Anton Strout - Simon Canderous 3 Dead Matter

Table of Contents

Deader Still is such a fast-paced, engaging, entertaining book that the pages seemed to fly by far too quickly. Take the New York of Men in Black and Ghostbusters, inject the same pop-culture awareness and irreverence of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Middleman, toss in a little Thomas Crown Affair, shake and stir, and youve got something fairly close to this book.

It has a Men in Black flavor mixed with NYPD Blues more gritty realism... if you think of the detectives as working the night shift in The Twilight Zone. Its a book (and a protagonist) that is going places, and those who enjoy something fresh in urban fantasy will enjoy what they find. Strongly recommended.

Deader Still is a refreshing, exciting urban fantasy with elements of romance and horror that will appeal to fans of Jim Butcher.

A fun read... The pace moves right along, running poor Simon a little ragged in the process but providing plenty of action. If you liked Dead to Me, its a safe bet youll like this one even more.

Jim C. Hines, author of The Mermaids Madness

Deader Still is a fun, interesting, and witty read. It is something a little different, with a male protagonist, tongue- in-cheek attitude, and interesting mystery.

It has a little bit of everything for the paranormal junkie... unique from a lot of the urban fantasy genre. This is a fantastic series.

Bitten by Books (5 tombstones)

Nice touches... There is a lot to like here.

Simon Canderous is a reformed thief and a psychometrist. By turns despondent over his luck with the ladies (not always living) and his struggle with the hierarchy of his mysterious department (not always truthful), Simons life veers from crisis to crisis. Following Simons adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but its well worth the wear and tear.

Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead and Gone

Part Ghostbusters, part Men in Black, Strouts debut is both dark and funny, with quirky characters, an eminently likable protagonist, and the comfortable, familiar voice of a close friend. His mix of (mostly) secret bureaucratic bickering and offbeat action shows New York like weve never seen it before. Make room on the shelf, cause youre going to want to keep this one!

Rachel Vincent, New York Times bestselling author of Prey

Simon Canderous is the kind of guy who can do magical things with his hands... literally. With only his wry sarcasm, self-deprecating humor, and preternatural talent for psychometry to keep him out of trouble, Simon navigates the supernatural underbelly of New York City with a style and panache worthy of a thousand sequels.

Amber Benson, author of Cats Claw

Urban fantasy with a wink and a nod. Anton Strout has written a good- hearted send-up of the urban fantasy genre. Dead to Me is a genuinely fun book with a fresh and firmly tongue-in-cheek take on the idea of paranormal police. The laughs are frequent, as are the wry smiles. Im looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Kelly McCullough, author of MythOS

Written with equal parts humor and horror. Strout creates an engaging character... clever, fast paced, and a refreshing change in the genre of urban fantasy.

In much the same vein as Mark Del Francos Unquiet Dreams or John Levitts Dog Days, Strouts urban fantasy debut features plenty of self-deprecating humor, problematic special powers, and a quick pace, with the added twist of overwhelming government bureaucracy. Strouts inventive story line raises the genres bar with his collection of oddly mismatched, entertaining characters and not-so-secret organizations.

Imagine if Harry Dresden or Angel had to work in a poorly run office, dealing with office politics and red tape. Its a great debut.

CHUD.com

A wickedly weird debut from a writer who makes being dead sexier than its ever been before. And who doesnt love a debonair, divination-having, ghost-seducing, cultist-abusing detective in New York? Imagine Law & Order but with hot ghostly chicks, rampaging bookcases, and a laugh track.

Carolyn Turgeon, author of Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story

A strong debut... Seeing the world through Simons eyes is a funny, quirky, and occasionally scary experience. Strouts world will be well worth revisiting.

DEAD TO ME
DEADER STILL
DEAD MATTER

Once more we leap into the breach, dear friends. Ive missed you. So has Simon. Ignore the bat in his hand. However this book ended up in your greedy little mitts, I wanted to say welcome. Thanks for reading me. Stay and enjoy.

There are many players on this stage who make this endeavor of crafting a book possible: everyone in the haunted halls of Penguin Group, especially my friends and colleagues from paperback sales; my editor, Jessica Wade, known around the halls of Ace as the Swift Red Pencil of Justice; copy editor Valle Hansen; Annette Fiore DeFex, Judith Murello, and Don Sipley, for a stunning cover; Erica Colon and her crack team of ad/promo people; Jodi Rosoff and my publicist, Rosanne Romanello, who send me places and keep me from signing babies; Michelle Kasper; my agent, Kristine Dahl, and her assistant, Laura Neely, at ICM, who answer all my foolish author queries without strangling me; the Dorks of the Round Tableauthors Jeanine Cummins and Carolyn Turgeon, who needs to finally admit she is a fantasy author; the League of Reluctant Adults, for keeping the lounge bar stocked; Lady Group, for keeping Orly sane while I write; glamazon Lisa Trevethan, for her keen beta eye; Jennifer Snyder, who maintains UndeadApproved.com, the unofficial fan site, which I usually check first to see what Im up to; my familyboth the biological and chosen ones; and finally my wife, Orly, who keeps me smiling and always on track both in my life and writing. And if youve read this far, I just want to say thanks again to you. Youre the best.

What then is to become of man?
Will he be the equal of God or the beasts?

Blaise Pascal

Om nom nom...

Count Dracula

When it came to working for New York Citys favorite underfunded supersecret paranormal investigation agencyknown as the Department of Extraordinary Affairshigh-stakes decision making was par for the course. People lived or died when it came down to fighting ghosts, cultists... even the occasional chupacabra. My personal stress from handling the caseload of Other Division meant I barely kept my sanity as it was, but right now I was facing the hardest decision of my life. Choose, Simon, my ex-cultist-turned-girlfriend Jane said in a stern tone.