Note: Thank you to NetGalley, CAEZIK SF & Fantasy Books, and author Harry Turtledove for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Having been a fan of Harry Turtledove’s writing for years, I jumped at the chance for an advanced reader copy of this book. I had hopes for a decent read, as many of the books left me with a tepid reaction, even though I enjoyed reading them. Twice as Dead far exceeded my expectations. It seems to be building on the world Turtledove first began creating in The House of Daniel, which is a world where paranormal creatures exist alongside humans.

Twice as Dead takes place in Los Angeles and has the feel of a noir detective story. Jack Mitchell is the private detective in question. He’s got bills up the wazoo and no clients as the story begins. Into his office comes Dora Urban, a beautiful vampire whose half-brother Rudolf Sebestyen is missing. With gold coins clinking in his pocket, Jack investigates this disappearance. Along the way, he takes on the case of a cuckold husband who wants the goods on his straying wife, and a factory worker who has gone missing. The police have no interest in finding Frank Jethroe, so his wife turns to Jack for help.

Two of the cases have a connection that Jack doesn’t know about yet. That connection is a drug-like substance whose name, spoken aloud, brings in law enforcement. As Jack begins poking around, he draws attention to himself and soon finds himself with no place to live. As he’s explored the various nightclubs for clues as to Rudolph’s disappearance, he’s been accompanied by Dora, and the two fall into an unlikely romance.

The lightbulb went off for me that this was an offshoot of The House of Daniel when the zombie riots were mentioned. It is a very interesting world that Turtledove has created, where zombies perform backbreaking labor and vampires live in a place where they can feel safe during daylight. There are also ghosts, gods, and more. Oh, and cats can talk. At the same time, it’s very much a world I could recognize. Jack was in “the war,” which resembles World War II both in philosophy and how it played out.

The problems I have with other Turtledove books are present here. When he wants to drive a point home, Turtledove has a tendency to repeat it ad nauseam until I can recite it in my sleep. This is the case with Jack, a man who shows traits of being both white and black. Racism is still very present in this world, and Jack walks a thin line between being either.

The book was a little slow to start, and I wasn’t sure I would like it. However, it hooked me and I couldn’t wait to finish it. Even though this has the feel of a stand-alone book, I’m hoping Turtledove will continue to build on the world he’s created. It’s not my usual cup of tea, but Twice as Dead was a great bit of noir detective fiction with a twist.