BOOKWRAITHS REVIEWS

This is the third novel in Glen Cook’s Garrett P.I. series, where our hero doesn’t have to go looking for trouble for it to find him. While this wasn’t the best of the series, Cold Cooper Tears was still a solid novel with enough humor, surprises, and interesting plot lines to keep you turning the pages.

Basically, this story begins when our favorite fantasy P.I. Garrett gets approached by a beautiful damsel in distress named Jill Craight. (Garrett getting hired by a cute chic what are the odds?) Naturally she needs Garrett help for a routine job: find out who has been breaking into her apartment and why.

Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? That is exactly what Garrett believes.

Unfortunately, things immediately get complicated when a Magister Peridont comes by, wanting to hire Garrett to locate some religious relics which have walked away. Since Garrett isn’t a religious sort of guy - and he is naturally lazy never forget - he respectfully declines. Of course that doesn’t keep things from spiraling downward, and Garrett finds himself being attacked by a gang called the Vampires. This leads our investigator to contact an old friend Maya, who is the leader of a gang called Doom, for advice. From Maya, Garrett learns that his client, Jill, was a former member of Doom and that she is a chronic liar. With Maya in tow and Garrett suitable confused as usual, the story begins in earnest.

What happens next is classic Garrett. He bumbles around without the first clue as to what is going on or who to investigate. He will find a clue here, a dead body there, stumble upon long forgotten bad guys out to murder him, and then spend most of his time drinking beer and attempting not to go home alone. Along the way, a reader is peppered with Garrett’s wit and wisdom about people and life without you even realize he is doing it.

Almost anything Glen Cook writes to me is worth reading, and Cold Copper Tears is no exception. Now, it won’t give you an epiphany about life, but it will entertain you for more than a few hours. And really isn’t that what P.I. books are all about: entertainment.