The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

November 23, 2009
The gripping, suspenseful, and wry 10th tale in the Nightside supernatural detective series proves every bit the equal of Jim Butcher's better-known Harry Dresden books. The action picks up not long after 2009's Just Another Judgement Day
as Lord Screech, an elf claiming to be a peace emissary who has just negotiated a treaty between powerful elvish rivals, enlists PI John Taylor's help in getting safe passage to a portal to another realm. Despite his misgivings about Screech's honesty, Taylor and Ms. Fate, a transvestite crime fighter who “might have heard of taste, but only as something other people had,” battle werewolves and Neanderthals to deliver Screech to his destination and tackle several other challenges. Longtime fans and first timers alike will applaud Green's blend of fantasy, mystery, and humor.

January 15, 2010
John Taylor, P.I., works London's Nightside, a hidden area where time is frozen at 3 a.m. and where sunlight never appears. An unusual job, escorting an elven lord safely from one end of Nightside to the other, places him into direct conflict with Walker, the enigmatic agent who maintains some semblance of order in Nightside and who presents him with an offer he desperately wants to refuse. Green's tenth Nightside novel (after "Just Another Judgement Day") features the author's hallmark witty storytelling, quicksilver plotting, and a plethora of vividly imagined characters drawn from myth, folklore, and urban legend. VERDICT Readers who appreciate urban fantasy told with a flair for the ironic should find this hard-boiled fantasy detective tale to their liking.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.