Book Recommendations Day 2: Charlie Huston

Next up for my author week is Charlie Huston. Let me start off by saying, if you are faint of heart, Charlie Huston is definitely not the author for you; his stories are gritty and violent. If you can deal with that, then you will find Huston's books to be edge-of-your-seat thrilling and engrossing.

Huston has written two book series; the first is a trilogy of crime novels following the life of Hank Thompson, and the second is a five book story of a vampyre named Joe Pitt inhabiting New York City. He has also written a couple stand-alone novels. In addition to novels, Huston is also a comic book writer. Unfortunately, I have not read any of the comics he has worked on, but I have no doubt they are quite good.

If you are like me, you are sick of vampires. They seem to have been integrated into all forms of entertainment lately. Every time I turn around there is a new vampire movie or television show being released. Charlie Huston's vampyres are different; they are not the romanticized pretty boys filling the screens today. They are dark, ruthless, and not afraid to get their hands dirty. Even the protagonist, Joe Pitt, doesn't have clear redeeming qualities. The story follows Joe Pitt as he attempts to remain independent from the warring vampyre clans of the city. Even though he claims to be unaffiliated, the clans know that Joe is a tough, get-the-job-done kind of guy, and often torture, coerce, and otherwise strong-arm him into doing their bidding. The series starts off with Already Dead, and continues through No Dominion, Half the Blood of Brooklyn, Every Last Drop, and My Dead Body.  If you're looking for a dark gritty tale, you can't go wrong with these books.  Even if you aren't a fan of vampires, I think these books are worth the read.

Alright, maybe you just can't get over the vampire hurdle right now.  In that case, I would recommend checking out the Hank Thompson trilogy.  I do have a confession to make; I have not read the final book of the series.  I finished the second not too long ago and haven't had a chance to pick up the third.  After the first two books though, I have little trouble blindly recommending the entire set.  These are crime novels, and like the Joe Pitt series, they are very dark and gritty.  The story begins with Hank being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He ends up with a bag full of money as he is chased around New York by Russian mobsters and crooked cops.  The series follows Hank as he tries to fix things, but just ends up getting deeper and deeper into trouble.  The trilogy consists of Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, and A Dangerous Man.  If you questioned the vampire thing before, maybe these books will convince you to give the Joe Pitt story a shot.

Charlie Huston is a fantastic author who knows just how to grab his audience and make them hold on for dear life.  Once you start reading his books you just can't put them down.  If the subject matter is your kind of thing at all, I promise you'll be clawing at the pages to find out what happens next.