Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead

By Sara Gran
(Mariner Books, Paperback, 9780547747613, 288pp.)

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover, Compact Disc

Categories: Mystery & Detective - General, Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths

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SARA GRAN is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, Come Closer, a psychological thriller hailed as "hypnotic, disturbing . . . Genuinely scary" (Bret Easton Ellis), and Dope, a noir homage. A former bookseller and native of Brooklyn, she now lives in Northern California.

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"Just when I begin to despair that the PI novel has worn out its welcome, a writer with a fresh take reminds me why I fell in love with the genre. Sara Gran has long specialized in shaking up and revitalizing other corners of the genre world, so it’s no surprise that she performs this same magic in Claire DeWitt.." --Laura Lippman   “The book is beautifully written in a tight, quirky style that distinguishes Gran as one of the more original writers working today. -- Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press

“The hard-living, wisecracking titular detective bounces around post-Katrina New Orleans trying to track down a missing prosecutor in this auspicious debut of a new mystery series—and the Big Easy is every bit her equal in sass and flavor." --Elle   “One of the genre’s most original characters in years, reads . . . as if David Lynch directed a Raymond Chandler novel." -- CNN

"Delicious and addictive." -- Salon.com
"The title character is the summer's most original new detective: part Lisbeth Salander, part Veronica Mars."--Hollywood Reporter   "With Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, Gran elevates the detective story as literature and brings together a sophisticated mystery, a witty, antagonistic private eye, and a city she knows too well." - The Atlantic Monthly   "Terrific. I love this book! Absolutely love it. This is the first fresh literary voice I've heard in years. Sara Gran recombines all the elements of good, solid story-telling and lifts something original from a well-loved form." --Sue Grafton   "Critics are already labeling this one - the first of a projected series - a book 'not to be missed.' "--Christian Science Monitor "Claire is a charmer."- New York Times Book Review

"The first in a quirky, smart mystery series." -- Daily Candy

"What would you get if that punkish dragon girl Lisbeth Salander met up with Jim Sallis's Lew Griffin walking the back streets of New Orleans? Or Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone tranformed herself into a tattooed magnolia driving a 4x4? Claire DeWitt . . . .DeWitt's mesmerizing character and memorable voice take your breath away." -- New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Not your mother's girl detective, Claire DeWitt is a cool blend of Nancy Drew and Sid Vicious.　 With Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, Sara Gran has pulled the traditional female sleuth into the twenty-first century with a novel that's smart and hip, dark and funny.." - Alafair Burke, author of LONG GONE

"This is not just a mystery novel but also a novel about mysteries; Claire DeWitt is a detective less by choice than by calling. With City of the Dead, Sara Gran has written something truly splendid and unique, and if we’re all very lucky, there will be more." -- Craig Clevenger, author of The Contortionists Handbook

"This is not to be missed -- Claire is a moody, hip, and meticulous investigator. Gran (Dope; Come Closer) builds an addictive sense of anticipation with a fantastical frame. Alternately gritty and dreamy, this would appeal to those who liked Colson Whitehead's The Intuitionist and readers of Charlie Huston (e.g., The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death). Highly recommended." --Library Journal  (starred)

"Captivating."--Publishers Weekly (starred)