Devon’s review of Dead to Me by Anton Strout
Urban fantasy released by Ace 26 Feb 08

Simon Canderous possesses the power of psychometry. That is, he can touch an object and see visions, like scenes from the lives of the object’s previous owners or maker. This ability has led to a successful career in petty thievery, and an unsuccessful one in love. It’s not too cool to pick up a girl’s cell phone and get an image of her having sex…

 …with someone else.

Having decided to go on the straight and narrow, Simon has recently joined the New York City’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs, which takes care of the city’s paranormal and magical issues. He’s still a bit green, and when his partner calls him in the middle of the night to help with a rampaging spirit, Simon finds himself plunged into a crazy world of ghosts, cultists and good old governmental bureaucracy.

Dead to Me is an entertaining beginning to a new Urban Fantasy series. It was fast moving and kept my interest. I polished it off quickly. Simon is sweet, well-meaning and impulsive — pretty much your standard TSTL hero(ine). He rushes into situations, and behaves pretty unprofessionally, and there were times when I was just like, “Oh Simon. No. Just…no.” But that’s okay, because Urban Fantasy heroes and heroines often start off as knuckleheads. We have to give them time to mature and get used to the crazy world they are thrust into.

Simon is backed by a colorful cast of colleagues, allies and enemies. I enjoyed the NYC setting, and it wouldn’t surprise me if New York City’s byzantine and bureaucracy-happy government actually harbored a paranormal division. There is quirky humor throughout, sometimes labored, but mostly amusing.

Although I enjoyed the depiction of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs (DEA), there were certain things about the world that I wish had been made more more clear. The DEA fights for “Good” against “Darkness”, but these seemed to be vague concepts. The villains of the book were “cultists” or “sectarians” as they prefer to be called, and they are violent, and we are told they are evil, but I would’ve liked to know what they worshipped. Ditto for another group introduced late in the book. I would’ve liked to know more about who they were and what they did.

Overall, the book lost a bit of steam towards the end. The search for a particular object drove much of the plot, but its actual purpose was explained in one sentence. Which I missed the first time around. I had to go back and look for it, because I didn’t think that the object’s significance had been explained.

While the ending felt rushed and I would’ve preferred more explanation on certain details, Dead to Me was still a rollicking good read. Urban Fantasy fans should give it a try, particularly those who are weary of vampires and shapeshifters.

Grade: B

From the back cover:

     A new urban fantasy featuring a man working on the right side of law-with talents that come from left field.

     Psychometry-the power to touch an object and divine information about its history-has meant a life of petty crime for Simon Canderous, but now he’s gone over to the good side. At New York’s underfunded and (mostly) secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs, he’s learning about red tape, office politics, and the basics of paranormal investigation. But it’s not the paperwork that has him breathless.

     After Simon spills his coffee on (okay, through) the ghost of a beautiful woman-who doesn’t know she’s dead-he and his mentor plan to find her killers. But Simon’s not prepared for the nefarious plot that unfolds before him, involving politically correct cultists, a large wooden fish, a homicidal bookcase, and the forces of Darkness, which kind of have a crush on him.

     Read an excerpt.