User:Huginn.Muninn/Cruel Zinc Melodies
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| Author | Glen Cook |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Unknown |
| Language | English |
| Series | Garrett P.I. |
| Genre | Fantasy, Mystery |
| Publisher | Roc |
Publication date | May 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 405 |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-451-46192-6 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Preceded by | Whispering Nickel Idols |
Cruel Zinc Melodies is the twelfth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Plot introduction
Garrett is a hardboiled detective living in the city of TunFaire, a melting pot of different races, cultures, religions, and species. When people have problems, they often come to Garrett for help, but trouble has a way of finding Garrett on its own, whether he likes it or not.
Plot summary
It's winter in TunFaire, and life has slowed down for Garrett (meaning work seldom intrudes to interrupt his beer drinking and lounging about), that is until a parade of lovely ladies led by his favorite fiery red-head makes it's way through his door. The red-head in question is none other than Tinnie Tate, Garrett's girlfriend, and she's accompanied by Alyx Weider, sultry temptress and daughter of the local beer baron, and several other friends. It turns out the girls have aspirations to become an acting troupe for the new theater that Alyx's father, Max Weider, is building to keep his youngest daughter happy and to have a new vehicle for moving more of his product.
The trouble is that Max needs some help. It seems that construction of his theater, The World, is beset by ghosts, bugs, and break-ins. Garrett figures that this is pretty much a security job, and ends up bringing in some of the usual crew including Saucerhead Tharpe and even Winger.
Right off the bat, Garrett wraps up the break-in problem, it seems that a gang of kids was trying their hand in the racketeering business. The ghosts and bugs present a bit more of a problem. It turns out that the bugs are of sorcerous origin, and the result of some sorcerous experimentation of a group of kids from the Hill that Kip Prose (see Angry_Lead_Skies ) has taken to hanging out with. Worse yet, the bugs have been disturbing the rest of some mighty being from a bygone age that has been slumbering for eons beneath the ground that The World is being built upon.
With Garrett's knack for finding trouble, he ends up attracting attention from the Guard, the Prince, and several nasty sorcerous types from The Hill. In the end, with the help of the The Dead Man, John Stretch and his telepathically controlled rats, and one smoldering hot sorceress named Windwalker Furious Tide of Light, Garrett eliminates the bugs and makes contact with the creature (through the ghostly form of Eleanor) and convinces it to be careful of the fragile beings living above it.
Characters in "Whispering Nickel Idols"
- Garrett
- The Dead Man
- Dean
- Saucerhead Tharpe
- Pular Singe
- Morley Dotes
- Belinda Contague
- Playmate
- John Stretch
- Colonel Westman Block
- Deal Relway
- Winger
- Tinnie Tate
- Alyx Weider
- Max Weider
- Windwalker Furious Tide of Light
- Barate Algarda
- Kip Prose
- John Stretch
- Belle Chimes(the Bellman)
- Link Dierber
- Schnook Avery
