Just finished: "No Dominion" by Charlie Huston

Just finished: No Dominion by Charlie Huston, 2006, 9780345478252.

Another good job by Huston The plotting in this one was better, with a surprise at the end that I did not see. The kind of plot twist where the main character has been set-up and unknowingly led along, kind of James Ellroy-ish with a kicker of a surprise at the end.

This is a mystery novel disguised with vampires; the second one by Huston featuring Joe Pitt. The vampires are vampires due to a viral infection and secretly live in Manhattan. Manhattan is divided by several different Clans (gangs) who violently guard their territories. Pitt is a Rogue, unaffiliated with a clan but allowed to live in the Society's territory due to Pitt's past affiliation with the clan and his handiness as a private eye, of sorts.

Pitt is asked to investigate a new, highly addictive, lethal drug that some vampires have been using and overdosing on. Pitt goes from one bad situation to another, gets beat up a lot, and has noir-guy wisecracks in the face of danger. Pitt is also very noir-ish by sticking to his own principles and moral code. Huston keeps the story and plot moving briskly.

Pitt is a very similar character to Huston's Henry Thompson. Both are of the same age, have a similar smart-ass personality, are sort of rundown and down-on-their-luck, and surprisingly capable in the face of violent adversity.

Huston's dialogue is always written according to peoples' actual speech with stops and starts and characters talking over one another. Sometimes the dialogue reads like a transcript rather than a novel.