The Unnatural Inquirer

The publisher of The Unnatural Inquirer?the Nightside?s most notorious rag?has offered John Taylor one million pounds to find a man who claims to have evidence of the afterlife stored on a DVD. The Inquirer made the guy a sweet deal. Then he and the disc vanished. And if Taylor?s not careful, he may be next.

The engaging eighth book in Green's popular offbeat Nightside series (after 2006's Hell to Pay) drops another paranormal mystery in the lap of series hero John Taylor, a PI in the shadowy realm of Nightside. Pen Donavon, who claims to have a DVD depicting actual footage of the afterlife, has vanished shortly after signing an exclusive deal with the tabloid Unnatural Inquirer. Various factions seeking to control the Nightside are leaving a considerable body count behind as they hunt for him. Accompanied by sexy half-demon reporter Bettie Divine, Taylor navigates the treacherous terrain with his typical skill before tracking down the real force behind Donavon's disappearance. Green skillfully blends action and humor, and shows no sign of running out of ideas. This installment will undoubtedly rope in new readers who enjoy his blend of dark humor and the supernatural.
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John Taylor has another one of those days, beginning with a showdown at the defunct Nightside carnival between the Voodoo Apostate, the gods he tried to dominate, and Taylor. Next, a call from the editor of the Unnatural Enquirer asking Taylor to find a man who disappeared en route to deliver an afterlife recording he had just sold the rights to. Teamed with a half-succubus demon-girl reporter, Taylor visits the Nightside’s key players and politics as people jockey to replace the recently destroyed authorities. Meanwhile, some heavy-duty characters also seek the recording. More fast, fun, adventurous detection in a setting in which nearly anything’s possible. --Regina Schroeder