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Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Thriller. HTML:The name�??s John Taylor. I�??m a PI, though what I really do is find things that are lost. I work the Nightside, the city within the city of London, where the sun never rises and where the human and inhuman go to get their kicks, provided they�??re willing to pay the price in whatever currency the seller demands. In the wake of the war that almost brought the Nightside to total ruin, there�??s a power vacuum begging to be filled�??and some think I should take charge. I don�??t agree. Neither does the immortal known as the Griffin. Wealthy beyond reason, he has his own ideas about who should be running things. Still, when his granddaughter�??and designated heir�??is kidnapped, he calls on me to find her. But someone�??or some Thing�??is blocking my special gift. So this time, I�??m going to have to do my job the hard way. And quickly, or the Griffin w… (more)
User reviews
Taylor is still the toughest PI in the Nightside, although with an even more frightening reputation. He has been
Taylors famous 'gift' for finding is being blocked, so he cand just Find her, he has to find her through more mundane methods. These bring him into contact with a number of old acquaintances and to places familiar from the other books in the series.
Despite being the seven'th book in the series about John Taylor, PI, this book does in no way seem repetitive. Great and detailed settings. The story is fresh asd fastpaced, and the characters and their interactions are familiar but never dull.
The story is mostly background for a mosaic of fantastical and original people and places.
In the aftermath of Lilith's War the Nightside needs a new leader and with John Taylor stepping aside; Walker is trying to fill that space. If there is anyone who can contend with Walker it is the Griffin family. A very powerful and immortal family the Griffin family is possibly in a position to rule the Nightside. Unfortunately when Griffin's granddaughter disappears John Taylor is called in to find her. Someone very powerful doesn't want her found and is able to shut down John's gift in an effort to stop him. Looks like John's going to have to solve this case the old-fashioned way.
While this was still an enjoyable book; it was probably the weakest one in the series. The action scenes were few and far between and somewhat blase'. The characters were weak. It was good to see Dead Boy some more but he wasn't there for much of the book. The main powers of the Nightside were notable in their absence. Seriously this is the most boring of the Nightside books. It truly seems to be a transition novel, with everyone picking up the pieces of the Nightside after the Lilith War. Unfortunately it seems like Green doesn't know exactly to do with everyone either.
I have high hopes for the next book but if it is as dull and uninspired as this one, I might have to rethink reading this series.
Then, after a while, I started to get a little bored of the Nightside. Things had started to slow down (I know, hard to believe in a place where it's always 3 a.m.), and I just wasn't as engaged in the characters. So, after Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth, I turned my back on the Nightside. That was probably the worst thing to do, especially considered that I came back a few years later.
I picked up with The Unnatural Inquirer, which was rather timely since the issues with News of the World were going on. Then, I was back and I wasn't about to leave again. I got caught up with the series and now find myself at the brink of the end, I realized that I had somehow missed Hell to Pay somewhere in there.
Thus, I am back in the Nightside with Hell to Pay. The Lilith War is over, but what's left in the wake of the war is a power vacuum Enter Jeremiah Griffin, leader of one of the last remaining immortal human families in the Nightside. And he's eager to take control. That is, until his granddaughter disappears. So, he recruits John Taylor, everyone's favorite private eye, to find her.
Thus, John sets off on another wild adventure in the Nightside, complete with wild bars, crazy semi-immortals, and all kinds of the typical zany characters fans have come to love about the Nightside. Complete with Suzie Shotgun, Walker and a slew of new characters in tow.
I wouldn't say that Hell to Pay is the most memorable Nightside novel, but it's a good edition to the collection.
After the previous three installments roped together the wider story and tied off most of the loose ends it was interesting to see where Simon R. Green would take the Nightside next. Well,
John is contacted by The Griffin, an immortal whose granddaughter has been kidnapped. From there the story goes back to the kind of thing it was in the earlier books, simply a P.I. on a case and meeting a bunch of odd characters on the way. Except, after the massive battles, trips through time and destruction of half the Nightside this seems a bit of a step backwards. I didn't find the long interviews with the abhorrent members of the Griffin family particularly thrilling and never felt that impending sense of doom I've grown used to whilst in the Nightside. Not really what I was expecting after 'Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth'.
As always, Green produces a cracking conclusion to the story involving crucifixion and a Duke of Hell which almost makes up for the dull and predictable plodding in the middle. I kinda wish he'd starting down that route earlier in the story (a case of 'paths not taken'? chuckle chuckle).
The narrator Marc Vietor, who I thought was excellent in all the previous recordings sounds sounds a bit listless from about the halfway mark, almost as though his throat had given up. Perhaps he wasn't impressed by this one either?
Its a good book - not great. The motivation for John Taylor is missing - and the author
I was honestly under the impression that the series would be done after that. I really am glad that the story has continued.
In this one John Taylor takes a case from
Cheers Pretties!
In this book, John Taylor is asked to look into the kidnapping of the granddaughter of an immortal, ruthless businessman in the Nightside.
Susie is not involved in this book and John is left on his own to
The usual black humour mixed in with the mystery.
Nothing in this book progresses the overall storyline, but it's still a very fun read. One thing I love about this series is it never has a lack of