The Immortalists
Andrew Hook
Telos Publishing
March 22, 2014
Reviewed by Tim Potter
The first book in the Mardent series, The Immortalists, by Andrew Hook is a well executed blend of private eye fiction, noir and horror elements. The story follows former cop and current P.I. Mordent as he navigates a maze of interconnected mysteries involving a missing student, the criminal underworld and bodies that seem to age after death while avoiding the pitfalls of his reckless personal life.
Mordent takes on the case of a young man who has been missing for some time as a last chance for the mother to find some resolution in the disappearance. The cops haven’t found anything about the boy and more reputable investigators aren’t willing to try. When the body turns up, it seems to be connected to to the death, years prior, of the brother of a shady acquaintance of Mordent. Both bodies seem to have aged years after their deaths. This impossible occurrence becomes a focus of Mordent’s investigation, one that will tie into criminal kingpins and the world of cryogenics.
The characters in the book are interesting if a bit flat. Mordent is interesting and has a reasonably solid backstory. He is an effective combination of typical P.I. attributes that have been conventions since Philip Marlowe and the Continental Op and unique, individual features. Kovacs is the highlight of the book among characters, an intriguing cop character that bucks any resemblance to the typical fiol to the P.I. hero. Kovacs, formerly a partner of Mordent, has risen to a position of authority in the police department and doesn’t care for Mordent’s methods. He recognizes their effectiveness though, and grudgingly provides Mordent occasional support.
There are times when the pacing of the story slows down, chiefly in the novel’s first act, as the main narrative takes a sideline in favor of flashbacks that establish characters and tell stories that are tangentially related at best. Some of these flashbacks were originally individual short stories and it shows. Luckily, as the novel progresses, these interludes become less and less and the story becomes more focused as is speeds to a satisfying conclusion.
- Midian Unmade – Book Review - September 30, 2015
- Wolf Land – Book Review - September 16, 2015
- Convalescence – Book Review - September 7, 2015
- Rage Master – Book Review - September 3, 2015
- The Art of Horrible People – Book Review - August 28, 2015
- Greasepaint – Book Review - August 26, 2015
- Bonesy – Book Review - August 17, 2015
- Dark Screams: Volume Four – Book Review - August 13, 2015
- Trust No One – Book Review - August 10, 2015
- The Monstruous – Book Review - August 3, 2015
