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137th out of 389 books
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My Dead Body (Joe Pitt #5)
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER. NOT EVEN A VAMPYRE.
Just ask Joe Pitt. After exposing the secret source of blood for half of Manhattan’s Vampyres, he’s definitely a dead man walking. He’s been a punching bag and a bullet magnet for every Vampyre Clan in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, not to mention a private eye, an enforcer, an exile, and a vigilante, but now he’s just a target...more
Just ask Joe Pitt. After exposing the secret source of blood for half of Manhattan’s Vampyres, he’s definitely a dead man walking. He’s been a punching bag and a bullet magnet for every Vampyre Clan in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, not to mention a private eye, an enforcer, an exile, and a vigilante, but now he’s just a target...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
October 13th 2009
by Del Rey
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- Hey, Charlie Huston. Can I ask you a question?
- Sure, Kemper.
- First, I’m a big fan. Your new breed of neo-noir writing is a blast to read in both your crime and horror novels.
- Thank you.
- No problem. I gotta admit that I thought the Joe Pitt character was probably one of your weaker creations for a while there, though.
- Why? You didn’t like the idea of a tough guy Vampyre getting caught up in various turf wars between rival clan...more
- Sure, Kemper.
- First, I’m a big fan. Your new breed of neo-noir writing is a blast to read in both your crime and horror novels.
- Thank you.
- No problem. I gotta admit that I thought the Joe Pitt character was probably one of your weaker creations for a while there, though.
- Why? You didn’t like the idea of a tough guy Vampyre getting caught up in various turf wars between rival clan...more
view all 18 comments
Fifth in the Joe Pitt urban fantasy series set in an alternate New York City, specifically Manhattan. And I think it's the last…
The Story
After Every Last Drop, Joe has been living in the sewers for the past year---a natural fallout after instigating war and massive distrust where Chubby finds Joe and begs him to find his pregnant, missing daughter. The father is a young vampyre and word is spreading that the child could be the hope for all vampires. Every group wants the child; fe...more
The Story
After Every Last Drop, Joe has been living in the sewers for the past year---a natural fallout after instigating war and massive distrust where Chubby finds Joe and begs him to find his pregnant, missing daughter. The father is a young vampyre and word is spreading that the child could be the hope for all vampires. Every group wants the child; fe...more
My Dead Body is Charlie Huston's fifth and final entry in the Joe Pitt saga, a hard-boiled horror noir series about vampyre clans in modern-day Manhattan. The Island is divided into geographical territories run by various clans including The Society, The Coalition, The Hood, The Enclave, and other minor clans that are fictional paradigms of criminal enterprises as they exist today.
This sweeping finale leaves no question unanswered, and no character unvisited as Pitt makes the rounds...more
This sweeping finale leaves no question unanswered, and no character unvisited as Pitt makes the rounds...more
Bringing Charlie Huston's wonderful series of supernatural pulp to a conclusion with a rollicking finish, this book was a joy to read. Joe Pitt is a Vampyre (infected by the AIDS like Vyrus in the bathroom at the punk haven CBGB's) and after the events of the previous books he has been driven (literally) underground, living amongst the hobos and the castoffs in the New York City sewer system. Contacted by a former acquaintance to which Pitt feels a debt, he surfaces once again in order to find t...more
It's hard to see a story come to a close, with characters with whom you've grown comfortable, but we must part from the tales of the Coalition, the Society, Clan Cure, and the minor vampyres in the other boroughs of NYC. What isn't hard is to see the winding down of the clock, the spiralling out of control of the warring factions, to see that among them, despite their differences, it was realpolitik played out, with each wanting what mattered most to them, and for Joe, that was protecting the th...more
Oh man, did I love these books or what. I may just be in the perfect mood too appreciate them, so I'm not going to make many objective statements about their absolute value, but at the moment this series really does seem to belong right up there with Cormac McCarthy, the best of Elmore Leonard, and the grittiest of Quentin Tarantino. In addition, the narration by Scott Brick really brought the characters to life -- especially the world-weary, self-despising, laconic Joe Pitt, who was voiced to p...more
In 2005 I was burned out on Vampire novels. Anne Rice’s books really weren’t my thing. I thought they were more romance novels than horror novels. And most of the other stuff out there was pretty derivative. Still TV shows like “Buffy” and “Angel” and comic book characters like Blade and Hannibal King from Marvel Comics “Tomb of Dracula” series had shown me that Vampires struggling against their nature to do soemthing good can make for some pretty compelling fictional characters.
It ...more
It ...more
Personally, finishing the series at five books seems like the right thing to do. Anymore and it becomes either too ridiculous (even for a story about vampyres, but how could Joe Pitt keep getting shot and cut up and still live) or stale (more story arcs like Half the Blood of Brooklyn wouldn't be a good thing, in my opinion).
My Dead Body deviates from the theme of the previous four by being structured almost like a final journal entry of a person before death. Pitt even comes off a...more
My Dead Body deviates from the theme of the previous four by being structured almost like a final journal entry of a person before death. Pitt even comes off a...more
What a series!
I'll qualify just a bit by saying I don't think that as an individual book this is the best of the batch. Others will probably disagree, but I think that as the concepts got bigger, this series became difficult to sustain. We could talk about it, and you might have a better theory about it than I do, but I know I don't entirely understand what happened to Joe Pitt in the end or where his world is going. While it's interesting on a philosophical level, I don't really get...more
I'll qualify just a bit by saying I don't think that as an individual book this is the best of the batch. Others will probably disagree, but I think that as the concepts got bigger, this series became difficult to sustain. We could talk about it, and you might have a better theory about it than I do, but I know I don't entirely understand what happened to Joe Pitt in the end or where his world is going. While it's interesting on a philosophical level, I don't really get...more
If literary characters have feelings, it’s a fair bet to say none of them is especially glad to end up in Charlie Huston’s books, because nobody comes out of them intact. Whether the abuse he inflicts is emotional or graphically physical, characters sitting in this imaginary green room know that they’re in for it when they hit the page. And while this is true across all of Huston’s output, things are especially tough for the denizens of his Joe Pitt casebooks, being set in a New York City lousy ...more
Cathy
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Shelves:
ebook-read,
fantasy,
paranormal,
read-in-2010,
urban,
vampire,
zz-challenge-bcc-fantasy-2010,
ebook-owned
The end of a very dark and violent series. Neither bothered me as much a some of the suspense mysteries, there was never a moment that made me feel afraid or anxious. It's just a series about a guy with his own moral code living and working in a very dicey situation, one that allows for a lot of violent acts and some pretty cowardly too. Joe's a mixed bag. There are a few things he will not do, and a few things that he'll do anything for. Those things alternately disparage and redeem him as a ch...more
Really interesting. I loved the way the story was told, and that you didnt feel like you were missing anything integral, given this was the 5th book of the series. I'm also quite surprised at how good it was, considering I'm very skeptical of the genre. Charlie Huston does a great job of making Joe Pitt seem larger than life, but in the same he is more human than ever (even though he is a Vampyre that is). The storytelling element being from Joe's perspective is also really interesting since you...more
A brilliant end to a fantastic series, this fifth and final Joe Pitt casebook ties together (most of) the loose ends from the previous instalments, giving all the weird and wonderful characters a part to play. Joe Pitt himself, one of Charlie Huston's finest creations, has always had a special place in my heart - he is extremely self-deprecating (calling himself an asshole all the time) whilst being heroic in an anti-hero/unconventional way, and I was *very* pleased that Lydia gets a real chance...more
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Figured I'd read the last Joe Pitt Book. Figured I loved the first, second, and fourth ones.
And yeah, I admire the way Huston writes and the way he dared to open this story up and make it bigger with every book.
Didn't figure on this: My Dead Body is the best book Huston's ever written. Couldn't put it down. Even half dead and one-eyed, Joe Pitt is a badass.
Don't want to spoil anything. Think that ruins the book for some people. Let's just say having rea...more
And yeah, I admire the way Huston writes and the way he dared to open this story up and make it bigger with every book.
Didn't figure on this: My Dead Body is the best book Huston's ever written. Couldn't put it down. Even half dead and one-eyed, Joe Pitt is a badass.
Don't want to spoil anything. Think that ruins the book for some people. Let's just say having rea...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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It says more about me than Houston that I liked this one slightly less than the last two, much darker Joe Pitt books. Not that My Dead Body is sweetness and light - it's got the one section of Huston's work thus far that actually made my skin crawl, and Joe pays a high and sometimes gruesome price for being his own man. But it is, as I suspected, the end of his story, and that ending isn't quite what I expected or wanted. That ending doesn't violate the story's internal plausibility or anything ...more
Huston surrenders his Joe Pitt series to a series of tortuous twists of plot and weak character ploys.
Still, Huston manages two things very, very well: Cripsly crackly dialog and drop dead action that hits you like a car wreck; Neither allow you to take your virtual ears or eyes away even though sometimes you want to.
This series started off great -- unique vision,unique character; it then went thru some just ok plots, but emerged in the last two books with a kind of undea...more
Still, Huston manages two things very, very well: Cripsly crackly dialog and drop dead action that hits you like a car wreck; Neither allow you to take your virtual ears or eyes away even though sometimes you want to.
This series started off great -- unique vision,unique character; it then went thru some just ok plots, but emerged in the last two books with a kind of undea...more
Honestly, this book was a 2.5 stars. There was so much backstory, which to me, seemed more interesting than the novel I was reading. Now coming to good reads, I see this is Pitt#5? Joe Pitt being the protagonist in MDB. I could go looking for the four previous releases but I'm onto many other things.
If you're looking for a decent vampire story, something not mired in romance and smoochy-smoochy give this a look. Definitely something you can bang out in a day or two. Maybe even ...more
If you're looking for a decent vampire story, something not mired in romance and smoochy-smoochy give this a look. Definitely something you can bang out in a day or two. Maybe even ...more
The final novel in a series has a lot to measure up to, and in my opinion the last Joe Pitt novel didn't live up to its four predecessors. I am a big fan of Charlie Huston - and his Joe Pitt character in particular - but both of them seem to have lost their edge in My Dead Body.
Dead Body picks up a year after the events in Every Last Drop and while most of the threads are picked up again, they aren't picked up in a way that is consistent with the books that came before. Most of the c...more
Dead Body picks up a year after the events in Every Last Drop and while most of the threads are picked up again, they aren't picked up in a way that is consistent with the books that came before. Most of the c...more
After absorbing abnormal amounts of vamp fiction, YA and paranormal romance this year, Joe Pitt has been my refreshing exception. At the author's own admission inspired by Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard, I've never read anything quite like it--mainly because I don't normally read crime or noir fiction, I suppose.
Soulful, fantastical, dark, funny, spiritual, ultra-violent, sexy, endlessly suprising and inventive. With a surprisingly satisfying series ending in book 5.
...more
Soulful, fantastical, dark, funny, spiritual, ultra-violent, sexy, endlessly suprising and inventive. With a surprisingly satisfying series ending in book 5.
...more
It's simple: I loved this series! As all learn Joe Pitt does it all for "a girl." Everyones reaction from Pedro to Lydia is quite amusing. The only part that stuck in my mind is all the characters putting it on Joe for not doing more in regards to the Coalition's blood farm. Come on Joe blew the lid off the place and it is not like he entered there with an army. Will eagerly await Mr. Huston's next adventure in writing.
Soooo very good. Vampires, man. Might as well be real considering how convincingly Charlie Huston writes them!
Just go out and read this series already. Unless, of course, you don't want to ruin your perfect little glossy sparkly view of vampires and their tragically beautiful facial structure. *coughTwilightsuckscough*
(see my review for 'already dead' for a general overlook of the series)
Just go out and read this series already. Unless, of course, you don't want to ruin your perfect little glossy sparkly view of vampires and their tragically beautiful facial structure. *coughTwilightsuckscough*
(see my review for 'already dead' for a general overlook of the series)
I love Joe Pitt. This is the fifth (and final?) Joe Pitt book and I have to say I prefer the earlier books. I know that Charlie Huston is a "noir" author, but this last book was just a little too dark for my tastes. He redeemed himself at the end with a somewhat happy (and open) ending, but along the way Joe lost an eye, a toe, several fingers and a thumb. I don’t mind a little violence, but this was a little too much for my tastes.
I really enjoyed Charlie Huston's othe...more
I really enjoyed Charlie Huston's othe...more
I've always enjoyed Charlie Huston - both his hard crime and his "urban fantasy" Joe Pitt series. I have to admit though, this was not my favorite of the series. While still a fun ride, it didn't have the punch or clarity of the earlier books. Seemed at times like the author was trying to tie off every loose end, rather than progress the plot organically.
I was worried, based on some of his other books, that I wouldn't like the ending to this one, but it was fantastic. All the characters came together, the loose ends tied up, and it was extremely satisfying. Probably my favorite vampire series of all time. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who like pulp and vampires.
I really liked this series. A lot. And I really liked this book, except for the last 15 pages. I got the distinct impression that the ending is not the one the author would have originally written, to me it felt like a shift in tone and the ending wasn't in line with the rest of the book. I wonder if the author was pressured to change the ending.
But, otherwise, and I mean all what, 1200 or more other pages of the series? They're absolutely worth the read! I really like this a...more
But, otherwise, and I mean all what, 1200 or more other pages of the series? They're absolutely worth the read! I really like this a...more
The reason that I am not a fan of book series is because most authors simply don't have the ability to draw out a plot to several books. They either run out of ideas and coast or they blatantly continue with the only real motivation being the money it brings in. Charlie Huston is not one of those writers. His Joe Pitt series never lets up in excitement or imagination and the totality of five books is just enough to tell his story. My Dead Body is the fifth and last of the series and it is one of...more
A brilliant end to a brilliant series. There were enough twists that I thought I would want to slam the book up against the wall when it was over like I did with The Dark Tower but Huston proved to be a master of slight-of-hand and ended the book in such a way that I was smiling when it was all over.
I had read the first book in the series and had mistakenly thought this was the second volume. It didn't matter because for the most part it seemed to relate more to the first book than the previous one. I like the tone of the series. It's a double helping of noir with a depression chaser. My only trouble is with the end, where it got a little hazy. I will be interested to see where he goes from here.
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Charlie Huston is an American author of Noircrime fiction. However, according to a recent interview with Paradigm, he prefers to be classified as a writer of Pulp, due to how he writes.
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