Del Farmer didn’t start out in this body. In fact, his last body met a pretty terrible fiery end. As a soul collector in an inherited body, he manages to pick up the recently dead and store them in his brain, like a sort of hotel for those with unfinished business. Under the guise of an FBI agent, Del decides that his latest stiff (Brad) just might be his key to getting access to his greatest enemy, The Association. Unfortunately, Del may have picked the wrong place to start. Trying to get Brad to give him the answers, dealing with the cast of characters in his head, and avoiding being killed by Brad’s assassins or the FBI agent on his tail, Del also still has to find a way to bring in cash so he isn’t just sleeping in his car. Del takes on a “babysitting” gig for a woman who is starting to seem like more trouble than she’s worth.
Author Duane Swierczynski captures the hardened detective with a heart of gold, while also keeping readers guessing where the heck the story is going to go next. Del Farmer’s attitude, clothes, and vehicle all fit the past and the feel of places like old school Las Vegas, and how much easier it must have been to get away with stuff when you didn’t have a cellphone or digital traces that could catch up at the speed of light. I found myself mentally forming a soundtrack to this book, as Del’s interest in music and the world around him make for a pretty vivid setting for this book.
Secret Dead Men is available now from Titan Books.
