Fifty Feet of Trouble

City of Devils #2

by Justin Robinson

Being a private investigator ain't all it's cracked up to be—especially when you spend most of your time looking for missing kids and trying not to get turned into something that goes bump in the night instead of making time with femme fatales. But hey, it's a living. And there's never a shortage of work for the last human detective in a city of monsters. Right now, Nick Moss has three cases: tracking a missing girl, a young woman, and a toad, not necessarily in that order. The deeper he gets, the more troubling connections he finds—to his past, to some of the most dangerous monsters in the city, and to places he hoped he'd never have to go.

All Nick knows for certain is that he's in trouble. Fifty feet of it.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Humor

410 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2016

About the author

Much like film noir, Justin Robinson was born and raised in Los Angeles. He splits his time between editing comic books, writing prose and wondering what that disgusting smell is. Degrees in Anthropology and History prepared him for unemployment, but an obsession with horror fiction and a laundry list of phobias provided a more attractive option.

Reviews

[Chris Manydeeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting idea, putting all the 1950s monsters or creatures together into one place. The book provides a rich, if impossible, environment. It tries to be a fun book, but gets a little too bogged down into the details of each monster. As a result, the main narrative tends to get a little muddled. As an example, the title character does not show up until half of the book is finished because the main character has to introduce you to all the side characters. The title character is really just another character, despite being 50 feet tall. I did not read this book as a text book, so it was a little speed reading along the way.

[Ry Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Robinson knocks it out of the park, putting both his encyclopedic knowledge of classic movie monsters and great sense of humor to good use. Nick Moss, the last human PI in Los Angeles, is hired to take on a number of seemingly unrelated cases in rapid succession. The result is... well, take a look at the title. Well-written, great action, great story.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredibly bizarre but absolutely astounding mystery read. What a terrible shame I started with the second book. But I'll rectify that soon enough.

[Dave Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as much fun to read as City of Devils. I love reading about classic horror monsters interacting with each other and humans in what would be considered every day life with a slight twist, and the main character just trying to do his job and living with the difficulty of dealing with monsters who want to eat or turn him. I highly recommend this book... but read City of Devils first... and read any future books after this. Seriously, Justin Robinson has created an amazing world.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is one of the most original ideas for a story. What if the monsters from those classic monster stories existed and lived alongside humans? Nick Moss is a very likable character because he actually has faults and seems so human (I mean he is human... the last human PI that is... just read the book!) I love that we got to see more of the side characters in this story and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun action-packed book! A sequel that might even be better than the first, and leaves you wishing the next installment was already out. Justin Robinson's monster world is full of clever winks and nods to the monster stories we know, served with a huge dollop of creativity and a side of puns that make me both grin and groan. Can't wait for book 3!

[C Patrick Daily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rip roaring romp through an alternate LA

Another outstanding entry in this series. This time we get to see glimpses of Nick Moss' past, as well as more monsters and their ecology. I can't wait for the next book!

[James D. Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series

Great book. Definitely went darker than the first. And I would truly love to make Garou real and in front of me to beat him to a pulp and fill him with enough silver to make a bully sculpture.

[Adam Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

I loved this book, the story is great and well structured. The characters are well imagined and feel real. The world is fantastic. If you love noir and b monster movies I recommend this as highly as possible.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, book has an interesting concept.

However I'm not sure why I start on book 2.....

Next up is book 1.

[Mitchell · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

A fun if somewhat convoluted read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another tour de force by Justin Robinson. This second entry in the City of Devils series has all the charm, wit, humor, and creativity of the first - and, dare I say, takes it ten steps further with even more fully realized characters and crazy, crazy situations. A must-read for anyone who loves a heaping helping of snark with their noir.

Poor Nick Moss just can't catch a break. Not only is he still dodging monsters (including one very attractive one) who want to turn him, he's got another impossible assignment - or three, as the case may be. His soft spot for helping a person in need looks like it's about to back him into a corner that he may not be able to escape from.

Sexy, deadly jaguar people, a blob wearing a chauffeur hat, and a passel of other monsters are nothing compared to attempting to face Nick's greatest fear AND try to get the girl. Phew.

All in a day's work for the last human detective in LA....

[Mana Taylor-Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Moss, the last human detective in the LA, returns in the sequel to City of Devils. This time both Moss and his city go from drought to deluge, the sunny city hit but increasingly powerful storms while Moss goes from nothing to multiple missing person (well, one missing toad) cases.

Moss's second case is the missing daughter of old friends from the Night War giving us a glimpse both of those harrowing years and the current only human communities. Nick, for all of his paranoia and reasonable mistrust of the monsters around him, proves to far more adjusted to the realities of the post Night War city.

We have all of the best monster cast from City of Devils: Hexene, Lou Garou, Phil Moon, Serendipity Sargasso, Sam Haine; (added to) just enough new monsters to flesh out the nightlife.

Fifty Feet of Trouble has the same quick pace and quick wit of City of Devil but gives a deeper look into the people, monsters, and unique world.

[H.L. Cherryholmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Robinson is absolutely one of my favorite authors. I think I've read all of his books (except for the YA book because I'm way closer to OA) and the City of Devils is my favorite of his series (Get Blank series is a very, very close second). Fifty Feet is such an enjoyable read, filled with delightful characters (particularly, of course, MR. NICK MOSS!). Mr. Robinson (!) is so adept at weaving a mystery, tossing out hints here and there that seem unimportant until that last loop is closed and the tapestry unfolds. And what we think we know about the monsters most of us have come across in fashion or another are delightfully turned on their heads, which adds to the suspense. I really loved learning about the Night War (which started the conflict between the humans and monsters) and hope to learn even more about when - thank goodness- the series continues.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, entertaining, creative read. Nick Moss, the only human detective left in monster infested L.A., fights his way through a dangerous world where humans are the minority and monsters rule. He is hired for several unrelated cases that take him to an island where humans are forbidden and force him to face his past. The story itself is like a regular private investigator tale except it's set in another world, creatively dominated by vampires, doppelgangers, sirens, gill-men, giants, and more. Found it to be funny, light, entertaining, and a new spin on monsters. Action packed from start to finish. I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. The action moves fast and Moss has to think even quicker if he wants to solve the case.

[Kate Sherrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting this to be Robinson's best book yet, but it's his best book yet. Full write-up soon over at kateofmind.blogspot.com