Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara GranMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Sara Gran is the author of Come Closer, a novella that I read years ago but still often think about because I loved it so much. I also really enjoyed The Book of the Most Precious Substance, so I decided to start reading her Claire DeWitt series.
Claire DeWitt is a PI. When she's hired by a man to find his missing uncle in New Orleans because of her reputation, she travels to the ravaged city to find out what happened...
Grim. Disturbing. Sad. Entertaining.
Claire DeWitt isn't your average private investigator. Her methods aren't conventional, and she uses the book, Détection by Jacques Silette, as her guide for conducting her business. She's been obsessed with it since her teens and it helps her through every case she tackles.
It's also a reminder of the mentor she lost. I enjoyed reading about her memories of Constance, and the two friends that put her on the investigation path during her teens.
Claire is snarky, pushy, odd, funny, and seems to possess an otherworldly connection during her investigations. It's how she's able to find clues that others miss. She also has plenty of secrets and vices. The use of dreams to work through the puzzles is another very cool addition to her technique.
The investigation she tackles during post-Katrina New Orleans begins as something simple, but when the devastating truth is revealed, it's all quite sad.
I think this is a great start to an intriguing series featuring an unlikable female character that I like quite a bit!
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