Simon Canderous and his retractable metal bat are doing a
favor for an undead friend when he runs into a bit more
psychometry than he is used to. With girlfriend and
technomancer Jane at his side he succeeds in dispatching a
nasty revenant, a goth tattoo artist roiling with hate and
jealousy, but not without a great deal of property damage.
The ghost is gone but her emotions linger on in Simon,
making it hard for him to keep an even keel when dealing
with Jane or his coworkers in Manhattan's Department of
Extraordinary Affairs.
Former thief Simon is worried about recent budget cuts; the
last thing he wants is to be cut loose with only his old
life of crime to maintain his current lifestyle. The SoHo
apartment is the last remnant of who he used to be and it's
impossible to think about giving it up. It's even hard to
think about sharing it, despite Jane's hints about wanting
more than an old underwear drawer to put her stuff in for
when she comes over.
Rather than being fired, Simon has plenty to keep him busy.
He and his ghost-whispering partner Connor are part of the
skeleton crew left after the budget cuts pare the department
down to the bone, and are working day and night to do the
work that keeps crawling in (and the tons of paperwork that
always follows). Most recently, an old friend of their boss
Inspectre Argyle
Quimby is found dead in his ritzy digs, drowned but with his
clothes and immediate surroundings bone dry. Further
investigation puts not only Simon but Jane at risk, while
digging up old memories Inspectre Quimby may not be ready to
face.
DEAD WATERS is the fourth Simon Canderous novel and
continues the wry look at the seamy paranormal underside of
the New York Anton Strout has created. Favorite venues like
the Lovecraft Café are used as well as several of the quirky
co-workers and undead acquaintances connected to Simon's
uneasy life on the right side of the law. New characters and
old mysteries are plumbed as well, making for a delicious
noirish dip into urban fantasy.
Simon Canderous, of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs,
is used to fighting vampires and zombies. But the strange
murder of a professor has everyone stumped. And it's making
some people crazy. Literally.
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