There seems to be a growing number of Charlie Huston Fans, so I thought I would give the faithful a home!
My Huston testimonial: I picked up and read Caught Stealing in March of '07 and was immediately impressed. This is the 1st in the Hank Thompson trilogy and I followed it up with the 2nd Six Bad Things, which was a bit like a psychopathic rollercoaster ride. Then came Already Dead, the 1st Joe Pitt, vampire P.I. series and was blown away! Now the love affair was at full throttle...

I've been reading about these books in the "what are you reading . . ." thread. I have them on my 'next to be acquired at the used bookstore or the library' list (along with about a jillion others). These probably rise to the top of the list, based on enthusiastic comments. Thanks for the recommendation.

Deleted the above because I was *trying* to link to my review of The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death and failing miserably.

Suffice to say, I'm SO on the bandwagon.

Read this guy's books. Pass them on. Handsell them if you're a bookseller (like me). They're smart, original, kind of funny, thought-provoking...genre fiction that elevates the genre.

Me, I can't stand this Huston goofball, and think his books should be banned and burned.

Since I didn't think of them first.

I didn't think I'd be able to read The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death because of the style, but I ended up liking it better than his Joe Pitt Vampire Detective novels! And I REALLY like those. Can't wait until December 1 when I can read his latest.

Yes, yes, yesssssssss

i have all of the Joe Pitt books, to date....and Caught Stealing i caught for a steal...and, like Richard, i wish i had thought of them first! Dammit! But they are good..they are Noir to the hilt...and what's not to love..an existentail Vampire???? whooppee!

I was introduced to Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt by friends of mine, not as a crime novel, but as a vampire novel. (We all share an interest in sci-fi/fantasy/horror. And this was a far step above some of the paranormal romance novels they recommended!)

I used to read crime as a teenager - Agatha Christie, some of the hard-boiled noir novels - but have only recently gotten back into crime novels, in part thanks to Mr Huston.

I did go looking for his other books at the best crime bookshop in the city the other day, but alas and alack, they are rather expensive down under. ($30+ for Caught Stealing. Ouch.) And a patchy selection. I might have to give in to the temptation of online book shopping... But I will go and schmooze my local independent bookshop first, they like me there. (No wonder, given how much I spend on their books!)

I just finished Every Last Drop last night (okay, early this morning) and meeeep! Luckily it's not long until the next one!

Hi all. I am reading the vampire books, though I thought the last one was repetitious. The next/last one is out My Dead Body, and I have it, but haven't started it yet.

Haven't tried his other books, just don't interest me. He is very intense and I think for me, better in small doses.

I just found and downloaded (for free) Caught Stealing on Scribd.com. There may be others, I haven't checked.

Mensagem editada pelo autor, Nov 4, 2009, 10:39pm.

Hey C.H. fans! I'm neglecting my own thread and that's a shame! A friend returned Every Last Drop, the 4th Joe Pitt casebook, so I plan on reading it in the next couple of weeks and then I need to pick up My Dead Body.
>etrainer- Thanks for the info! If anyone hasn't read Caught Stealing, there it is and it's a great place to start!

This is my review of A Dangerous Man:
Henry Thompson is a former high school baseball phenom and now he's a busted-down pill-popping hit man. He works for a Russian mobster, who is actually blackmailing Hank into doing his "dirty work". This is the last book in a trilogy and they have all been very entertaining crime novels, packed with humor and bone-jarring violence. Of course start with Caught Stealing, which gets this wicked ball rolling!

Oh, you all might get a little bit excited by this snippet from an interview with Alan Ball, writer of "American Beauty" and creator of "Six Feet Under" and "True Blood" (based on Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels):

I'm developing a pilot based on a novel by Charlie Huston who's a kind of noir writer. It's a book called The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. He's writing the script and I'm overseeing it as producer.

I'm yet to read the book, but I am hoping it all works out! And if it does, maybe the book will become easily available in Australia.

Wookie- Thanks for the that tidbit! I was always hoping they would do a cable series on the Joe Pitt Casebooks but I guess there is a glut of vampire series, maybe somewhere down the road. I hope you can find a copy of "Mystic Arts..", it's terrific stuff!

Hey no C.H. activity, come on! I did pick up a copy of My Dead Body. The 5th, possibly the final, Joe Pitt book. I plan on starting the 4th Every Last Drop in the next couple of weeks. Let's get with it guys!

I read My Dead Body. I would say its the last one, because any new ones would be so different that it would be like a new series (all I will say to avoid spoilers).

I thought it was OK, but if I have to describe it, I would say the start was tedious, and then it picked up, but was again very repetitive. Not sorry to see it end.

Another series I am reading that has a similar vibe, though not as raw, is by Dan Vining. It is noirish and set in modern day California. People die and they don't go away, they become something called 'Sailors'. The main character is trying to figure out what it means and what is going on. At some point they all gather together and some transcend, but again its mysterious. There are 2 books The Quick and The Next .

Mensagem editada pelo autor, Nov 21, 2009, 9:11am.

>13 Wookiebender, that's excellent news...more noir on TV = good, at least in my book.

Charlie Huston writing the script might be a weentsy tidge on the scary side, of course. I can only imagine what mayhem he'd pen, knowing he's writing for a visual medium.

Since reading this thread in Nov, I've had Caught Stealing on my wishlist at BM. No luck. Any help?

It looks like the Petaluma Regional Library has a copy.

See message #10 if you would consider D/L of a .pdf