Comments (24)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 24 of 24 items
May 22, 2023kyle000 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I finished it but it was a bit of a slog. Hard to follow the logic of Clare.
Apr 03, 2023Russ_A rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I didn’t finish this book, so don’t weigh my review too heavily. I just couldn’t get into it, although I did make it almost halfway. The main character is a private eye, “the best in the world” in fact, who is on a case of a missing person…
Mar 25, 2023
Didn't read. Written in 1st person.
Sep 17, 2021Ginamarguerite rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Reminiscent of the noir's of the 30's and 40's and a very enjoyable read. The location subject matter was hard to take -- I remember the stories about Katrina and the after effects of Ida are bringing those memories back. Seeing what we…
Nov 23, 2020IndyPL_CarriG rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A bit punk, a bit magical realism, and a lot of love of mystery with a side of nihilism - I found this a delightful read and I immediately checked out the next book in the series. If you only read mystery novels, this isn't likely to be…
Jul 14, 2020StoriedLife rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
This is the most annoying read of the year, so far. A detective who operates by guesswork, dreams and drugs manages to deliver trite life lessons and flirts with homophobia.
Dec 09, 2019brangwinn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Claire takes a case in New Orleans where she originally learned the craft of detective work. I read the second book in the series before reading this one. I was so intrigued by Claire Dewitt and the Bohemian Highway, that I wanted to learn…
JCLS_Ashland_Kristin
Sep 30, 2019JCLS_Ashland_Kristin rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Super quirky mystery set in post-Katrina New Orleans. I’ll definitely be reading more!
Feb 19, 2019Wilddonkey rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
City of the Dead is in the Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett noir tradition. An urban setting, an imperfect hero battling a corrupt environment. Packed with hard language, harsh scenes, and a vague plot that is driven more by character and…
Jan 25, 2019NedSu rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Guided by a mysterious book written by Silette that purports to be answer to how to be a detective, the protagonist wanders around Post Katrina New Orleans looking for clues to a disappearance. The book, "Detection" is enigmatic, filled…
May 19, 2018wyenotgo rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
This book purports to be a mystery, or a hard-boiled detective yarn. It's not. A meandering story about a search for a guy who may or may not be dead, a man known only by reputation, is unlikely to get anyone's pulse racing. Along the way,…
Nov 05, 2015smichal rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
kind of a negative main character, some woman who thinks she's a tough guy with all the macho drugs, drinking, shooting, bragging. New Orleans sounds like a scary place. I don't think I'll be reading more of her books.
Jul 23, 2015uncommonreader rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, this mystery features a New Age type detective. It was not difficult to guess where the story was going. It is not very well-written. No more for me by this author.
tailwagger
Apr 24, 2014tailwagger rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very unusual, but in a good way. A challenging read that will probably piss off many mystery traditionalists. Claire DeWitt sure ain't Jack Reacher or Rebus.
Nov 18, 2013LT rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Almost no one likes Claire DeWitt, the antiheroine of Sara Gran's mystery series. That included me, when I first started reading the book. Gran's sharp-edged, fast-cut descriptions of tragic, drowned New Orleans are hard to bear. But I…
Nov 04, 2013tocch101 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An interesting read with a PI that I don't know if I could stand, but that might be the point. Interested in seeing where this goes, but not in my top three for mystery writers.
Aug 11, 2013amnl rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Don't bother.
JeremiahSutherland
Feb 22, 2013JeremiahSutherland rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Interesting take on detection. Instead of rational thought, go with omens, dreams and drug-fueled visions.
Dec 27, 2012
Ms DeWitt is very odd. I can't quite decide if I liked this book or not. I found myself frustrated in many places by the esoteric nature of her musings; I was sometimes baffled by her reasoning; I was gratified to learn new lore about…
Feb 11, 2012DeltaQueen50 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Refreshingly different, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran introduces a new type of female P.I., as she says herself less a detective by choice than by calling. Following in the footsteps of her mentor, P.I. Constance…
Jan 08, 2012querty56 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
More than just a mystery! Check it out.
Sep 22, 2011crazy_teacher rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I have been to New Orleans several times, and even once post-Katrina. Sara Gran does a very explicit job of describing what the city looks like, even a couple of years after the storm. The story is engaging,…
Jul 20, 2011marilynnebooks rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Off beat, but very smart PI Claire along with many twists keeps this story interesting to the end. Enjoyable read looking forward to next book.
May 31, 2011
Hip, moody, young detective Claire DeWitt arrives in gritty post-Katrina New Orleans to investigate the disappearance of a prosecutor. Critics are already labeling this one – the first of a projected series – a book “not to be…