Review: The Next

Undead PI Jimmy Miles leaves his beloved L.A. to follow a very sad girl, Lucy, to San Francisco. His only instruction – from his undead friend and mentor Angel – is to keep an eye on her. This he does while she picks up a younger boy with a guitar – obviously her brother – and settles into a house in San Francisco.

The boy, obviously uncomfortable with his sister’s depression, twice saves her from suicide attempts minutes before Jimmy himself could intervene. San Francisco is experiencing an alarming rash of suicides. In one day there are ten, and at least some of them show up later among the ranks of the Sailors, as the undead call themselves. Sailors, you see, arise from people who died of unnatural causes – accident, suicide, murder.

On Jimmy’s first night in town two teenage girls jump off a building while a rowdy crowd gathers below. As they jump Jimmy spies a dark shadow between them, seemingly urging them on. Then a silver- painted mime is attacked and beaten by a group of Sailors. His crime? Imploring the girls not to jump. The mime, Jimmy is surprised to discover, is also a Sailor.

Jimmy is having trouble distinguishing the Sailors from the living in this town. Their blue auras are not so distinct as those in L.A. Are the two beautiful women who have taken Lucy under their sympathetic care Sailors? Are their whispers benign or evil?

Strange things are happening among the Sailors. A manic, sinister atmosphere is spreading, gathering strength. Disoriented by the town and the peculiar events, Jimmy finds himself spread a little thin. But when he catches a glimpse of his old love, Mary, everything else fades into the background. Obsessed with everything about Mary, he discovers anomalies in her life, odd connections, possible dangers.

His investigation becomes rather scattershot to the reader. Checking on Lucy he follows one of the beautiful women, becomes distracted by Mary or a taunting Sailor, catches a glimpse of a sinister figure, ends up in a blind alley. But, except for a bit too much of this kind of confusion as he gears up for the big finale, Vining keeps most of his balls in the air most of the time.

The writing is coolly noir, brooding but contemporary, and the San Francisico atmosphere, particularly the underground air of carnival, is very evocative. The whole Sailor idea is intriguing and with this second novel (after “The Quick”) Vining fills in a lot of gaps, while leaving enough questions and unknowns (even to the Sailors) to go on with this lively and haunting series.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Lynn Harnett

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: The Next

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.