Wolfman Confidential

The third installment in the neo-noir adventures of private detective Nick Moss sets him against new adversaries, plunging him further into the terrifying City of Devils. Nick is hot on the trail of two criminals: an invisible man hunting his fellow demons, and an unknown assailant who has a penchant for destroying the lives of beautiful human women. Connected to these two mysteries, the human girlfriend of a goblin mobster disappears from a hotel, and it is up to Nick to find her. Robinson’s writing is a delightful cross between H.P. Lovecraft and Raymond Chandler, and it revels in its oddities and dark tones. His eye for detail and entertaining side characters (a cornucopia of monsters that have overrun L.A. and often speak in tongue-in-cheek one-liners) create a delightfully rich atmosphere that the reader can plunge into. The many threads of the tale can get unwieldy, but the plot still moves along at a good pace. Fans of noir and horror will enjoy Robinson’s wonderfully atmospheric work. (Oct.)