A zombie private investigator is back on the case in "Dead Mann Running" by Stefan Petrucha.
Hessius Mann is trying to make an undead living for himself and for his assistant, a former drug addict, Misty. Trouble walks in on him in the form of a severed arm carrying a briefcase. Since he's right in the middle of what's pretty much known as the chak (their slang for zombie) ghetto, Hessius doesn't think much about it. But the next thing he knows, there's a man pretending to be a cop at his door and trying to kill him, a high speed chase with two dangerous men in black suits that ends with a good police officer's death and Hessius and Misty framed for the death, an encounter with a deadly ninja and a possible link to Hess' past. What is in the briefcase? Who are all the groups that want it? What has Hessius gotten himself into and will he "live" to get out of it?
If you like your crime noir with a zombie bent, you will love this series of dangerous dames, double crosses and the undead.
"Dead Mann Running" is published by Roc. It is $7.99 and is 339 pages long.
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A telepath helps the police solve crimes in "Clean" by Alex Hughes.
Adam really has an insight into the mind of a criminal - because he can read them. Having worked for the Telepath's Guild until his addiction to a drug ruined his career and his life. He tries to keep on the straight and narrow through the help of a sponsor and through his friendship with Detective Isabella Cherabino. But its a strain to keep his addiction in check, and the current case they are working is a tough one and leads back to Adam's world - there's a serial killer that is Guild trained and attacking people in Mindspace. And unless they can find the killer fast, Adam is going to be the next victim.
This is a cool, futuristic world of telepaths, ruined technology (the computers did try to get us!) and ultimately, a very human story about one man's struggle against addiction. It's a bit like "Law & Order" mixed with sci-fi.
"Clean" is published by Roc. It is $7.99 and 352 pages long.
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New York Times bestselling author Tad Williams takes crime noir in a different direction with a story about angels in "The Dirty Streets of Heaven."
Bobby Dollar is an angel, working as an advocate for souls passing on. While the opposing side works to show why those souls should get a one way ticket to somewhere warm and tortuous, Bobby's there to prove why they should get their reward.
Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. But he never expected to be stuck in the middle of a murder investigation.
Bobby gets called in to a strange case when another angel friend of his is too busy showing a new trainee angel, "Clarence" the ropes. The next thing Bobby knows, he's the suspect of a fallen angel's unheard of murder, the big boys upstairs are asking all sorts of questions and showing an uncomfortable interest in him and oddly enough, the only person Bobby believes he can trust is the wicked Countess of Cold Hands, who is a bewitching beauty - and is working for the other side.
The angels aren't exactly angelic in this wickedly good start to a new crime noir series. This one kept me up all night reading to see what twists and turns Bobby will have to navigate next.
"The Dirty Streets of Heaven" is published by Daw. It is $25.95 and 406 pages long.
