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City of Devils

(City of Devils)

Justin Robinson (Goodreads Author)

4.35 · Rating details · 106 ratings · 42 reviews

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Paperback, 330 pages

Published September 24th 2013 by Candlemark & Gleam (first published September 23rd 2013)

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Jul 06, 2013 sj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: yorwtfiw

The other day Justin Robinson‘s new novel City of Devils became available to review and I jumped on it. Well, not literally, but close to it. I was doing something else, read the email on my phone and promptly ran to the laptop to add it to my reader. Cos Mr Blank was one of my favourite new-to-me-author reads of last year (and pretty much everyone I’ve forced it on has agreed), and after reading the description of this book, I knew it was something I would love just as much.

I love it when I’m r The other day Justin Robinson‘s new novel City of Devils became available to review and I jumped on it. Well, not literally, but close to it. I was doing something else, read the email on my phone and promptly ran to the laptop to add it to my reader. Cos Mr Blank was one of my favourite new-to-me-author reads of last year (and pretty much everyone I’ve forced it on has agreed), and after reading the description of this book, I knew it was something I would love just as much.

I love it when I’m right.

City of Devils is the story of Nick Moss – veteran of the Great War and the Night War – the only human private detective left in all of ’50s Los Angeles. The cop shops are full of werewolves and wolfmen (yes, there’s a difference), robots are film directors, actors are doppelgangers (beings that can change their appearances at whim), there’s a mummy on the city council, and the monsters have made life hard for humanity.

If you’re a human and you’re out at night, you’re fair game. There’s a treaty in place to protect you from being turned (or killed) during the daylight hours, but as soon as the sun goes down, the monsters come out to turn us into their babies.

Which is all a very interesting backdrop for the central mystery of the story – a philandering philanthropist of a mummy (in a mixed marriage with a doppelganger) who’s gone missing…and whose partners are all being killed off.

Nick is something of a bumbler, and it’s difficult to see how he’s managed to avoid being turned up to the point our story begins, but watching him get into and out of various predicaments is nothing short of a great time.

Honestly? This is a book I kind of WANT to see on screen. I’d love to see it picked up by SyFy (and I mean that in the best possible way) as a Movie of the Week or a series. There’s enough here that could be built on that would keep me watching for several seasons.

City of Devils isn’t anything totally serious, take a look at that cover and know that it delivers on what it promises. A noiry, pulpy good time that would be perfect for a beach read – but since it doesn’t come out until September, you’ll have to read it somewhere else. Just read it, though, because it’s clever and funny and monsterrific.

Thanks to Candlemark and Gleam for the review copy, and thanks to Justin for writing ANOTHER book I loved and can’t wait to share with everyone.

Originally posted here. ...more

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Jul 09, 2013 Wayne McCoy rated it really liked it

City of Devils takes the Los Angeles of the 1940s and 1950s and populates it with monsters. When monsters take over the world, and specifically L.A. it leaves the humans as the hunted. There are mummies, vampires, zombies, werewolves, killer robots, ghouls, shapeshifters, merpeople and the list goes on.

Nick Moss is a human detective in this crazy town. After surviving World War 2, he found himself at war with the monsters. Now he lives among them. A movie star's husband is missing and Nick is o ...more

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Aug 07, 2013 Mana Taylor-Hall rated it it was amazing

Classic Noir and Movie Monsters in Just the Right Blend

A good noir detective story needs certain elements:

A wise-cracking detective with panache and moxie? Nick Moss fits the bill.

A long-legged receptionist whose is loyal to her boss but dreams for more? We have Serendipity Sargasso who dreams of being discovered.

A femme fatale with uncertain motives? Imogen Verity, star of the screen fits the bill.

Movie monsters roaming the street hoping to feast on the miniscule percentage of the p ...more

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Jul 07, 2013 Kelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, detective-fiction, mystery, humour

Review originally published here.

There was once an episode of my favourite podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour (which I've talked about before here on the blog), where they discussed things that were so in tune with their tastes that it seems as though it was made especially for them. I'd never quite experience anything like that myself. I mean, I've liked a lot of things (and continuously like a lot of things), but never anything so spot on that it seemed like it was made for me.

That was until I ca ...more

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Jul 16, 2013 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: c-g-books, fantasy, humour, noir, contemporary-fantasy, detective, monsters

Life ain't easy for a private eye - especially when you can't go out after dark and the things that go "bump" in the night now run the world. Nick Moss, the last human PI in a 50s Los Angeles that is run by classic movie monsters come to life, is holding it together, though, doing his best to make ends meet while staying human. That simple goal becomes very difficult when he's hired by a doppelganger movie star to uncover what's happened to her politically connected mummy husband. A simple missi ...more

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Sep 15, 2013 Timothy Pecoraro rated it really liked it

Going into this book I had no idea what expect. I have to say that if City of Devils does nothing else, it does original. I loved the world, the characters, it was an excellent book. The idea of using every monster ever in the same book at the same time; to help make your alternative history Raymond Chandler story was a stroke of brilliance. However, said tale wasn’t very good. That was my only real problem with City of Devils; great world, great characters, and one long boring story. Boring is ...more

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Sep 20, 2013 Mara marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, arc

I want to apologize to author and publisher, but after reading half of this book, I really could not go on. I was simply bored by a great idea. Sounds weird? It is. City of Devils has a great idea, but it's one of those I'm not fond of.

Imagine Star Wars and then Space Balls. Now image The Maltese Falcon and then the cover of this book...See my point? Great parody, but it's not something for me.

In a parody you don't have, don't need, world-building, plot and the like. But these are the things t ...more

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Aug 21, 2013 Scott rated it it was amazing

City of Devils reads like a fun B movie romp. The only human detective in a Los Angeles overridden by classic movie monsters, Nick Moss finds trouble at every turn. These are werewolves, mummies, fishmen and phantoms unlike any you've see before. Written tongue-in-cheek, much like his earlier novel Mr. Blank, City of Devils will keep you chuckling while burning through pages in hopes of seeing Moss solve the case before time, and his ability to elude becoming a monster himself, run out on him.

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Aug 16, 2017 BookLoversLife rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

This is the story of the last human private eye living in the City of Devils, formally the City of Angels. Since the Night War, the world is overrun with every sort of monster you can think of, and some you can't!! During the day the treaty protects what little humans are left, but once night falls you are fair game! Nick Moss is just trying to live his life as a private eye, working during the day and getting home before dark because there are things that want to turn him. Things change for Nic ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 C Patrick Daily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fun and inventive entry in this genre

A well written P.I./Monster world book. I generally like urban fantasy and detective mixes and this is one of the better ones I've read to date.

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Jul 11, 2013 Linsy rated it really liked it

Shelves: not-not-not-a-love-story, paranormal-and-supernatural, pov-1, netgalley-arcs-giveaways, lmao

"That's the problem with hiring a human dick, ma'am."
There was a long silence while we stared at each other.
Finally, I said quietly, "It's just a figure of speech."

A book about a human private detective in a world of monsters...

"You're a dick."
I nodded.
"But you're not a werewolf."
I shook my head.
"Then what the hell are you?"
"Human."

Overall City of Devils is a humorous book with a very creative, very different world that has a mystery woven in. It follows human private ...more

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Sep 01, 2015 Patrick Murtha rated it really liked it

It comes as no surprise that Justin Robinson, author of City of Devils, is an accomplished novelist with more than a dozen books under his belt. It takes a certain of amount of practice to be able to sustain a comic tone against the realities of the book's premise. City of Devils takes place in a Chinatown-meets-Who Framed Roger Rabbit fantasy reality in which World War II was followed by a "Night War" between humans and monsters, of a couple dozen varieties - witches, vampires, ogres, gremlins, It comes as no surprise that Justin Robinson, author of City of Devils, is an accomplished novelist with more than a dozen books under his belt. It takes a certain of amount of practice to be able to sustain a comic tone against the realities of the book's premise. City of Devils takes place in a Chinatown-meets-Who Framed Roger Rabbit fantasy reality in which World War II was followed by a "Night War" between humans and monsters, of a couple dozen varieties - witches, vampires, ogres, gremlins, werewolves, and so on. Robinson deals with the Night War events as backstory known to the narrator and presumably his listeners, therefore cleverly avoiding the necessity of fleshing it all out.

The upshot of the Night War was an uneasy truce in which monsters clearly have the population and the power, but are restricted from preying on the dwindling number of humans during daylight hours. At night, anything goes. In a confrontation, the monsters can be defeated (rather too easily, in my view) by the use of many of the time-honored charms and warding-off substances, and a few new ones.

Our protagonist, Nick Moss, the last remaining human detective in the greater Los Angeles area, carries a shop's-worth of these protections around with him at all times, which must ruin the line of his jacket. But Nick has worse problems to deal with. Not being able to safely go out at night handicaps his detective practice, and every monster in sight is trying to "turn" him, make him another of their kind. The pumpkinhead that hangs out on his lawn is particularly desperate and annoying (and funny).

Nick generally maintains his good cheer, despite the fact that this would be a distressing world to live in. Occasionally he does get rueful:

"Still, had to warn the robot and the crawling eye that the gremlin was going to kill them. And then hate the fact I lived in a world where such a sentence was said with a straight face."

It ain't all sunny for the monsters, either. They turn humans out of desire - it is their equivalent of sexual desire - but also out of necessity; they cannot "reproduce" in any other way. Since the supply of humans will eventually run out (sooner rather than later, presumably; human children are scarcely mentioned in the book), and since monsters CAN die (we get several spectacular examples), the end-game is not looking particularly good for either side.

A few premise quibbles may dawn on you if you're a spoilsport. Where the monsters "came from" in the first place, and how new varieties keep appearing - Nick can't remember human flies appearing "before about six months ago" - is not exactly made clear. The nature of Nick's or any other humans' resistance to being turned is not spelled out, either; Nick mentions that he likes being human, but it would take a good deal more heroic resolve than that to survive in such a world. The werewolves on the LAPD who want to bring Nick onto the force clearly do so because of his surprising skills, but I didn't notice a discussion of how much of a human's character and memories survives the transition to monsterhood.

Nick specializes in missing persons - missing HUMAN persons, who have usually already been turned - but at the start of the novel is asked by a female doppelganger movie star to find her mummy husband. This leads Moss into a labyrinth of monster equivalents of prostitution, pornography, and drugs, all very cleverly handled. The plotting of City of Devils is superior and a sign of a real craftsman.

Many Hollywood touches creep into the narrative, which you could argue about as to whether they are part of the satire or not. As mentioned, none of the monsters' stabs at turning Nick are effectual, and in a number of chase sequences, he evades his pursuers with aplomb (although he sure does get messed-up, necessitating frequent trips to his drycleaner). Although Nick's escape maneuvers are minutely described, I'm not sure that makes them any more plausible, and his relative ease in pulling them off reduces the monsters' scare factor by about 50%. In truth, Robinson's array of nasty beings are more akin to the classic movie versions of monsters that plague Abbott and Costello than to the legends behind them. There is not a single entity in the book who could give you the willies the way monsters in late Seventies and early Eighties horror movies could - Alien, The Fly, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

But all of my reservations noted, City of Devils is finally a most entertaining read, and if it leads to a series (that could expand on some of my question marks), no one would be complaining. ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Red Lace Reviews rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fans of detective novels & humour

Shelves: received-for-review, favourites, justin-robinson, humour, mystery-detective-investigation, loved-hero

Top Read 2013

The former City of Angels now belongs to the monsters of all shapes and sizes, whom now greatly outnumber humanity. Nick Moss, Private Investigator, finds himself caught in the middle of all the madness when he’s hired by a famous doppelganger actress. Trying to find her missing husband, Nick (the Dick) has to put his life in danger and face off against werewolves and phantoms, among other things, to crack the case.

(I received this book via NetGalley for my honest review. I give my Top Read 2013

The former City of Angels now belongs to the monsters of all shapes and sizes, whom now greatly outnumber humanity. Nick Moss, Private Investigator, finds himself caught in the middle of all the madness when he’s hired by a famous doppelganger actress. Trying to find her missing husband, Nick (the Dick) has to put his life in danger and face off against werewolves and phantoms, among other things, to crack the case.

(I received this book via NetGalley for my honest review. I give my thanks to Candlemark & Gleam publishers for giving me the chance to review it. Oh, and I thank Justin Robinson for writing it! Please be aware that this review may contain spoilers before reading further.)

Not only was this book delightfully hilarious, it was extremely creative and exciting. In fact, it was genius! I can’t possibly describe how much I enjoyed this book. Let me get this point across – I don’t read detective novels, nor mystery for that matter. What attracted me to this story was the fantasy element, but I was still unsure if it would be my thing. I was shocked when I started reading, because it instantly appealed to me. Tasteful writing, a fantastic protagonist and a story full of action.

Justin Robinson included SO MANY creatures and he did it so well; vampires, werewolves, wolfmen, phantoms, gremlins, ghosts, zombies, witches, doppelgangers, robots, pumpkin-heads, mummies, the list goes on and on. Each had their own particular weaknesses; whistles for phantoms, mirrors for doppelgangers, wolfsbane for the wolves, etc. They were all described brilliantly and the added humour went a long way, for instance; all zombies could say were ‘brains’, robots couldn't help but exclaim‘terminate all humans’ randomly and the gremlins… well, I fell in love with them. They were undoubtedly my favourite monster. All I have to say is;

Hi ho.

The leading man, Nick Moss, was so amazingly human amongst the monsters. I don’t think I've ever read a book were the protagonist was so wonderfully realistic, that even his clumsy dialogue added to his humanity. He was certainly not perfect, or fearless, or even that attractive. He made mistakes and he acted upon spur of the moment decisions which nearly killed him multiple times, but he didn't come across as foolish. In fact, his intelligence and quick thinking were his strengths. Never underestimate a smart individual, even if he doesn't have the extreme abilities of his foes. He was always deliberately cautious around the monsters, even the beautiful women, and sex almost never entered his mind. There was zero romance, which is different from my usual tastes, but I was simply too entertained to care. I’m a fan of Nick, I think that’s obvious!

Other characters I loved were Serendipity, Hexene, Sam and Billie (<3). Even though they may have played a minor role, they left an impression. Nick’s relationship with Sam the pumpkin-head made me laugh out loud like an idiot. It’s the little things that give flavour to stories, make them even greater. The little things that riddled this superb book I couldn't help but adore.

The plot was full of twists and turns and overall it never became dull. The trouble Nick got himself into was nothing short of nerve-wracking. Yes, I suspected some of the answers before they were revealed, but that didn't ruin my experience in the slightest. I won’t say I’ll begin reading mystery novels however, as this was a special case.

I really hope I have the chance to read another one of Nick’s adventures. It would be a real shame if this wasn't the beginning of a series!

© Red Lace 2013 ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 Fanbase Press rated it it was amazing

The following review was originally posted on Fanboy Comics at the following link:
http://fanboycomics.net/index.php/blo...

'City of Devils:' Book Review
by Jodi Scaife, Fanboy Comics Contributor

A missing city councilman, his frightened movie star wife, and more suspects than you can count without taking off your shoes. Private Eye Nick Moss is on the case. There’s only one problem. He’s the last human PI in the city. His client is a shapeshifter, the missing councilman is a mummy, and most of the ...more

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Oct 01, 2013 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook, arc, four-star-reviews

Do you like detective stories? Do you like mysteries? Do you like femme fatales and gumshoes and old Hollywood?

Do you like monsters?

Then stop right now and go get this book. Read it, and come back and thank me later.

Monsters!!

Our hero, Nick Moss, is a private detective, specializing in investigating missing persons cases. But this is no run of the mill detective story: in the world of City of Devils, monsters are real, and humans are at a distinct disadvantage. While most cops and detectives ar Do you like detective stories? Do you like mysteries? Do you like femme fatales and gumshoes and old Hollywood?

Do you like monsters?

Then stop right now and go get this book. Read it, and come back and thank me later.

Monsters!!

Our hero, Nick Moss, is a private detective, specializing in investigating missing persons cases. But this is no run of the mill detective story: in the world of City of Devils, monsters are real, and humans are at a distinct disadvantage. While most cops and detectives are werewolves or wolfmen, Nick is 100% human. This puts him at a distinct disadvantage: aside from the supernatural advantages monsters have, humans have to be in their homes by dark, or be at risk of being turned into a monster themselves.

Nick usually finds himself on the case of missing humans, but this time, he's looking for Juba II, a missing mummy who happens to be a very important man around town. Nick's investigation takes him deep into the monster side of town, to such places as a poltergeist biker bar, the lot of a Hollwood movie studio (P.S., Hollywood is literally run by monsters), and a very interesting sort of brothel.

The worldbuilding here is awesome, and you can tell the author has really thought out everything about the universe. You learn what the weaknesses are for different monsters, where they hang out, what their strengths are... there's been a lot of thought as to how the world works and how humans and monsters manage to co-exist. You get a bit of backstory on Nick, who was a soldier during WWII, and then again during the Night War, which was essentially the monster uprising, before he turns to being a PI. I would have loved to see a little more about the Night War, but ultimately, it's not important to the story, and the reader knows all they really need to know about it. (Do I smell prequel? Just a suggestion; I'd read it.)

We're taken along for the ride with Nick, who is definitely out of his element at times, and it's fun to watch as he tries to figure out ways to get himself out of whatever mess he'd gotten himself into. (There is a lot of running involved, and also some slime.) The story takes a lot of twists and turns and I definitely did not predict the ending. There are tons of laugh-out-loud moments, particularly regarding the group of monsters who haunt Nick's doorstep at night, hoping to turn him into one of them. There's also a very appropriately named wendigo who appears for like, one page, but which had me kicking my feet in glee. (Never let it be said that extremely minor characters can't make an impression!)

I really enjoyed reading this one. It was hilarious, and very fast paced, which makes it a tough one to put down. ...more

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Oct 01, 2015 Don Sloan rated it it was amazing

"The man knocking on the outside of my office window had the head of a fly. I sighed. Not another one."

So begins the thoroughly offbeat and wildly entertaining murder mystery set in a comically dystopian Los Angeles, sometime after World War 2. Humans are decidedly in the minority in the City of Angels. Monsters of every kind are in the majority, and being anywhere but barricaded in his home at night is not an option for private investigator Nick Moss.

The hard-bitten P.I. has been retained by be "The man knocking on the outside of my office window had the head of a fly. I sighed. Not another one."

So begins the thoroughly offbeat and wildly entertaining murder mystery set in a comically dystopian Los Angeles, sometime after World War 2. Humans are decidedly in the minority in the City of Angels. Monsters of every kind are in the majority, and being anywhere but barricaded in his home at night is not an option for private investigator Nick Moss.

The hard-bitten P.I. has been retained by beautiful shapeshifter Imogen Verity -- a movie star who can literally become any character she likes at the drop of a hat -- to find her husband, City Councilman Juba II. Police have tagged her as a likely suspect, but Moss isn't so sure.

He visits opera diva Aria Enchantee, a phantom of some renown who was rumored to have been having an affair with the councilman. "With me?" she says showing surprise. But, Moss thinks, maybe her startled expression is simply the result of having no eyelids.

Werewolves, banshees, goblins and every other monster you can think of are members of the unlikely ensemble of supporting players in this story. But it's all in good, scary fun -- until two werewolves who also happen to be Sheriff's Deputies threaten to turn Moss into a werewolf like them unless he cooperates with their investigation. He redoubles his efforts.

The trail leads to the monster version of a bawdy house -- humans aren't allowed, so Moss has to go incognito -- and a disturbing event takes place, eliminating one of the suspects. Shaken, but undeterred, Moss resumes the hunt.

He finds himself being forced to run with a pack of wolves, then has an exhausted breakfast with a witch who may have a lead. Later, he accepts a ride back to his house on her broom, trying to put the few puzzle pieces he's managed to gather together, then drives over to the studio for a word with his client. A monster guard fronts the main gate with grisly authority.

"Ugarth the Castrator sat in his guard booth, stuffing whole live chickens in his mouth. As I pulled up, he crunched down on one. 'What do you want?' he asked me, every word raining a plume of feathers down upon me."

Suffice to say, the story takes more twists and turns than an eel on steroids before finally reaching a satisfying resolution. Getting there is more than half the fun, however, and even dyed-in-the-wool mystery aficionados should find this book stellar, mixing a good whodunit with some outre elements that never lose their novel appeal and entertainment value even over the course of a fairly long read.

In addition, the book is meticulously edited, which made reading it a rare pleasure. City of Devils rates five stars. Download a copy today. You'll be glad you did.
...more

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Aug 13, 2013 Maxine rated it really liked it

Nick Moss is the only detective left in Los Angeles; the only human one anyway. Ten years ago, humans lost the Night War to the monsters and humans are relegated to second class citizens. Now, Nick's business consists of missing persons cases. Granted there's no shortage of missing people but most humans just assume their loved one is either dead or turned and don't bother looking.There's a treaty in place which makes it illegal for monsters to kill or turn humans during the day but after dark a Nick Moss is the only detective left in Los Angeles; the only human one anyway. Ten years ago, humans lost the Night War to the monsters and humans are relegated to second class citizens. Now, Nick's business consists of missing persons cases. Granted there's no shortage of missing people but most humans just assume their loved one is either dead or turned and don't bother looking.There's a treaty in place which makes it illegal for monsters to kill or turn humans during the day but after dark all bets are off. If a human gets caught outdoors at night, they're fair game.

So when a beautiful monster strolls into his office, Nick is thrown. This is Imogen Verity, one of the best known actresses in Hollywood who can play any role. Not too surprising since, like all actors, she's a doppelganger able to change her appearance whenever she chooses. She's heard about Nick's reputation for finding lost people and she wants to hire him to find her husband, Juba II, a prominent businessman and mummy. At first, Nick is hesitant to get involved:

I'd seen the movie before. Femme fatale saunters into a private dick's office on gams taller than he is, offers him a job, and pretty soon the dick is in dutch up to his eyeballs. As a matter of fact, not only had I seen the movie, but it starred the woman presently looking at me like I was a talking badger. It's why she wore that face around town; it was the one that made her famous.

But what's a red-blooded human male to do when confronted with That Face? He takes the job even though he knows he'll regret it and he regrets his decision pretty darn quickly; the hunt for the missing Mr II puts him in the sights of some of the most powerful monsters in LA and he'll be lucky to make it through the day nevermind after dark.

This urban fantasy noir is a whole lot of fun. There's plenty of action, including a chase through a monster bordello and a phantom biker bar. Fortunately, the story never takes itself too seriously. It's sort of Philip Marlowe meets HP Lovecraft channelling Abbot and Costello and the result is one fun fast read, perfect for when you feel like kicking back with a couple of brewskis and immersing yourself in some pure entertainment. ...more

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Jul 20, 2013 Rosalind Hartmann rated it really liked it

World War II was only the beginning. When the Night War ravages America, turning it into a country of monsters, humans become a downtrodden minority. Nick Moss is the only human private eye in town, and he’s on the trail of a missing city councilor. With monsters trying to turn him – or, better yet, simply kill him – he’s got to watch his back while trying to find his man. Or mummy, as the case may be.

Once, it was the City of Angels. But now, Los Angeles is the City of Devils…and Nick has a dev World War II was only the beginning. When the Night War ravages America, turning it into a country of monsters, humans become a downtrodden minority. Nick Moss is the only human private eye in town, and he’s on the trail of a missing city councilor. With monsters trying to turn him – or, better yet, simply kill him – he’s got to watch his back while trying to find his man. Or mummy, as the case may be.

Once, it was the City of Angels. But now, Los Angeles is the City of Devils…and Nick has a devil of a job to do.

~~

This book was hilarious. Set in post WWII, and apparently after monsters began walking Earth, you have the only human private detective in Los Angeles, trying to earn his cheddar and stay alive. A beautiful dame, because aren’t they all, comes into his office and asks him to find her missing husband. The same husband that the police (made up of werewolves/wolf men) think she murdered. It is as simple as that and kinda not.

Zombies, shape-shifting doppelgangers, pumpkin-heads, gremlins, witches…you name it, it walks the streets trying to turn the surviving humans left on Earth, and while dodging being turned, poor Nick, our trooper of a detective who can’t manage to smoke like a proper detective and is constantly having his manhood questioned, is trying to find a doppelganger actress’ missing mummy husband. He meets a variety of monsters, some helpful, some kinda not, and discovers more than just a mystery behind a missing councilman mummy in a convenient marriage with an illustrious actress.

I enjoyed the main character Nick’s point of view and dialogue – in what could be sometimes drawn out, his hilarious and often ill-timed offended tone breaks up the monotony of what is actually a pretty good, but simple mystery. It did seem to be a little bloated with filler, but I did enjoy reading about Nick and his constant avoidance to being turned into what is slowly becoming the ‘norm’ in the 1950s Hollywood scene. Genuinely interesting, very funny, and detailed for a strange slice of time in a world that is already pretty strange.

I definitely want to read the rest of Justin Robinson’s catalog of books. Giving ‘City of Devils’ a solid 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it.

~~

...more

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Oct 20, 2016 Gecky Boz rated it it was amazing

Devilish Good Time - Here There Be Monsters (that you should read about ASAP)

City of Devils by Justin Robinson

* Provided by Candlemark & Gleam/NetGalley for Review

5 out of 5 gnomes

This book made me smile so much while reading it. I love the noir atmosphere, the plethora of puns, and the myriad of monsters that are seen.

Nick Moss is a human in a world where monsters are the norm and far outnumber humans. He also happens to be the only human Private Investigator and the actual police force consist ...more

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Dec 07, 2013 J. Ringo rated it it was amazing

What's it like being one of the last humans living in a city filled with monsters? Well, you could ask Nick Moss, but he'd probably be too busy dodging phantoms, werewolves, gremlins, crawling eyes, and friendly pumpkinheads to answer you. In City of Devils, Robinson uses his considerable knowledge of both classic monsters and classic noir to create an intricate and engrossing (and at times, hilarious) tale of trying to make your way in the big city. Owing as much to H.P. Lovecraft and Universal ...more

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Jan 08, 2014 Paul Harmon rated it liked it

Shelves: humor, urban-fantasy

My review is subjective its a good book that didnt click for me, most who check it out will enjoy it I believe.

City of Devils is Detective Noir, Humor and classic horror monsters set in an alternate post WWII Los Angeles that has seen the world more or less run by every possible movie monster and trope you can think of and using humans for entertainment and surrogate children.

Detective Nick Moss takes a case from a famous Hollywood actress/Doppelganger to find her missing Mummy husband.

It's a sh ...more

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Dec 14, 2013 Henry Lazarus rated it liked it

Los Angeles in the fifties was a great era for classic detective tales. Justin Robinson puts Nick Moss in a weird version of that era, a City of Devils (trade from Candlemark & Gleam) run by every monster possible and where humans are a small minority. The actors in Hollywood are all doppelgangers, The directors are mad robots and huge evil eyes. The cops are all werewolves and witches fly over the light traffic. Humans are only safe by treaty during the day, and Nick finds lost human children, ...more

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Jul 27, 2013 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: humour, detective, fantasy, reviewed, faves

This is one of those books that I wish I had stumbled upon once several sequels had been written - so I could just skip on to the next one.

It manages to be noir and funny at the same time, which is a pretty impressive feat.

I'd classify it as paranormal detective - although the main character is a Private Investigator, he is a human working in a city filled mostly with monsters. Monsters who are trying to convert him.

By the end of the book, I was very comfortable with this world - it's easy to si ...more

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Jul 07, 2013 Leila rated it it was amazing

This is my favorite of Robinson's novels so far. There's something about the tone and the characters that I really get into. Also, and although I like his other novels, this one feels most "comfortable" for him as an author, in terms of the voice and style.

I heartily recommend this for fans of humor and monsters alike. One of my favorite characters in this novel has a pumpkin for a head, and a very special relationship with the protagonist.

I haven't read anything else like this before, and I l ...more

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Sep 09, 2013 Michelle rated it really liked it

Nick Moss is the last human private eye in a Los Angles run amuck with monsters. When a mummy politician goes missing, his beautiful doppelganger wife becomes the prime suspect, and it’s up to Moss to prove her innocence. Nick soon finds himself embroiled in the sordid world of corrupt werewolves, Hollywood big-shots and monster snuff films in this LA noir who-done-it.

City of Devils by Justin Robinson is utterly bizarre and a real hoot. Written in noir speak, it’s straight camp, which makes the ...more

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Feb 14, 2016 CJ Jones rated it really liked it

Between this and second season Peggy Carter, it seems like everybody's nicking my idea for 'Ar Noir'--the bomb brings something scary and supernatural into the world. This is your book if you've been looking for a 'hard boiled dick tries to avoid being eaten' story. Moss, our shamus in residence, works Los Angeles after the Night Wars that humanity fought with monsters soon after WWII. The good guys didn't win this fight. Humans are the underpowered minority in the City now, which makes investig ...more

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Aug 16, 2013 Drew rated it really liked it

If I hadn't wanted to get this review out in time for the book's publication (Sept. 24), it would've been a fitting October read - fast, funny, full of monsters and frights and new riffs on age-old themes. I like the world that Robinson has set up and I like Nick Moss - and while things felt a bit like a Hollywood lot at times (lots of lights on the facade, but no house behind it), I was happy to let the story rush over me instead of focusing too hard on anything in particular. There's a lot hap ...more

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Jul 09, 2013 Penny rated it it was amazing

Robinson has a particular gift for sliding serious topics subtly into a fantastical and thrilling tale such that they never become heavyhanded or intrude upon the story. As with X-Men and Homestuck, the stories stand on their own but if you want to look deeper, there is wonderful critical discussion to be had. This is perhaps particularly true of City of Devils, where the only human private detective in an alternate Los Angeles dominated by the denizens of monster movies takes a case from a beau ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 L rated it liked it

Robinson offers a fun, readable gumshoe who's hard on bad citizens, not hard-hearted. In the alternate historical LA/Hollywoodland, you'll encounter covens, wolf packs, gremlins, ogres, brainiacs, phantoms, robots, gil-men, crawling eyes, doppelgangers, flaming pumpkinheads, and the human minority. Nick Moss is the pleasant, mild-mannered, humane protagonist as we slink through a noir tale of disappearance, abduction, prostitution (but not really, insists Mary), and murder. But his gloves come o ...more

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Apr 17, 2014 Amy rated it really liked it

Excellently twisted and shows off Justin's intellect, writing skills, and overly full imagination. As with Mr. Blank this deserved a reread to catch all the twists and try to keep up with the author's mind.
The only critique we (I and my boyfriend) had about this story is the unlimited array of monsters, which threatened on confusing (but didn't quite become so) and was just a bit overwhelming. But I can see that it is part of the premise, so can see the argument I favor of widening the scope so ...more

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About Justin Robinson

Justin Robinson

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Much like film noir, Justin Robinson was born and raised in Los Angeles. He splits his time between editing comic books, writing prose and wondering what that disgusting smell is. Degrees in Anthropology and History prepared him for unemployment, but an obsession with horror fiction and a laundry list of phobias provided a more attractive option.