One day, just like out of a typical film noir setting, in walks a cool leggy blonde named Imogen Verity, a famous actress and doppleganger in need of Mr. Moss’s expertise. Her husband, a mummy and local politician named Juba II, has gone missing and she wants to find him. Naturally, Moss’s legs turn to jelly with this dame around, but he takes on the case, unaware of the wild ride he’ll be taking in trying to solve this mystery.
In addition to avoiding the local monsters who plague his home every night in an effort to turn him, Nick will also have to deal with a group of biker phantoms, the Hollywood (or should I say, "Howlywood") Police Detectives, dirty politicians who are giant eyeballs, a robot film director bent on the destruction of all humans (they all are, to be fair), fiendish gremlins, and even a plain, old human pretending to be a monster pretending to... oh, never mind. Just read the book.
City of Devils is a fun romp through a very different version of the sunny city of Los Angeles and I enjoyed how Moss would reflect back on his time in the "Great War" where he fought against Germans, comparing that war to the later "Night War" against the monsters. I love Justin Robinson and his ability to so cleverly turn a phrase. While there didn’t seem to be quite as many pop culture references in City of Devils as there were in Mr Blank, it’s still a fun read that anyone who loves a good mystery will enjoy.
