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The Unnatural Inquirer (Nightside, Book 8) By Simon R. Green ( Ace Hardcover )
Release Date: 2008-01-02
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Product Description
Welcome to the Nightside, that secret square mile located in the dark heart of London where the sun never rises and people can fraternize with every myth and monster imaginable.
John Taylor is a P.I. with the special ability to locate anyone or anything. The Unnatural Inquirer, the Nightside's most notorious gossip rag, has offered him a million pounds to find a DVD purportedto contain an actual recording of the afterlife. John doesn't know if it's true, but someone-or something-thinks so, and will stop at nothing to possess the disc.
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 Recording from the Afterlife ( awjordin )
The Unnatural Inquirer (2008) is the eighth fantasy novel in the Nightside series, following Hell to Pay. In the previous volume, John Taylor changed the contract in regard to Jeremiah Griffin's children and they were set free. Melissa broke out of the pentacle and helped herd the children from the cellar. But Jeremiah was left to fulfill the contract.
In this novel, Taylor has just finished a case for the H. P. Lovecraft Memorial Library in which a book was reading the patrons. Outside the entrance, Walker and Suzie Shooter are waiting for him. Walker has hired Suzie to find Max Maxwell, but the man has disappeared beyond her kenning.
Maxwell has found the Aquarius Key and used it to force the Voudon gods to possess his minions. The loa are very irritated and have turned the tables on Maxwell. Now he is hiding from a herd of possessed bounty hunters. Naturally, Taylor soon finds Maxwell and gives him to Walker for incarceration in the Shadow Deep.
Then Cathy calls from the office and tells Taylor that the Unnatural Inquirer wants to hire him for a large amount of money. Naturally the gossip sheet wouldn't tell his secretary about the case, but did give Cathy a place where he will be met by a runner who will guide him to their office.
The Unnatural Inquirer has a larger circulation than the Night Times, but also has more enemies. So many people have tried to attack their offices that they brag about the futility of such attempts. Their main offices are located within a pocket dimension.
Taylor is met by Harry Fabulous and keyed into the Reception office. As soon as they arrive, every alarm in the place goes off. Taylor apparently has every indication of armed and dangerous. After Harry explains that Taylor is there by invitation, Security desensitizes the system to ignore him.
After a long wait, Taylor is taken to the office of Scoop Malloy, the Sub-Editor. Scoop introduces him to Bettie Divine, the daughter of a Rolling Stone and a succubus groupie. They will be working together on the case. Of course, Taylor vehemently disagrees to the partnership, but the paper offers a lot more money.
Scoop explains that Pen Donavon -- a low level curiosity dealer -- has offered the paper a DVD with a broadcast from a supernatural source. The paper eventually offered him a contract and he was on his way to the offices when he disappeared. None other than Donavon has seen the contents of the DVD, but the Inquirer is ready to buy it for the sheer publicity value.
In this story, Taylor finds Bettie remarkably easy to get along with, even if she is cheerful to the point of bubbliness. Her clothes change over time to keep her attractive regardless of the ambiance. She thinks he is a celebrity and his conversation reinforces this idea. He mentions -- and meets -- people about whom Bettie has only written stories.
Taylor first tries to find the DVD with his third -- private -- eye, but someone -- or something -- powerful clamps down on his senses. He quickly closes off the third eye, but still feels the effects. So Taylor tries the old fashioned way.
He starts at Donavon's store and living quarters. The store is full of Timeslip junk suitable for tourists and his quarters are so messy that it is impossible to tell whether they have been searched. Taylor does get to see the television upon which the signal was received and the DVD was made, but finds nothing of any use.
Then he goes to the Street of the Gods to get the latest gossip. He finds that his information is better than their rumors, but the gods and priests start getting ideas from his news. Taylor and Bettie leave just as the riot starts.
Next, Taylor tries getting information from the Collector, but the man has relocated after his moon facility was leaked to the press. Taylor finds his current location from Walker. After some strenuous efforts, Taylor gets into the new quarters, but the Collector doesn't know where the DVD can be found.
Then Taylor tries the Cardinal, a collector of religious artifacts. Taylor gets into the place by threatening to tell the Collector where the Cardinal is residing. But the Cardinal knows nothing either.
Taylor is running out of ideas when his phone rings. Alex tells him that Pen Donavon in sitting in the Strangefellows bar asking about him. Taylor uses his membership card to transit to the bar.
This tale stirs the Nightside into a religious and financial frenzy. Everybody who is anybody is looking for the DVD. The rumors of its contents are growing by the minute. Does it herald the second coming?
The story shows Taylor in his usual mix of bluff and tricks when faced by overwhelming odds. Bettie is aghast at his termination of thirteen combat sorcerers who are trying to kill Taylor and herself. Her image of a knight in gleaming armor is beginning to fray around the edges. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Green fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of strange powers, hellish deals, and unrequited love.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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 The characters seem a bit bored and tired to me... ( karissa35 )
This is the 8th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. It followed much in the pattern of the last book. Which is to say, it was okay.
In this book someone has promised the Unnatural Inquirer (a Nightside tabloid) exclusive rights to a DVD recording from the Afterlife. The Unnatural Inquirer hires John Taylor to find it when it goes missing. They send Betty Divine along with him to document his findings along the way.
This book was just okay. The series seems to have lost some of it's interest and urgency with the completion of the over-arcing story in "Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth". I am still confused why the series didn't end with that book. The only thing that is left mysteriously unanswered is where Walker's power is coming from now that the Authorities are dead.
This seemed like another transition book. Really I would only think you'd need one of those to wrap up the first main story. Somehow all the characters in this book seem tired and bored. Betty Divine was a pitiful sidekick. She was clingy and unhelpful and painfully uninteresting. Many of the quips that were so amusing up to this point are starting to seem overused. The creativity that amuses me so much was there, but not to the degree it normally is.
Overall this book was a quick, well-written, and fun read...but it was also a bit disappointing as we wait for something big and interesting to start happening again. Hopefully the next book will be better.
karissabooks.blogspot.com
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Super Reader ( bluetyson )
Taylor is back in fine form.
After an introductory altercation at Walker's request, with a man with a powerful artefact, John Taylor is put on the trail of a man who apparently has a DVD of evidence of the afterlife.
After this, Taylor (and succubus reporter sidekick from the Nightside tabloid that is employing him) go out and do what Taylor does best.
Green continues to come up with new and bizarre Nightside residents and visitors with cages for John to rattle.
As long as he can make it past the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Another good entry in the series.
3.5 out of 5
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A somewhat weak return to Nightside ( bksrmgc )
THE UNNATURAL INQUIRER (Para. Mystery-John Taylor-Nightside) - G
Green, Simon R - 8th in series
Ace, 2008, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780441015580
First Sentence: One of the many problems with working as a private eye, not counting all the many people who want to kill you, often for perfectly good reasons, is that you have to wait for the work to come to you.
PI John Taylor has been hired by Nightside's gossip newpaper, The Unnatural Inquirer. Pen Donavon, who claims to have received a television broadcast showing evidence of the Afterlife. Pen burned the broadcast to DVD, offered exclusive rights to the newspaper, and then disappeared. Taylor, with Inquirer reporter Bettie Divine by his side, is to find Donavon and the DVD.
There are a lot of other very dangerous and ugly beings after the disk and out to stop Taylor along the way.
There is a lot of very descriptive violence in this book. There is also humor and Green's outrageous imagination that keeps me coming back to the Nightside.
This was not my favorite of the series. Bettie is too mild a character to make her really interesting. Shotgun Susie only has a minor role and the other characters come and go so quickly, the book lacks the element of suspense and real horror which makes the offsetting humor work so well.
Even so, I shall still return to the Nightside.
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Becoming repetitive.
Green is always entretaining, but the last two books of the nightside felt like they were written at the same time and he just changed a few things. Basically the same plot, just the thing he was looking for changed. It is a shame because I have always enjoyed his books, hopefully he will give us something fresh next time.
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