false 2439336 2 Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grown-up relationships… But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead… 2446530 book 17 7 2008 Alive in Necropolis total:265|5:29|4:91|3:100|2:32|1:15| 265 880 494 108 4 5 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 17:51:03 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 19:08:02 -0700 2008 by Mark Costello indicates. Short version: I was utterly engrossed. I recommend it highly. But I worry that anything I could say about it would turn you off. E.g.,

a) any summary will give it a sense of high-...more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 20:39:38 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 23 19:21:44 -0700 2008 Firstly, I love the title of this book. Isn't it wonderful? Sonorous, contradictory, engaging, mystifying; it has an excellent mouthfeel. I think the title alone was enough to convince my mother to buy this book in hardcover (admittedly, after a bout of serious cajoling on my part), and my nef...more...]]> 3 2 false false Fri Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 21:13:35 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 21:13:35 -0700 2009
The ghosts issue that is the hook for the story feels weak in my opinion. Better is the telling of the stories of the three main male characters as they try and find love/happiness within their lives. The intertwining of the narratives is en...more...]]> 4 3 false false Fri Aug 08 09:11:57 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 08 09:13:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Aug 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 09 20:05:35 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 17:56:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Aug 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 18:43:30 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 13:57:28 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 11:57:39 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 19:22:18 -0700 2009
The ending. Meh.

The police reports. Ugh! Tedious to read. And the climactic...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Feb 16 11:27:27 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 11:28:01 -0800 2009 4 1 false false Thu Dec 11 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 10:50:32 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 10:52:49 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 10:44:25 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 11:23:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 13:42:37 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 18:44:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Dec 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 21:15:55 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 21:17:31 -0800 2008 1 1 false true Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 00:27:36 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 17:34:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 14 06:12:59 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 07:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 06:12:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 15:27:04 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 15:33:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 12:34:14 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 17:02:18 -0700 2009 Alive in Necropolis I had never even heard of Colma, CA, a real town that advertises itself as the "smallest city in San Mateo County with over 1,600 residents and 1.5 Million souls." Yes, that's right: Colma has 1,600 living residents and sixteen cemeteries ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Nov 13 19:29:26 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 19:37:13 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Dec 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 11:03:49 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 13:58:30 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Jul 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 23:34:12 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 20:17:08 -0700 2009
Interesting idea about a couple of cops being able to see dead people, but not much was done with it. It seems that the people abl...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 10:52:22 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 11:05:09 -0700 2009 more...]]>