Ghost Money

The first couple of books in Stephen Blackmoore's Eric Carter series more or less read like Jim Butcher's early Dresden Files installments. Meaning that they were short and episodic in format. Having said that, it sure looked as though we'd reached the end of the first story arc of this paranormal and gritty noir murder mystery series and there was definite potential for bigger and better things to come.

But could Blackmoore up his game and elevate this series to another level? Fire Season was clearly a step in the right direction. And even if this series is not growing in scope quite as quickly as the Dresden Files did, Ghost Money is another solid effort. Indeed, this fifth volume just might be Blackmoore's best novel yet.

Here's the blurb:

The fifth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

The Los Angeles Firestorm killed over a hundred thousand people, set in revenge against necromancer Eric Carter for defying the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Carter feels every drop of that blood on his hands. But now there's a new problem.

Too many ghosts in one spot and the barrier separating them from the living cracks. And when they cross it, they feed off all the life they can get hold of. People die. L.A. suddenly has a lot more ghosts.

But it's not just one or two ghosts breaking through: it's dozens. Another mage is pulling them through the cracks and turning them into deadly weapons. Eric follows a trail that takes him through the world of the Chinese Triads, old associates, old crimes. And a past that he thought he was done with.

Carter needs to find out how to get things under control, because if more ghosts break through, there's going to be even more blood on his hands.

As you know, I hate the fact that the market demands that urban fantasy books be short and relatively fast-paced works. Hence, with the 300 pages or so that Stephen Blackmoore gets to work with, the first few Eric Carter titles were parsimonious on the worldbuilding front. Things took a turn for the better in Hungry Ghosts and once more in Fire Season. Just like the fourth volume mostly dealt with the aftermath of what took place in Mictlan, the Aztec land of the dead, Ghost Money focuses on the aftermath of the fiery destruction of vast swathes of Los Angeles. The veil between our world and that of the dead has unraveled in certain areas and ghosts are slipping through. If that wasn't problematic enough, Eric soon realizes that something or someone is pushing them through to the living side and turning them into weapons. There were mentions of Eric's time spent in Hong Kong years before in Fire Season and I was wondering why the author made a point of letting us know. But since the Hong Kong Triads are part of the plot in Ghost Money, we now understand why. Five installments into this series and I still have no clear idea where the story is going. It looks as though Darius and his escape from the bottle holding him prisoner just might be the underlying plotline, yet it's impossible to tell at this juncture.

As before, everything Eric Carter touches turns to shit. He's a foul-mouthed smartass who gets beaten to a pulp way too many times in the span of such a short novel, but there is still something about him that makes you care for the poor fool. Time and time again, he is his own worst enemy. Even though he should know better by now, he continues acts like an idiot for the most part because he's trying to protect those he loves without realizing that he's alienating them in the process. He has been running from his past for a long time and now it's finally caught up with him. But there's only so much abuse one man, even if he's a powerful necromancer, can take, and it was nice to see that his body has taken a toll from everything that's been happening to him since he first left LA. King of the Dead he may be, yet he may not have to worry about being married to a goddess and the fate of Los Angeles and everyone he cares for for much longer. He just might die and that would be the end of it. Say one thing about Eric Carter, say he won't take that lying down and he'll continue to make everything go from bad to worse as he does his best to save the day. I was glad to see that Gabriella, Vivian, and Letitia are once again part of the supporting cast. Although there is only one perspective, it's always nice to have other people sharing the spotlight with Eric.

With Ghost Money being yet another short work, there are no pacing issues to report. Once again, this book reads more like a thriller than an urban fantasy book. And with the ultimate cliffhanger ending, I'm happy I don't have to wait a year to read the next one. I have to admit that I never saw the end coming, so kudos to Blackmoore for kicking us in the balls like that!

As I've said before, if you are looking for a gritty urban fantasy series featuring a deeply flawed male lead, the Eric Carter books are definitely for you. Fans of Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, and Richard Kadrey will definitely find a lot to like about these novels.

The final verdict: 7.75/10

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