Old Tin Sorrows

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**Old Tin Sorrows**

Author	Glen Cook
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Garrett P.I.
Genre(s)	Fantasy, Mystery
Publisher	Roc
Released	June 1989
Media Type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	252
ISBN	ISBN 0-451-16013-4
Preceded by	Cold Copper Tears
Followed by	Dread Brass Shadows

Old Tin Sorrows is the fourth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.

[edit] Plot introduction

Garrett is a hardboiled detective living in the city of TunFaire, a melting pot of different races, cultures, religions, and species. When people have problems, they often come to Garrett for help, but trouble has a way of finding Garrett on its own, whether he likes it or not.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

This particular novel in the Garrett series is a traditional whodunit. Garrett is approached by his old marine sergeant, Blake Peters, who calls in an old army debt to get Garrett to come investigate the mysterious illness afflicting his current employer, General Stantnor. Garrett moves into the Stantnor mansion, to find that only a handful of individuals still inhabit the property and keep it from crumbling into ruin. As Garrett begins to investigate the General's illness, an unknown individual begins murdering the few remaining members of the Stantnor household. When some of the recently murdered individuals come back from the dead and attack the living house guests, Garrett calls upon his good friend Morley Dotes for backup. As the focus of Garrett's investigation switches to solving the ongoing murders, he continues to be distracted by two elusive beauties seen around the house: one is the General's daughter Jennifer, but the other can only be seen by Garrett, who suspects that she may in fact be a ghost.

While Garrett escapes multiple murder attempts on his own life, other members of the household are not so lucky, and the list of potential suspects grows shorter and shorter. Morley, meanwhile, suspects the General's illness is not a result of poison but possibly of the supernatural. As the pieces start to come together, Garrett and Morley hire an exorcist by the name of Doctor Doom, and with the remaining house staff gathered, they confront the sick General in his quarters. It is revealed that the General murdered his own wife, Eleanor, and the ghost that Garrett has glimpsed is in fact the deceased wife. Eleanor's ghost, as revenge for her murder, has slowly been stealing the life away from the old General. Additionally, Garrett and company deduce that all the murders were in fact committed by the General's own daughter, Jennifer, in an attempt to keep the family estate intact after her father's death. In the aftermath, both the sick General and Jennifer die, and Garrett takes as his only payment for the ordeal a hauntingly beautiful picture of Eleanor, to remind him of the events. He hangs this painting up in his study, and on occasion in subsequent novels, he talks to the painting of Eleanor to sort out his thoughts.