Nekropolis, by Tim Waggoner
Matt Richter is a private detective in Nekropolis, an underworld where all types of monsters walk the streets. But he is also a zombie, who continually works to keep his body from deteriorating. When a beautiful half-vampire asks his help to find a missing artifact, Richter puts himself in more danger than he has ever faced before. Plenty of people want him dead. But being already dead has its advantages.
Richter is a great character, akin to old noir P.I. novels. And that he’s a zombie, in constant need of repair, is a wonderful twist. All of the characters are larger than life, and often humorous in nature. With plenty of twists, surprises, and undead smack-downs, Nekropolis has made my list of top reads of the year.
The setting is a lot like Simon Green’s Nightside series with mystery, dark humor, and horror. Though I found myself enjoying this novel even more. The story is darker, a bit more complex, with likeable characters. It’s fresh and fun; and I didn’t want it to end. Fantasy and horror fans, don’t miss this fantastic release.
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Nekropolis will release from Angry Robot on August 6, 2009.
The zombie angle is kind of icky but it does sound like an interesting premise!