Sweet Silver Blues

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Sweet Silver Blues
Author Glen Cook
Country United States
Language English
Series Garrett P.I.
Genre(s) Fantasy, Mystery
Publisher Roc
Publication date August 1987
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 256
ISBN ISBN 0-451-45070-1
Followed by Bitter Gold Hearts

Sweet Silver Blues is the first 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, magics, and species, though humans predominate. 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

In this first novel, Garrett is approached by the Tate family to investigate the untimely death of Denny Tate, an old army buddy of Garrett's from their time spent in a war in the Cantard. Although Denny's death was an accident, he had acquired a large fortune in silver through insider trading. In his will, Denny left the fortune to the woman he loved, Kayean Kronk. The Tates try to hire Garrett to locate and deliver the fortune to Kayean, who is assumed to be living somewhere deep in the Cantard, but having lived through the war, Garrett wants no part of the ordeal.

Things start to get ugly as different parties try to steal Denny's fortune. In part as a debt to his old army buddy, and in part to be reunited with Kayean Kronk (a teenage fling of Garrett's), Garrett reluctantly heads off to the Cantard with his half-elf good friend Morley Dotes and the Roze triplets. Denny's cousins, Rose and Tinnie Tate, try to tag along on the trip, but are sent back when Garrett and Morley find out.

When they arrive in Full Harbor, Garrett, Morley, and the Rose boys begin their search for Kayean Kronk, but as time goes by, one thing becomes more and more obvious: Kayean is involved with vampires. A centaur by the name of Zeck Zack claims to be able to help, but instead tries to trick Garrett into signing away the inheritance. After forcing the truth out of Zack, Garrett and the gang head out into the heart of the Cantard to find Kayean, who has become a vampire bride. In a desperate battle, Garrett rescues her from the vampire lair and returns her to the Tates, upon which he receives a portion of the inheritance as his fee.

With his new riches, Garrett purchases a house and moves in with the Dead Man, a dead, but not inactive Loghyr, starting a partnership that will last for the rest of the series. Meanwhile, Morley, with Garrett and Saucerhead Tharpe along for the ride, delivers a sleeping vampire to the head of the criminal underworld of TunFaire. The vampire kills him, opening the door for a new leader to take over. Garrett's role in the rise of the new Kingpin, Chodo Contague, plays a major role in later novels in the series.

[edit] Characters in "Sweet Silver Blues"

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Garrett P.I. by Glen Cook