Wednesday 3 November 2010

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Thomas Usher 1: Pretty Little Dead Things - Gary McMahon

Release Date: 04/11/10

BOOK BLURB:

THOMAS USHER HAS A TERRIBLE GIFT. Following a car crash in which his wife and daughter are killed, he can see the recently departed, and it's not usually a pretty sight. When he is called to investigate the violent death of the daughter of a prominent local gangster, Usher's world is torn apart once more. For the barriers between this world and the next are not as immutable as once he believed.


REVIEW:

I’ve really got a bit of a soft spot for titles that blend what some would think of as opposing genres. Sometimes, it’s a radical new fusion, at others a failed experiment. Here in this offering from Gary McMahon is a tale where crime, gumshoe and the supernatural are set to collide.

It was definitely an interesting read, the characters believable (if not completely likeable) with an acceptable dialogue between the players which when backed up with a bittersweet ending definitely make it something different. Gary should be applauded for his effort which was not only brave but presented a different type of tale to the norm. Yet unfortunately, its nothing that I haven’t really read before with authors like Mike Carey, Justin Gustainis and Charlaine Harris each doing this type of tale a little better with more likable characters. I hope that Gary will learn from the errors within this title and improve on some of his weaker area’s as I look forward to seeing what he turns up next time. It is a reasonable offering and if you’re at a loose end it will keep the reader satisfied to a certain level but currently he’s not quite ready to take on some of the more established writers but the promise is definitely there.

1 comment:

Pat Hollett said...

I love the title and probably would have picked this up because the title would have 'drawn me in', but after reading your review, which I'm glad I did, I'll wait until something more promising is published by this author.