, and rumors of a wraith start to circulate, he finds himself in a world of trouble--with none of the vampire organizations ready to help.

Author Charlie Huston (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Huston) creates a powerful blend of hardboiled detective story and vampire urban fantasy. Pitt is a strong and sympathetic character as he strives to keep his independence, to discover the truth, and to keep the zombie master from converting more innocent people.

Huston's New York is a strange and fascinating place--physically it's the same New York ordinary humans see, but the social overlay of Vampire society lets us see the city through different eyes. Pitt's loner habits and his tendency to slap people around to find the truth definitely bring the best of the old hardboiled detective stories to mind.

Four Stars

Reviewed 7/21/07

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