Twice as Dead

 

Twice as Dead is a solid fantasy PI noir mystery by Harry Turtledove. Released 18th March 2025, it's 294 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. 

Fans of noir alt-universe PI will likely love this gritty action driven, well constructed mystery set in 1940s Los(t) Angeles featuring the requisite dangerous dames and moral but cynical PI, only the dame is a vampire, and the PI is trying to stay alive and in one piece, more or less. There are creatures of the night aplenty, as well as immersive background scenery. Honestly, it's well written enough and engaging enough that fans of dark fantasy -or- American noir will find a lot to like here. 

This is ostensibly the first book of a new series currently on a yearly schedule (book 2 due out in March 2026). 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours 29 minutes and is capably read by Paul Boehmer. He does the gritty PI noir voice very well, and his vaguely Eastern European (vampire) voices are credible as well. He has a deep baritone, heavy on the whiskey burr, and manages a range of characters of both sexes and widely varying ages without tripping. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. 

Four stars, well written, engaging, complex, and satisfying. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.