Plot summary
Garrett is relaxing at the Joy House with Saucerhead and Morley Dotes, when Belinda Contague, a psychotic but beautiful daughter of underworld kingpin Chodo Contague, stumbles into the bar. She is attacked by a wizened old man who spits butterflies from his mouth and tries to drag her into his black stagecoach. Garrett stops him, though the man gets away, then moves on to his next job, tailing a religious crackpot by the name of Barking Dog Amato. Then Captain Westman Block of the city Watch (the ineffectual, corrupt local police) comes knocking. Block needs Garrett's help to solve a series of grisly murders, in which upper class young ladies are being strung up and gutted in bizarre, ritualistic killings.
Garrett soon realizes that the attempted kidnapping of Belinda Contague is connected to the murders. Garrett and Morley track down the coach, and in a bungled sleuthing attempt, Garrett ends up killing the serial killer. Figuring that the case is closed, Garrett finds time to spend on Barking Dog Amato, but Block later informs Garrett that there has been another murder. It seems that an ancient curse is responsible for the murders, so that killing the murderer merely sees the ingenious, complicated spell seize control of another unfortunate and turn them into a serial killer. Worse, the curse learns from its mistakes and becomes more and more powerful with each reincarnation.
Meanwhile, Garrett finds out that Chodo Contague suffered a stroke during his encounter with the Serpent in the previous novel, Dread Brass Shadows , and Crask and Sadler are ruling the crime world in his stead. Belinda Contague, fearing Crask and Sadler, seeks Garrett's help. When Block and Garrett, along with Relway, an up-and-coming, fanatical, uncorrupt member of the Watch, find the new bearer of the curse, he escapes yet again. Ultimately, the curse is neutralized, and Belinda Contague overthrows Crask and Sadler and takes over as ruler of the underworld, keeping her father as a figurehead. Finally, as a gag gift, Morley gives Garrett an annoying talking parrot, which plays a role in later Garrett novels.
Harry Hole, who is also called "Harry Holy" by allies in the Australian police force, is the main character in a series of crime novels written by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø. The name is derived from Old Norse Hólar, the plural form of hóll, meaning "round and isolated hill." Harry's surname is also the name of a historic Norwegian town with a heritage that goes back to the Viking Age.
Garrett P.I. is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Glen Cook about Garrett, a freelance private investigator. The novels are written in a hard-boiled detective fiction style, with elements of traditional mystery and dialogue-based humor. Garrett, during his adventures in his home city of TunFaire and across Karenta and the Cantard, has to deal with elves, vampires, centaurs, trolls, and numerous mixed breeds, along with gods, wizards, witches and more. Unlike most fantasy series, the Garrett P.I. novels focus more on the detective aspects of the story and less on the magical.
Sweet Silver Blues is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the first novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Bitter Gold Hearts is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the second book in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Cold Copper Tears is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the third novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Old Tin Sorrows is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the fourth novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Dread Brass Shadows is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the fifth novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Deadly Quicksilver Lies is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the seventh novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Petty Pewter Gods is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the eighth novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Faded Steel Heat is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the ninth book in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Angry Lead Skies is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the tenth book in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Whispering Nickel Idols is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the eleventh book in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Still Life with Crows is a thriller novel by American authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, released on July 1, 2003 by Grand Central Publishing. It is the fourth novel to feature FBI Special Agent Pendergast as protagonist.
Cruel Zinc Melodies is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the twelfth novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Gilded Latten Bones is a fantasy novel by American writer Glen Cook, the thirteenth novel in his ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
The Peterborough ditch murders were a series of murders which took place in Cambridgeshire, England, in March 2013. All three victims were male and died from stab wounds. Their bodies were discovered dumped in ditches outside Peterborough. In Hereford, two other men were stabbed, but survived. The perpetrator was Joanna Christine Dennehy, a Cambridgeshire woman, who was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. She is the first woman in English history to be directly given a whole life order.
Anthony Cook and Nathaniel Cook are American serial killer brothers who committed a series of at least 9 rapes and murders of mostly couples in Toledo, Ohio, area between 1973 and 1981. Their guilt was established in the late 1990s thanks to DNA profiling, after which both brothers were convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise is a 2015 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Mackenzie Foy, William Devane, and Luke Perry. Written by Selleck and Michael Brandman, the film is about a police chief of the (fictional) small town of Paradise, Massachusetts, who investigates the murder of the apparent fourth victim of a brutal serial killer. Filmed on location in Lunenburg and Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Stephen John Port is a British serial killer and serial rapist. He has been convicted of the murder of four young men and multiple rapes and sexual assaults of a number of others. Port received a sentence of life imprisonment with a whole life order on 25 November 2016.
Kate Bushell and Lyn Bryant were a schoolgirl and a woman murdered in separate, high-profile incidents in the West Country in 1997 and 1998 respectively. The similar circumstances of the murders led investigators to conclude that there is a high possibility the murders are linked, with both killed with knives while walking their dogs along isolated lanes within 75 miles of each other in south-west England. Bushell, only 14 years old, was found with her throat cut 300 yards from her home, with police saying the killing had been so brutal that the perpetrator may have had prior experience in slaughtering animals. Bryant was stabbed a number of times, and her killer had apparently returned to the scene four months later to place her missing glasses back at the site. The apparently motiveless killings, as well as their particularly brutal nature and apparent links, led to fears that a serial killer was at large in the south-west at the time, which were compounded by subsequent attacks on other women walking their dogs in the area. Detectives had already warned after Bushell's murder that the offender appeared to be the kind who would soon kill again, and shortly after, Bryant was murdered.
