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Joe Pitt #3
Half the Blood of Brooklyn: A Novel
There’s only so much room on the Island, only so much blood, and Manhattan’s Vampyre Clans aren’t interested in sharing. So when the Vyrus-infected dregs of New York’s outer boroughs start creeping across the bridges and through the tunnels, the Clans want to know why.
Bad luck for PI and general hard case Joe Pitt.
See, Joe used to be a Rogue, used to work off his own dime, picked his own gigs, but tight times and a terminally ill girlfriend pushed him into the arms of the renegade Society Clan. Now he has all the cash and blood he needs, but at a steep price. The price tonight is crossing the bridge, rolling to Coney Island, finding the Freak Clan, and figuring out what’s driving that bunch of savages to scratch at the Society’s door. No need to look far. The answer lies around the corner in Gravesend. Convenient, all those graves.
From uptown to the boardwalk, war drums are beating. Murderous family feuds and personal grudges are being drawn and brandished, along with the long knives. Blood will spill and, big surprise, Joe’s in the middle. But hey, why should this night be different from any other?
Sunset to sunrise: put off a war, keep your head attached to your neck, and save your girl. Check. Joe’s on the case.
Bad luck for PI and general hard case Joe Pitt.
See, Joe used to be a Rogue, used to work off his own dime, picked his own gigs, but tight times and a terminally ill girlfriend pushed him into the arms of the renegade Society Clan. Now he has all the cash and blood he needs, but at a steep price. The price tonight is crossing the bridge, rolling to Coney Island, finding the Freak Clan, and figuring out what’s driving that bunch of savages to scratch at the Society’s door. No need to look far. The answer lies around the corner in Gravesend. Convenient, all those graves.
From uptown to the boardwalk, war drums are beating. Murderous family feuds and personal grudges are being drawn and brandished, along with the long knives. Blood will spill and, big surprise, Joe’s in the middle. But hey, why should this night be different from any other?
Sunset to sunrise: put off a war, keep your head attached to your neck, and save your girl. Check. Joe’s on the case.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2007
58 people are currently reading
1154 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Huston
103 books1,298 followersCharlie Huston is an American novelist, screenwriter, and comic book writer known for his genre-blending storytelling and character-driven narratives. His twelve novels span crime, horror, and science fiction, and have been published by Ballantine, Del Rey, Mulholland, and Orion, with translations in nine languages. He is the creator of the Henry Thompson trilogy, beginning with Caught Stealing, which was announced in 2024 as a forthcoming film adaptation directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Austin Butler. Huston’s stand-alone novels include The Shotgun Rule, The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, Sleepless, and Skinner. He also authored the vampire noir series Joe Pitt Casebooks while living in Manhattan and later California. Huston has written pilots for FX, FOX, Sony, and Tomorrow Studios, served as a writer and producer on FOX’s Gotham, and developed original projects such as Arcadia. In comics, he rebooted Moon Knight for Marvel, contributed to Ultimates Annual, and penned the Wolverine: The Best There Is series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
November 27, 2018
"--Well, just threaten a man, why can't you? You make it all complicated like that and I sometimes don't know what I got to do to keep from getting slapped around... I appreciate the benefit of the doubt and all, Joe, but really, man, unless I'm high you really shouldn't count on me thinking too straight."
It's always nice to be clear when you are trying to get information.
The third in the Joe Pitt series was a little harder to get into, but that could have been my lingering dyspepsia after a political-talk filled lunch with pops... maybe call it a three-and-a-half star read, to be re-read in a better mood. Frankly, I thought my aggravation would have been well suited to Joe Pitt. This book is a lot more violent, with quite a few more entrenched New York stereotypes, a greater freak factor, and a more unlikeable lead. Manhattan Vampyres are starting to cast their gazes outside the island, investigating the prospect of alliances. Terry wants to send Joe to Brooklyn for a meet. Joe is tormented over Evie and doesn't know which way to turn. He starts grasping at straws, and it's never pleasant when people become desperate, hoping for the miracle.
I won't summarize, but I want to remember .
Still, it's a good read. The stark dialogue captures my attention and is one of the strengths of Huston's style. The description of Joe stopping in for late-night snacks at a bodega was hauntingly real, and then ruthless. Then there are the scenes at the Enclave with Daniel. Huston surprised me there, but perhaps I should have expected his bleak vision to win out. Like an abused dog, Joe is repeatedly biting the hands that are reached out to him, and it gets a little hard to witness him hurting. I also tend to get annoyed when plot points hinge on someone not sharing information. In this case, there's no obvious reason for Joe not to share with the Society, except sheer obstinance. This feels a little like a mid-series book with a number of plot lines left incomplete, so I'm anxious to get the last two and see where this story goes.
Book four: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
It's always nice to be clear when you are trying to get information.
The third in the Joe Pitt series was a little harder to get into, but that could have been my lingering dyspepsia after a political-talk filled lunch with pops... maybe call it a three-and-a-half star read, to be re-read in a better mood. Frankly, I thought my aggravation would have been well suited to Joe Pitt. This book is a lot more violent, with quite a few more entrenched New York stereotypes, a greater freak factor, and a more unlikeable lead. Manhattan Vampyres are starting to cast their gazes outside the island, investigating the prospect of alliances. Terry wants to send Joe to Brooklyn for a meet. Joe is tormented over Evie and doesn't know which way to turn. He starts grasping at straws, and it's never pleasant when people become desperate, hoping for the miracle.
I won't summarize, but I want to remember .
Still, it's a good read. The stark dialogue captures my attention and is one of the strengths of Huston's style. The description of Joe stopping in for late-night snacks at a bodega was hauntingly real, and then ruthless. Then there are the scenes at the Enclave with Daniel. Huston surprised me there, but perhaps I should have expected his bleak vision to win out. Like an abused dog, Joe is repeatedly biting the hands that are reached out to him, and it gets a little hard to witness him hurting. I also tend to get annoyed when plot points hinge on someone not sharing information. In this case, there's no obvious reason for Joe not to share with the Society, except sheer obstinance. This feels a little like a mid-series book with a number of plot lines left incomplete, so I'm anxious to get the last two and see where this story goes.
Book four: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
November 22, 2018
This is the third book in the Joe Pitt series following No Dominion (my review). The series continues to be a dark, gritty, and ultra-violent noir detective/urban fantasy mashup. This story pushes forward the long-term story arc, but does not bring this 5-book series to its apogee. I found it to be a ‘filler’. It ends rather unsatisfactorily with the reader needing to continue to the next book.
Note this book was a slender 225-pages. None of the books in the series are the genre-standard 350-pages, but this was almost novella-length. In addition, this book would be incomprehensible to folks who have not been reading the series in its proper order.
Prose is no different from the other books in the series. The author is writing in the noir/hardboiled style of Dashiell Hammett, although I see Jim Thompson in the protagonist's alcohol abuse and psychopathic behavior. However, who’s to say that all vampires aren’t psychopaths? The Pitt protagonist’s POV is used throughout. Pitt’s dialog is monosyllabic, and his internal monologue isn’t much more verbose. The dialog of other characters has developed a tendency to become expository. These diversions aren't bad. For example, I especially liked the vampiric slant on the health effects and pleasures of smoking tobacco. Descriptive prose is good, but not as lovingly crafted as earlier books in the series. Action sequences are well done. This book is mostly action (and exposition). However, a large portion of the action is Pitt getting more than he gives. I can’t figure-out why he’s not a bag of (broken) bones. This is despite his vampiric healing powers. Finally, I no longer find the series to be terribly funny, although I know when I’ve read something that was intended to be.
This story includes non-hetronormative sex, modest alcohol abuse, and ultra-violence. The sex was just 'talk' about sex. Keeping with the spirit of the book, Pitt remains celibate. This is despite the reveal that human/vampire conjugal relations will not result in vampire virus infection. Pitt has very little time to drink in this story. He's not hanging-out in bars cutting deals and making snarky observations on New Yorkers in this story—he’s too busy getting beaten-up. There is graphic violence. Physical, edged-weapons, and firearms violence appear in gory detail. To the author's credit, I still find some of these pseudo-acts of random and planned violence to be cringe worthy. Body count is moderately high. This is not a YA read.
The main characters include: Pitt, Evie (no last name), Terry Bird, Daniel (no last name), Predo. Pitt, Evie (Pitt's love interest), Bird, Predo and Daniel are carried over from the first book. They receive no real development. A character carried over from No Dominion, “The Count” unexpectedly became prominent. While I like the idea of him, his dialog sets my fangs on edge. Finally, the Brooklyn vampires are rendered in a singularly unflattering way.
The territoriality of vampires continues to play an important part in the series. I mentioned this to a friend, and she observed that there hasn’t been a contemporary vampire novel written in the last five years that involved more than one vampire, werewolf or other supernatural creature where territoriality hasn’t been an major plot element—blame it on Sookie .
Plotting was frankly lame. The cover blurb’s “vampires from the outer boroughs invade Manhattan”, was really a very small part of the story. Most of it was setting Pitt up to be in opposition to virtually all the vampire power blocks Balkanizing Manhattan while losing the girl and setting-up the reader to buy the next book. I was also disappointed that there was less of the supernatural featured in this story than in previous books.
A Cook’s Tour of metro-New York is a major edu-tainment factor in reading this series. With this book, Brooklyn was mostly featured. Brooklyn stops included: Coney Island , Brooklyn Heights, and I think Red Hook. I admit to geekily following the series' action on Google Maps . The locations are accurately described to the street-level. I would have liked there to be a Williamsburg scene, if only because the author’s hipster-snark is so good. I also thought the author missed an opportunity for someone to beat-up Pitt on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. That would have had a lot of atmosphere. I ❤ NY.
This story was a bit of a disappointment. The out-of-town vampires were a weak sub-plot, while all the series' long-term sub-plots were just further developed, but none of them found an end. However, like its predecessors, the story is dark, dour, gritty, but none-too-deep. (It was an easy read.) Unlike its predecessors, I didn’t find the story to be as wryly funny. So, this story was just a ‘place-holder’ in the series. Unfortunately, it can’t be missed and forces the reader onto the next book Every Last Drop . I'm likely to to read the next book, but I'm no longer in a rush to do so.
Note this book was a slender 225-pages. None of the books in the series are the genre-standard 350-pages, but this was almost novella-length. In addition, this book would be incomprehensible to folks who have not been reading the series in its proper order.
Prose is no different from the other books in the series. The author is writing in the noir/hardboiled style of Dashiell Hammett, although I see Jim Thompson in the protagonist's alcohol abuse and psychopathic behavior. However, who’s to say that all vampires aren’t psychopaths? The Pitt protagonist’s POV is used throughout. Pitt’s dialog is monosyllabic, and his internal monologue isn’t much more verbose. The dialog of other characters has developed a tendency to become expository. These diversions aren't bad. For example, I especially liked the vampiric slant on the health effects and pleasures of smoking tobacco. Descriptive prose is good, but not as lovingly crafted as earlier books in the series. Action sequences are well done. This book is mostly action (and exposition). However, a large portion of the action is Pitt getting more than he gives. I can’t figure-out why he’s not a bag of (broken) bones. This is despite his vampiric healing powers. Finally, I no longer find the series to be terribly funny, although I know when I’ve read something that was intended to be.
This story includes non-hetronormative sex, modest alcohol abuse, and ultra-violence. The sex was just 'talk' about sex. Keeping with the spirit of the book, Pitt remains celibate. This is despite the reveal that human/vampire conjugal relations will not result in vampire virus infection. Pitt has very little time to drink in this story. He's not hanging-out in bars cutting deals and making snarky observations on New Yorkers in this story—he’s too busy getting beaten-up. There is graphic violence. Physical, edged-weapons, and firearms violence appear in gory detail. To the author's credit, I still find some of these pseudo-acts of random and planned violence to be cringe worthy. Body count is moderately high. This is not a YA read.
The main characters include: Pitt, Evie (no last name), Terry Bird, Daniel (no last name), Predo. Pitt, Evie (Pitt's love interest), Bird, Predo and Daniel are carried over from the first book. They receive no real development. A character carried over from No Dominion, “The Count” unexpectedly became prominent. While I like the idea of him, his dialog sets my fangs on edge. Finally, the Brooklyn vampires are rendered in a singularly unflattering way.
The territoriality of vampires continues to play an important part in the series. I mentioned this to a friend, and she observed that there hasn’t been a contemporary vampire novel written in the last five years that involved more than one vampire, werewolf or other supernatural creature where territoriality hasn’t been an major plot element—blame it on Sookie .
Plotting was frankly lame. The cover blurb’s “vampires from the outer boroughs invade Manhattan”, was really a very small part of the story. Most of it was setting Pitt up to be in opposition to virtually all the vampire power blocks Balkanizing Manhattan while losing the girl and setting-up the reader to buy the next book. I was also disappointed that there was less of the supernatural featured in this story than in previous books.
A Cook’s Tour of metro-New York is a major edu-tainment factor in reading this series. With this book, Brooklyn was mostly featured. Brooklyn stops included: Coney Island , Brooklyn Heights, and I think Red Hook. I admit to geekily following the series' action on Google Maps . The locations are accurately described to the street-level. I would have liked there to be a Williamsburg scene, if only because the author’s hipster-snark is so good. I also thought the author missed an opportunity for someone to beat-up Pitt on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. That would have had a lot of atmosphere. I ❤ NY.
This story was a bit of a disappointment. The out-of-town vampires were a weak sub-plot, while all the series' long-term sub-plots were just further developed, but none of them found an end. However, like its predecessors, the story is dark, dour, gritty, but none-too-deep. (It was an easy read.) Unlike its predecessors, I didn’t find the story to be as wryly funny. So, this story was just a ‘place-holder’ in the series. Unfortunately, it can’t be missed and forces the reader onto the next book Every Last Drop . I'm likely to to read the next book, but I'm no longer in a rush to do so.
August 14, 2011
I had almost forgotten how good, ice cool the lean noir prose style of Huston was. It is fun to read on it own, makes you forget at times you are reading vampire urban fantasy.
Funny enough Joe Pitt is one of the best noir characters i have read, he is mean,nasty and ruthless. Huston doesnt make him heroic and lame, he is very human in how un-heroic he is. Much more interesting than Hank Thompson i read about in Huston noir series without supernatural element.
I thought the first book in the series was both cool character, action and interesting vampire story but the second book was weaker and almost generic urban fantasy story. The other characters seemed like cliche of the subgenre. But this 3rd book there were interesting villains, great action and good vampire story.
It has become my fav urban fantasy series simply because the lead character is more believable, cynical, human in how he tries not to be a hero. The other series i like are weakened by too goody goody heroes like Dresden. I want mean, amoral noir character that does the right thing only now and then.
Funny enough Joe Pitt is one of the best noir characters i have read, he is mean,nasty and ruthless. Huston doesnt make him heroic and lame, he is very human in how un-heroic he is. Much more interesting than Hank Thompson i read about in Huston noir series without supernatural element.
I thought the first book in the series was both cool character, action and interesting vampire story but the second book was weaker and almost generic urban fantasy story. The other characters seemed like cliche of the subgenre. But this 3rd book there were interesting villains, great action and good vampire story.
It has become my fav urban fantasy series simply because the lead character is more believable, cynical, human in how he tries not to be a hero. The other series i like are weakened by too goody goody heroes like Dresden. I want mean, amoral noir character that does the right thing only now and then.
November 8, 2011
I love this series! This time Joe is sent over the river to visit other clans and try to recruit them into the Society. He and Lydia, one of the Society higher-ups, are on a mission to recruit a clan calling themselves The Freaks. They arrive at their destination, a lonely stretch of Coney Island, to come upon a circus tent with the freakiest of freak shows in progress. Turns out, these are the Freaks and they are truly freaky. After the show Joe and Lydia try to meet with the "ring master", after he finishes stuffing his guts back in his body (it's part of the show), but all hell breaks loose when the tent is suddenly attacked with arrows and knife-wielding Vampyres. They are a rival clan, The Children of Benjamin, a "cursed" clan of Jews whose vyrus dates back before Christ. And they are bad-ass, no doubt.
As usual, all sort of slaughter and mayhem take place, revenge is sought, retribution is brought and all things shake out in the end. But several key events take place. Evie, Joe's human girlfriend, is dying of AIDS. Joe's attempt to help her goes badly wrong (no spoilers). Major changes take place in the hierarchy of The Enclave. And Joe, well, Joe is no longer safe anywhere in Manhattan. I can't wait for the next one!!!!
As usual, all sort of slaughter and mayhem take place, revenge is sought, retribution is brought and all things shake out in the end. But several key events take place. Evie, Joe's human girlfriend, is dying of AIDS. Joe's attempt to help her goes badly wrong (no spoilers). Major changes take place in the hierarchy of The Enclave. And Joe, well, Joe is no longer safe anywhere in Manhattan. I can't wait for the next one!!!!
November 13, 2015
Third in the 'Joe Pitt' series (5 in total) & so seductive. After finishing this, i felt like going straight on with #4.
I'm not a big fan of Vampires & things that go bump, but Huston imbues his tales with an adroit Noir sensibility blending Noir & Fantasy to create a violent, intriguing scenario.
The Vampires don't have fangs, they drink their blood, as one would any other liquid, but they do need it to survive. Crucifixes, garlic, Holy water, nada. No effect on them. A shot (or three) to the head or a decapitation will really piss them off & probably be effective.
Really, the whole blood thing is easily rationalised. It's an addictive drug. They need it & there are turf wars over it's allocation. And the human inhabitants of this slightly alternate New York? They're mostly oblivious.
This series needs to be read in order. No peeking. This installment ends with a cliff-hanger that left me crying for more.
At the rear of my paperback copy, there is a short interview with Huston, where he is asked where he drew his inspiration for the Pitt series. He replied in part & i paraphrase: "I wanted to write a series with Vampires, but in a Raymond Chandler setting." I would say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery & Huston succeeds admirably.
I'm not a big fan of Vampires & things that go bump, but Huston imbues his tales with an adroit Noir sensibility blending Noir & Fantasy to create a violent, intriguing scenario.
The Vampires don't have fangs, they drink their blood, as one would any other liquid, but they do need it to survive. Crucifixes, garlic, Holy water, nada. No effect on them. A shot (or three) to the head or a decapitation will really piss them off & probably be effective.
Really, the whole blood thing is easily rationalised. It's an addictive drug. They need it & there are turf wars over it's allocation. And the human inhabitants of this slightly alternate New York? They're mostly oblivious.
This series needs to be read in order. No peeking. This installment ends with a cliff-hanger that left me crying for more.
At the rear of my paperback copy, there is a short interview with Huston, where he is asked where he drew his inspiration for the Pitt series. He replied in part & i paraphrase: "I wanted to write a series with Vampires, but in a Raymond Chandler setting." I would say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery & Huston succeeds admirably.
June 23, 2011
Third in the Joe Pitt urban fantasy set in contemporary New York City.
The Story
Joe's been cruising. Doing the security gig for Terry. Taking down the competition. Then, I dunno, Terry gets ambitious, sees war coming and wants alliances. Ya can't trust Terry. He'll use up anyone to further his aims. Don't let his laid-back hippie style fool ya.
Terry wants backup and he's not willing for a potential ally to cross over to the Coalition but the real story starts when he sends Joe and Lydia over to meet with the Brooklyn Clans. That initial meeting sure does make ya appreciate a circus…a normal circus that is. Then there's the unexpected betrayal! Yeah, all betrayals are unexpected…this one more than most! Our Lydia's in for a real nasty surprise as well when the rebbe kidnaps her for her Jewish genes…and Joe walks off without her because, hey, the Jewish vampires have taken over Brooklyn and it's only by the grace of God that Joe gets to walk away. With a guilty conscience.
Just to set us up for the future, Huston lets us know that Amanda and Sela have a plan to start their own clan…family style. Not like the other clans around New York with their attitude of everyone out for him/herself. Amanda is almost 18 and she plans to carry on where her father left off…research-wise that is.
Amazingly, the Count is still alive after No Dominion. Okay, maybe not so amazing as Terry is siphoning off the Count's trust fund for the Society. But this little visit Joe pays has a twist I never expected. I have to wonder if it was the trigger for Daniel's fatal actions. It certainly didn't end up doing Joe any good when he brought the dying Evie to the Enclave hoping that the Count's pre-med background could help her. It certainly ends any ties with the Society. No more money from Count Chocula and Joe had the nerve to try and save his girl. Try I say because the Count finally gets his own back on Joe and we, along with Joe, get a wholly unexpected tour of NYC.
The Characters
Oh yeah, they're characters all right. Count Chocula with his delusions of grandeur. Sociopathic little… Then Terri. What a political animal he is. A Dexter Predo in beads and hemp jeans. Lydia cracks me up with her holier than thou organic approach of "you will tolerate everything I do and say" and like it! The rebbe and his group certainly gave me a whole new perspective on the tribe of Benjamin…whoa…
My Take
Joe has certainly been burning his bridges. He's pissed off Terry and Lydia. Dexter already thinks he's a loser and not worth anything. Then he's taken Evie to the Enclave and we don't, definitively, know if she's still alive or… How will Evie feel about Joe once she is turned? Will she be in thrall to the Count? Even biker boy, Christian, very nicely told Joe to get lost. The only reason Enclave welcomed Joe was because of Daniel and with him gone…Joe thought it was hard being a rogue when he was tolerated, liked.
I am so looking forward to Every Last Drop.
The Cover
Oh yeah! That trademark split cover with the thug aiming a gun and two fangs over his lower lip and the night-lit Brooklyn Bridge in the background is just so Joe Pitt.
The Story
Joe's been cruising. Doing the security gig for Terry. Taking down the competition. Then, I dunno, Terry gets ambitious, sees war coming and wants alliances. Ya can't trust Terry. He'll use up anyone to further his aims. Don't let his laid-back hippie style fool ya.
Terry wants backup and he's not willing for a potential ally to cross over to the Coalition but the real story starts when he sends Joe and Lydia over to meet with the Brooklyn Clans. That initial meeting sure does make ya appreciate a circus…a normal circus that is. Then there's the unexpected betrayal! Yeah, all betrayals are unexpected…this one more than most! Our Lydia's in for a real nasty surprise as well when the rebbe kidnaps her for her Jewish genes…and Joe walks off without her because, hey, the Jewish vampires have taken over Brooklyn and it's only by the grace of God that Joe gets to walk away. With a guilty conscience.
Just to set us up for the future, Huston lets us know that Amanda and Sela have a plan to start their own clan…family style. Not like the other clans around New York with their attitude of everyone out for him/herself. Amanda is almost 18 and she plans to carry on where her father left off…research-wise that is.
Amazingly, the Count is still alive after No Dominion. Okay, maybe not so amazing as Terry is siphoning off the Count's trust fund for the Society. But this little visit Joe pays has a twist I never expected. I have to wonder if it was the trigger for Daniel's fatal actions. It certainly didn't end up doing Joe any good when he brought the dying Evie to the Enclave hoping that the Count's pre-med background could help her. It certainly ends any ties with the Society. No more money from Count Chocula and Joe had the nerve to try and save his girl. Try I say because the Count finally gets his own back on Joe and we, along with Joe, get a wholly unexpected tour of NYC.
The Characters
Oh yeah, they're characters all right. Count Chocula with his delusions of grandeur. Sociopathic little… Then Terri. What a political animal he is. A Dexter Predo in beads and hemp jeans. Lydia cracks me up with her holier than thou organic approach of "you will tolerate everything I do and say" and like it! The rebbe and his group certainly gave me a whole new perspective on the tribe of Benjamin…whoa…
My Take
Joe has certainly been burning his bridges. He's pissed off Terry and Lydia. Dexter already thinks he's a loser and not worth anything. Then he's taken Evie to the Enclave and we don't, definitively, know if she's still alive or… How will Evie feel about Joe once she is turned? Will she be in thrall to the Count? Even biker boy, Christian, very nicely told Joe to get lost. The only reason Enclave welcomed Joe was because of Daniel and with him gone…Joe thought it was hard being a rogue when he was tolerated, liked.
I am so looking forward to Every Last Drop.
The Cover
Oh yeah! That trademark split cover with the thug aiming a gun and two fangs over his lower lip and the night-lit Brooklyn Bridge in the background is just so Joe Pitt.
April 29, 2010
I must be on a theme with my book choices lately.
This book completely changes the landscape so carefully established in the first 2 books of this series. Status Quo? What's that? I love it when authors aren't afraid to change and alter their settings. Too many find something that works and then milk it until it hasn't worked for far too long. Charlie Huston doesn't have that problem. This one changed all the rules.
WARNING SPOILERS:
Joe Pitt must go to Brooklyn to see about bringing some minor groups into the Society. Along the way we find out that Evie has worsened and is in the hospital doing chemo and dying.
The antagonists turn out to be a group of Hecitic Jewish Vampires who believe that their vampyre Vyrus is the blood of Gibeah and makes them the lost tribe of Gibeah. Vampyres and religious fervor, a bad combination if I've ever heard of one. Or perhaps the antagonists are the Coalition and Dexter Predo... or perhaps it's the Society and Terry Bird who ends up ordering Joe's death... or maybe it's the Enclave since Daniel dies and 'the count' is taking it over. Maybe it's Joe himself since Evie is turned to save her life.
Man o man. What a game changer. Can't wait to read book 4!!
This book completely changes the landscape so carefully established in the first 2 books of this series. Status Quo? What's that? I love it when authors aren't afraid to change and alter their settings. Too many find something that works and then milk it until it hasn't worked for far too long. Charlie Huston doesn't have that problem. This one changed all the rules.
WARNING SPOILERS:
Joe Pitt must go to Brooklyn to see about bringing some minor groups into the Society. Along the way we find out that Evie has worsened and is in the hospital doing chemo and dying.
The antagonists turn out to be a group of Hecitic Jewish Vampires who believe that their vampyre Vyrus is the blood of Gibeah and makes them the lost tribe of Gibeah. Vampyres and religious fervor, a bad combination if I've ever heard of one. Or perhaps the antagonists are the Coalition and Dexter Predo... or perhaps it's the Society and Terry Bird who ends up ordering Joe's death... or maybe it's the Enclave since Daniel dies and 'the count' is taking it over. Maybe it's Joe himself since Evie is turned to save her life.
Man o man. What a game changer. Can't wait to read book 4!!
June 15, 2012
I really love this series...
There were a few odd things out in this one. As usual Joe is having a really bad day, and is being forced to deal with stuff he doesnt give a crap about when he should be helping Evie...
Anyway, of course nothing works out like it should...especially when somehow the Count is once again involved...I really do not like that guy, and he is more than a little annoyed about the loss of his own girls...hmmmmmm
Lots of strings pulling together here
There were a few odd things out in this one. As usual Joe is having a really bad day, and is being forced to deal with stuff he doesnt give a crap about when he should be helping Evie...
Anyway, of course nothing works out like it should...especially when somehow the Count is once again involved...I really do not like that guy, and he is more than a little annoyed about the loss of his own girls...hmmmmmm
Lots of strings pulling together here
April 10, 2024
Pero cómo me acabas con semejante cliffhanger, malnacido.
January 3, 2025
This was a bit of a let down. The book started with Joe working for the Society again, so with Terry's backup, he has no trouble getting enough money or blood, but Evie is dying from AIDS and he can't do much about that. Besides turning her into a Vampyre, but he doesn't want to replace one virus with the vyrus, it would mean the death penalty and he can't be sure it will work at all. So he does what he always does he runs away from his problems and lets his anger out on someone. Not that the Count or Phil didn't deserve this, but at this point I got a little bit tired of it. Joe stays the close-lipped guy, who never really says much and lets the others do the talking, but it got from cool to annoying. Maybe it is because the people who do talk, talk about trees and forests, religious fanaticism or esoteric fanaticism. There were some interesting new characters, some new clans and places, and a lot of known characters reappeared, but I really wish Joe would act a little bit smarter. I know he is the cool guy who doesn't trust anyone, but the major problems in this book were created, because he talks to no one. He wants to save Evie? Why not tell Terry or Lydia the truth? Either Evie is that important to him, in which case he should do what is necessary to save her and far easier, or there should be a better reason why he took the hard way. (Besides having trust issues and being afraid of intimacy.) In the last two books he seemed to be more rational, and I hope he will become more like that in the next one.
This book was the weakest one in the series so far, but I still think it is a great series.
This book was the weakest one in the series so far, but I still think it is a great series.
March 4, 2024
I absolutely love all of the Joe Pitt novels, with their fresh and original depictions of vampire crime families carving out their territories in New York City. Fast-paced and extremely gory. There are no 'good guys' in these novels - only 'less nasty' protagonists who fill in for heroes. Highly recommended.
February 28, 2019
This is the third in the Joe Pitt series. It still embraces a film noir down on his luck P.I. feel, though it is set in more contemporary times. Each story has an individual arch, but there is a series arch as well. Fair warning, you’re going to want to finish the series if you start it.
July 24, 2019
I'm getting addicted to these...almost like a vampyre to blood!
April 30, 2025
One of those books where it feels like there is a lot going on without much actually happening. If you're into Vampire gore, jump aboard, not quite my thing, but motors along quick enough.
April 5, 2012
Joe Pitt is a vampire. He works security for one of many clans of vampires on Manhattan. He's disliked by just about every vampire, even those in the clan he works for. He's a jerk, is quick to verbally abuse whoever is around and is violent to boot. He's also tired of being jerked around by his current boss and the boss of the other main clan on Manhattan. But he's on a leash and that leash is beginning to tighten again.
This is pulp-styled detective noir with a dark edge that is too much fun to read. A quick read filled with snappy one-liners and descriptions that demand you pay attention. Huston takes the "never write who says what" approach, but for the most part it's clear who's doing the talking. There are lots of interesting folk here and some of specific vampires met (and fought with) in this book are pretty vivid in my memory right now. I can't write too much without giving away the coolest feature, but let's just say bloodlines are important to some of them.
There are a few qualms with this book. First, for a large chunk, the book felt directed by Charlie Huston instead of organically grown. There were times when I could see the author's hands grabbing Joe and throwing him into a situation forcibly, instead of letting Joe walk over there on his own. Some of the voices aren't as clearly defined as they should be for being written without listing off who says what, and others are annoyingly defined.
Even with those little distractions, this is a series that is real fun to read and breathes some wonderful life in the vampire genre. A great world has been built and I can't wait to continue exploring it in the next book.
This is pulp-styled detective noir with a dark edge that is too much fun to read. A quick read filled with snappy one-liners and descriptions that demand you pay attention. Huston takes the "never write who says what" approach, but for the most part it's clear who's doing the talking. There are lots of interesting folk here and some of specific vampires met (and fought with) in this book are pretty vivid in my memory right now. I can't write too much without giving away the coolest feature, but let's just say bloodlines are important to some of them.
There are a few qualms with this book. First, for a large chunk, the book felt directed by Charlie Huston instead of organically grown. There were times when I could see the author's hands grabbing Joe and throwing him into a situation forcibly, instead of letting Joe walk over there on his own. Some of the voices aren't as clearly defined as they should be for being written without listing off who says what, and others are annoyingly defined.
Even with those little distractions, this is a series that is real fun to read and breathes some wonderful life in the vampire genre. A great world has been built and I can't wait to continue exploring it in the next book.
June 5, 2008
Simply flat-out balls-out fun!!
Book 3 in Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt universe. Huston does a nice job filling in people who haven't read the previous two books on his world. Does it help to have read the first two books? Sure, but it also isn't entirely necessary.
Things get kicked up a notch in this volume. Joe Pitt finally starts to stray outside of Manhattan and hit up another NY borough, Brooklyn. There he meets Jewish vampires, coney island freak shows, and biblical breeding camps. Stereotypes run abound so this isn't for anyone who gets easily offended.
Everything that Huston's been preparing for since Already Dead comes to a head in this one, and I can only imagine that things in his next book Every Last Drop will explode.
I read a lot of urban fantasy and what I've always liked about these books is that while they do follow certain urban fantasy tropes, they're also extremely dark. No pretty boys in this world and the hottest woman is a post-op tranny. To top it off, you can barely root for the main character because he really is a jerk. But hell, put in his situation I'd probably act the same way, only jerkier.
Fun and bloody read.
Book 3 in Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt universe. Huston does a nice job filling in people who haven't read the previous two books on his world. Does it help to have read the first two books? Sure, but it also isn't entirely necessary.
Things get kicked up a notch in this volume. Joe Pitt finally starts to stray outside of Manhattan and hit up another NY borough, Brooklyn. There he meets Jewish vampires, coney island freak shows, and biblical breeding camps. Stereotypes run abound so this isn't for anyone who gets easily offended.
Everything that Huston's been preparing for since Already Dead comes to a head in this one, and I can only imagine that things in his next book Every Last Drop will explode.
I read a lot of urban fantasy and what I've always liked about these books is that while they do follow certain urban fantasy tropes, they're also extremely dark. No pretty boys in this world and the hottest woman is a post-op tranny. To top it off, you can barely root for the main character because he really is a jerk. But hell, put in his situation I'd probably act the same way, only jerkier.
Fun and bloody read.
August 19, 2016
the lone wolf protagonist, who turns down all offers and insults everyone, never makes sense to me. you always know that he'll be right in the end, that the people he's flipping off are eventually going to be revealed as (even more) corrupt and evil (than already suspected), but it means that along the way they take a lot more punishment than I could tolerate. but I guess it's different when you're a vampire. hmm. anyway, I read #2 in the series like four years ago, so it took me a while to figure out who everyone was and what was going on. pretty much everyone is angry and/or homicidal, and there are many graphic descriptions of injuries. the different factions are really interesting - there's so much maneuvering and machination, and it was fascinating to think about where things might be going (in the future of the series, even). I really appreciated that. every character has a distinct pattern of speech, but unfortunately, that's expressed through pages and pages of each character ranting about their own ideology, with all the "mans" and "likes" and stutters. it reads like a script. maybe that's authentic and gritty.
June 30, 2013
Joe Pitt has finally done what he said he never would. He joined a clan. The Society. It is a steady source of income and food. But all he really wants is to save his dying girlfriend Evie who has full blown AIDS and lies dying in a hospital bed. He has a chance to take her to see Daniel, the head of the Enclave Clan who can tell which humans can accept the vyrus and which ones can not. But that window of opportunity will end at dawn when Daniel takes a voluntary walk in the sunlight to test the starvation of the vyrus. To make things worst Terry, Joe's boss sends him and Lydia to Brooklyn to form an alliance with the clans outside of Manhattan. Joe wants to go and get back right away which in his world you know will not happen. Joe and Lydia live in a strange and hostile world in Manhattan and it is even more freaky and insane in Brooklyn. Nothing is ever simple.
All I can say is I was on the edge of my seat with this one and can't wait to read the other two in the series. But it does not take a genius to realize that none of this will end well for poor old Joe.
All I can say is I was on the edge of my seat with this one and can't wait to read the other two in the series. But it does not take a genius to realize that none of this will end well for poor old Joe.
October 4, 2009
This was the first book in the Joe Pitt series that I read instead of listening to the audiobook. It was a much more difficult read than listen because of the “voice” in the book. Joe Pitt & other characters in the book speak in a manner that is fairly foreign to me and it takes me a minute to decipher it when I read it. Listening to it was much simpler for me.
I continue to enjoy the story of Joe and his miss-adventures. I like the turn with Evie and am looking forward to reading more about the world Huston has created.
I keep going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. The story itself deserves 4 stars. I think that the manner of speach was a little overboard and made it harder to read. It's not a long book but I found myself reading slower in order to ensure I understood what the different characters were saying. I'm going to go with 4 stars because I enjoyed the actual story.
I continue to enjoy the story of Joe and his miss-adventures. I like the turn with Evie and am looking forward to reading more about the world Huston has created.
I keep going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. The story itself deserves 4 stars. I think that the manner of speach was a little overboard and made it harder to read. It's not a long book but I found myself reading slower in order to ensure I understood what the different characters were saying. I'm going to go with 4 stars because I enjoyed the actual story.
April 9, 2009
This is modern New York where vampires come out at night. They are like you and me but infected with a virus that feeds off of blood and makes it host super strong and fast healing. You've got different clans in different neighborhoods and your hero, who doesn't want to belong to any of them. Because our hero is more a man of action than diplomacy, he's currently head of security for the Society and tasked with finding out why all of sudden vampires from Brooklyn are appearing in Manhattan. So, no, it's not great literature. But it is fun. There is plenty of bad language, plenty of gore and violence. But the book is funny. Very quick read. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to have read the first two, but it would provide you background on the relationship and previous double and triple crosses of the characters.
April 1, 2009
So I really liked this - which is hard to find in the third part of a series. Yes, Joe Pitt goes to Brooklyn and its laughably stereotyped but the larger story is getting more fleshed out and Huston brings back some unfinished plot ties from the first book that I was yearning for with the second.
Not fine literature by any means - but quick fun violent read - I know I'll be starting the next book soon.
Not fine literature by any means - but quick fun violent read - I know I'll be starting the next book soon.
July 25, 2019
This guy really is one of my favorite authors. he keeps the story moving from beginning to end. You're never sure what to expect from him and he's got characters that are interesting, easy to root for and likable despite all of their flaws.
This book delivers all of that along with a twisted plot where everyone is playing everyone and you're never sure how it's going to turn out except you know it won't be good for Joe. It never is. He's definitely the underdog. Always.
This book delivers all of that along with a twisted plot where everyone is playing everyone and you're never sure how it's going to turn out except you know it won't be good for Joe. It never is. He's definitely the underdog. Always.
August 1, 2011
Joe Pit 3 is better than the previous two books. Huston continues the story of Joe, and now he's the chief of security for the society. He also introduces some interesting variation on vampires. In the Brooklyn side, there are no organizations, only clans, or gangs, and the strongest among them are the Jewish vamps. Also, Huston makes the conflicts fast, and bloody with a very good twist in the end, making you crave for the next book. So, read this and be surprised, I know I did.
September 1, 2014
The characters are good, the world is interesting but this is the one in the series where the lack of punctuation just made the whole thing too much of a pain to read.
I know it might be cool to ignore speech marks, but actually punctuation isn't that bad an idea, it helps you know whose talking, if someone's talking, who's saying what...
I probably will return but I'll need to be in the right mood for the choppy lack of writing in order to be able to appreciate the ideas and story underneath.
I know it might be cool to ignore speech marks, but actually punctuation isn't that bad an idea, it helps you know whose talking, if someone's talking, who's saying what...
I probably will return but I'll need to be in the right mood for the choppy lack of writing in order to be able to appreciate the ideas and story underneath.
April 9, 2009
Joe Pitt's girlfriend is dying of AIDS. Meanwhile, Terry thinks its more important that he check out what the Freaks from Coney Island want and Joe is soon under attack again.Trouble is he is more worried about Evie and most of his attention is focused on getting back to the hospital to see her and with trying to decide if it will kill Evie if he infects her with the Vyrus.
April 11, 2008
Charlie Huston writes an easy to read yet enticing book using a common theme of a Vampire virus. It's a dark book full of violence and backstabbing, but it's mostly only vampires that die. This book kept me up til 3:30 to finish it.
May 15, 2011
Another great installment in the Joe Pitt vampire series. Pitt, who is always in trouble, is intriguing to me because he doesn't react to situations in typical ways and never takes the easy way out. Book is full of action and mayhem and "political" intrigue. Really good.
April 24, 2009
Huston writes mostly dialogue - very little description, which makes a story move at a faster pace.
October 7, 2017
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/review/R2QM3CS...
Urban Fantasy - Gritty Noire - Rogue Vampire
Joe Pitt is a vampire, or, rather, a vampyre. The "y" is because vampirism - the desire/need for blood, the strength and durability, the eternal youth - is caused by a virus, called the "vyrus." In Manhattan, the infected live in the shadows and are organized into "clans" that police their territories, making sure that the human herd is not over-exploited and that the secret of the vyrus does not get out where it can panic normal humans.
This book does not give Joe Pitts' origin story. That story was provided in the previous books - this the third book in the "Joe Pitts, the two prior being "Already Dead" and "No Dominion." I strongly recommend that you start with the beginning. If you start here you will probably spend a lot of time wondering what is going on. Author Charlie Huston has layered his world with detail, and some of the details are going to make more sense if you know what's going. For example, there is a subplot about Amanda and Sela that we can figure out the background of in this book, but knowing the background is probably more satisfying. I read this book around seven years ago. I was surprised at how much I'd forgotten. I remembered the key points, but there were large parts I didn't remember at all. So, I had some of the experience of a new reader. I, obviously, need to go back and fill in the first two books.
This book starts with Joe ensconced as Security Chief for the Society. The Society is an extremely left-wing clan occupying southern Manhattan, which has a hippy leader, Terry Bird, and a large faction of LGBTQ vampyres led by Lydia. Joe has a longstanding relationship with Terry and we are given to understand that in a prior book Joe took over the position of the previous Security Chief. Joe also has a relationship with the Enclave - a clan of warrior-monk vampyres - and the Dusters - a motorcycle gang. The Society is opposed to the Coalition, which seems to be the mafia of the vampyre world, as well as being the heavy hitters of this world.
The story opens with a blood dealer murdered and cut into pieces. At the same time, clans from Brooklyn are desperately trying to flee Brooklyn into Manhattan. Joe gets tasked by Terry to take Lydia and negotiate with a Brooklyn clan known as the Freaks to amalgamate with the Society. Joe and Lydia enter darkest Brooklyn by night and deal with the Freaks - literal circus freaks - and are kidnapped by vampire Orthodox Jews, the Chosen. From there the story is a cycle of violence involving revenge and settling scores. Through it all, Joe mostly wants to take care of his girlfriend Evie, who is dying of AIDS.
The story is exciting and fast-moving. I didn't find Joe to be a particularly engaging character. He is mostly monosyllabic and conceals most of his thinking in classic pulp noir style. Huston has a James Joyce style of indicating dialogue with dash marks and no tags, so we get a telegraphic style without a lot of information being provided. All in all, I thought it worked.
I particularly liked the character of the Rebbe. I mostly liked the world that Huston created. As I said, it is complicated and layered. Huston's plot keeps a lot of balls in the air and I enjoyed watching his performance. The story is gritty, grim and bloody, far more like Hammett than the nice and safe urban fantasy that floods the market. So be advised if you are looking for a nicer version of urban fantasy, you may find this to be disturbing.
Urban Fantasy - Gritty Noire - Rogue Vampire
Joe Pitt is a vampire, or, rather, a vampyre. The "y" is because vampirism - the desire/need for blood, the strength and durability, the eternal youth - is caused by a virus, called the "vyrus." In Manhattan, the infected live in the shadows and are organized into "clans" that police their territories, making sure that the human herd is not over-exploited and that the secret of the vyrus does not get out where it can panic normal humans.
This book does not give Joe Pitts' origin story. That story was provided in the previous books - this the third book in the "Joe Pitts, the two prior being "Already Dead" and "No Dominion." I strongly recommend that you start with the beginning. If you start here you will probably spend a lot of time wondering what is going on. Author Charlie Huston has layered his world with detail, and some of the details are going to make more sense if you know what's going. For example, there is a subplot about Amanda and Sela that we can figure out the background of in this book, but knowing the background is probably more satisfying. I read this book around seven years ago. I was surprised at how much I'd forgotten. I remembered the key points, but there were large parts I didn't remember at all. So, I had some of the experience of a new reader. I, obviously, need to go back and fill in the first two books.
This book starts with Joe ensconced as Security Chief for the Society. The Society is an extremely left-wing clan occupying southern Manhattan, which has a hippy leader, Terry Bird, and a large faction of LGBTQ vampyres led by Lydia. Joe has a longstanding relationship with Terry and we are given to understand that in a prior book Joe took over the position of the previous Security Chief. Joe also has a relationship with the Enclave - a clan of warrior-monk vampyres - and the Dusters - a motorcycle gang. The Society is opposed to the Coalition, which seems to be the mafia of the vampyre world, as well as being the heavy hitters of this world.
The story opens with a blood dealer murdered and cut into pieces. At the same time, clans from Brooklyn are desperately trying to flee Brooklyn into Manhattan. Joe gets tasked by Terry to take Lydia and negotiate with a Brooklyn clan known as the Freaks to amalgamate with the Society. Joe and Lydia enter darkest Brooklyn by night and deal with the Freaks - literal circus freaks - and are kidnapped by vampire Orthodox Jews, the Chosen. From there the story is a cycle of violence involving revenge and settling scores. Through it all, Joe mostly wants to take care of his girlfriend Evie, who is dying of AIDS.
The story is exciting and fast-moving. I didn't find Joe to be a particularly engaging character. He is mostly monosyllabic and conceals most of his thinking in classic pulp noir style. Huston has a James Joyce style of indicating dialogue with dash marks and no tags, so we get a telegraphic style without a lot of information being provided. All in all, I thought it worked.
I particularly liked the character of the Rebbe. I mostly liked the world that Huston created. As I said, it is complicated and layered. Huston's plot keeps a lot of balls in the air and I enjoyed watching his performance. The story is gritty, grim and bloody, far more like Hammett than the nice and safe urban fantasy that floods the market. So be advised if you are looking for a nicer version of urban fantasy, you may find this to be disturbing.
December 29, 2025
If Tarantino adapted 'Vampire: The Masquerade' (complimentary). With a side of hard-boiled private dick vibes.
(A spoiler-free collective review of the whole series since I read it in less than a week and they've all melded together in my brain)
Gritty, pulpy, often graphically violent, surprisingly funny, balls-to-the-wall urban fantasy. Truly dirty entertainment - and I say that lovingly, since I read the whole series in 5 days.
Couldn't put the books down. And even though a marathon like that very clearly highlights the author's literary formula for the series and the overarching plot, that didn't stop me coming back for more, book after book. Although, after some time, noticing certain patterns becomes quite funny - for instance: antagonist monologues at main character for 20 pages, then main character monologues at antagonist for several pages, playing dumb/actually being dumb, antagonist tries to hurt protagonist or vice versa, ACTION SEQUENCE.
But even knowing how this formula works, I was still hooked :)
Word of warning (I guess?): the books are very much a product of their times - especially in regards to language and what we would call political correctness. But simultaneously the series heart is in the right place, as odd as that may sound. Essentially, all characters are treated equally brutally by the plot/author. It's not a "punch-down" kinda world - it's very much a "punch everyone" kind.
So if you're not turned off by graphic violence (including sexual), graphic sex (including queer sex), drug use and various disease (including vampyrism) - go ahead and gives this book a shot. It can be read as a stand-alone but my guess is that if you get to the end, you'll wanna continue. And each book is an equally juicy morsel, with a truly delicious pay-off at the end.
(A spoiler-free collective review of the whole series since I read it in less than a week and they've all melded together in my brain)
Gritty, pulpy, often graphically violent, surprisingly funny, balls-to-the-wall urban fantasy. Truly dirty entertainment - and I say that lovingly, since I read the whole series in 5 days.
Couldn't put the books down. And even though a marathon like that very clearly highlights the author's literary formula for the series and the overarching plot, that didn't stop me coming back for more, book after book. Although, after some time, noticing certain patterns becomes quite funny - for instance: antagonist monologues at main character for 20 pages, then main character monologues at antagonist for several pages, playing dumb/actually being dumb, antagonist tries to hurt protagonist or vice versa, ACTION SEQUENCE.
But even knowing how this formula works, I was still hooked :)
Word of warning (I guess?): the books are very much a product of their times - especially in regards to language and what we would call political correctness. But simultaneously the series heart is in the right place, as odd as that may sound. Essentially, all characters are treated equally brutally by the plot/author. It's not a "punch-down" kinda world - it's very much a "punch everyone" kind.
So if you're not turned off by graphic violence (including sexual), graphic sex (including queer sex), drug use and various disease (including vampyrism) - go ahead and gives this book a shot. It can be read as a stand-alone but my guess is that if you get to the end, you'll wanna continue. And each book is an equally juicy morsel, with a truly delicious pay-off at the end.
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