Books › Cold Copper Tears (Garrett Files)
Cold Copper Tears (Garrett Files)
First published 2007 · 249 pages
A hardboiled detective story wrapped in a grimy fantasy trench coat, fueled by cynical quips and back-alley brawls.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like stepping into a smoky, dimly lit tavern where classic noir collides head-on with high fantasy. The narrative moves at a brisk, pulp-fiction clip, driven by snappy dialogue and the world-weary observations of a protagonist who just wants to get paid but inevitably ends up saving the day. The atmosphere is delightfully grimy and chaotic, trading shining castles for corrupt city streets teeming with dangerous cults, mobsters, and mythical creatures behaving badly. It is a gritty, irreverent experience that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet delivers a genuinely engaging mystery. Fans of hardboiled detectives and working-class fantasy will devour its perfect blend of cynical humor, street-level magic, and reluctant heroism.
- Mood
- grimy
- noir-tinged
- chaotic
- shadowy
- Tone
- cynical
- wry
- hardboiled
- irreverent
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- moral ambiguity · urban decay · reluctant heroism · corrupt institutions
- The writing
- Punchy, colloquial, and heavily stylized to mimic classic pulp detective fiction, complete with snappy dialogue and world-weary observations.
- The arc
- Begins with weary, street-level cynicism and builds into a chaotic, reluctant crusade against apocalyptic fanaticism.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love the gritty, trench-coat-wearing attitude of classic noir mysteries but want it populated by elves, trolls, and dark magic.
Content notes
- fantasy violence
- cult fanaticism
- mild sexual references
- gore
About the book
Glen Cook created a fantasy world populated by creatures of myth and quite a few he made up himself. Garrett is a former marine and private investigator that interacts with all of the above on a frequent basis. This time he runs into a doomsday cult who renders themselves sexless and are a vile, evil bunch of fanatics out to end the world. Many twists and turns and a liberal dose of magic in an adventure worth reading. gmb 3-22-20
Description from Open Library.
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