This is an interesting read.

Simon Canderous used to be a petty thief, he's a psychometrist who now works for New York's underfunded and mostly secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs. He finds himself involved in a murder mystery when he spills coffee through a ghost. Things turn into a roller-coaster ride for the characters and the reader.

I really did like the convoluted and complicated situations and charcters, it wasn't perfect, but it does show a lot of promise. ( )

This book doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a noir detective book, or a dark supernatural story, or a comedy - it evokes pieces of each, but doesn't really succeed at any. But, its a well written in that the plot is tight and there is consistency, but the world itself is inconsistent and predictable. For example, the D.E.A - the department of Extraordinary Affairs, as a secret official office of the New York's Mayors Office. But the Cops have to acknowledge its existence, and the New York Police department is not small. Also, at times, the Harry Potter type references (pamphlet titled 'Understanding the Fates and many more, a super secret organization called "F.O.G") was annoying. There was even reference to the Chick Lit Urban Fantasy, the character of Jane, for example! The main character was all over the place, I suspect he was suppose to be in his 20's, but he came off as a gay 35 year old antique dealer with a temper, it seemed to go off in all sorts of inappropriate situations where it wasn't called for.

I did enjoy the world, but it needs to be a lot more tightly written. I suspect once the author pins down his world and the people who inhabit it, it might be a fine series. ( )

Strout’s book reminds me of Scream (the movie) a little, in that it’s part send – up and part homage to it’s genre. The story is based around Simon Canderous who is a relatively new member of the Division of Extraordinary Affairs (the other D.E.A) who begins to investigate the theft of a wooden fish, a lively ghost and a sect of cultists seeking official minority status. There is relatively little character development although some attention is paid to Simon’s growth through the book, most characters are therefore either goodies (yay!) or baddies (boo) with one or two more complex personalities thrown in for good measure (boo, umm yay). The humour is at times juvenile and slapstick with killer bookcases and posts like the Inspectre, but at other times much more subtle and witty; basically, in spite of being treated a little jokingly, the plot is sound, the mystery sufficiently complex and the adventure suitably perilous.
full review at www.unboundblogzine.com ( )

I really liked it. I mean, paranormal romance has taken off in leaps and bounds over the years, but at the core it's still romance. And I just can't abide romance novels. And while Ace labels Dead to Me fantasy, I'd call it paranormal mystery.

Our hero is Simon Canderous, former small-time thief who now works for the D.E.A. No, not that DEA, the Department of Extraordinary Affairs (the periods make all the difference, you know). Simon also happens possess the talent of psychometry, which means he can pick up images from inanimate object. Sure, it sounds cool, but just wait till you accidentally bump into one of those inanimate objects during sex. It totally sucks, and not it a good way. And being new to the D.E.A., and seemingly the only psychometrete (I may have just made up a word there) in the organization, it's rather difficult for Simon to control.

The D.E.A., naturally, is located in NYC. It makes perfect sense. The general public, of course, doesn't know it exists, which is why it makes sense that it's located here--there's just so much weirdness in NYC that you become completely immune to it and therefore anything supernatural wouldn't register unless you happen to be one of those people who can actually sense these things (I wouldn't be surprised to learn that San Francisco and maybe LA have similar organizations though). The entrance is behind this really awesome place called the Lovecraft Cafe which is a coffee shop/revival movie theater. I want one. (I miss the days when the Film Forum ran horror festivals complete with the William Castle effects.) It's in this cafe that Simon, when speaking with his mentor Connor, sees his first dead person. She doesn't seem dead at all, which really throws Simon, not to mention the ghost. Connor, in fact, has to tell the both of them that she is a ghost. But given she's so strong that she appears alive, and that she has a sort of amnesia that causes her to forget how she died, and that she appeared in the Lovecraft Cafe, there's obviously something to her death that needs solving. And since dead people are Connor's area of expertise, and since Simon is a bit taken with the ghost, it falls to them to discover exactly why she died. Not to mention who exactly she was.

There's obviously quite a bit of humor here (including wonderful jokes about Angel and clothing choices), a good mystery with some rather surreal elements, good characterization, and cultists. You can't have a good paranormal mystery without cultists. Oh, excuse me--Sectarians. (They'll always be cultists to me though.) I highly recommend it. ( )

Dead to Me is a light urban fantasy about Simon Canderous, psychometric newbie in New York City's secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs. Simon meets (and develops a bit of a crush on) a beautiful ghost, which leads him into a mystery involving cultists, a wooden fish, a killer bookcase, zombies, and all sorts of fun.

In case you can't tell, this is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. Turning to a random page gives this line: "All undead are subject to a $10.00 cleaning fee after using the Reference Room." If you follow Strout's blog, you know he's an entertaining person, and that comes through in the book. Simon's a likeable fellow, a former petty thief trying to make good while wading through the (somewhat exaggerated ... but only somewhat) bureaucracy of government agencies. If there's a problem with this one, it's that the humor keeps me from taking the stakes as seriously as I might have. Balancing humor and conflict is hard. In this case, I think the humor keeps the tension from rising as high as it might have otherwise.

I think one of the most powerful aspects of the book was the way Strout examined the effects of Simon's power on his personal life. Psychometry means Simon can touch an object and see into the minds of those who have owned or used that object ... which tends to play havoc with relationships, among other things. The use of his power also leaves him with a blood sugar crash, so we go through a lot of Life Savers in this book.

All in all, it's a fun book and a good first novel. I'm always up for more fun SF/F, and I'll be curious to see what happens to Simon in book number two.

For some reason, supernatural occurrences seem to always happen in New York. Though in this book, New York seems to be the perfect setting. Fast paced and enjoyable, and definitely different, this book makes the paranormal a little more enjoyable. It comes in the form of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs. Simon Canderous is the main character, and as a flaw, he has psychometry. Since Simon works for the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, his power comes in handy quite a bit.

The book was a quick ride through events that spawned a girl who didn't know that she was dead, to bookcases that attacked you if you didn't ask them for their books, to cult members who have the backing of city hall behind them. Oddly enough, the bookcases remind me a little of the apple trees from the wizard of oz. Perhaps that was what made them so interesting. The plot line, while shaky at first becomes rather solid and even holds itself up, although sometimes as you are going through the book, you feel like you have to put it down to absorb some of the meanings. Still, the plot was solid enough that I would suggest this book to anyone who is looking for something that would be a fun read .

Simon Canderous left his life of crime behind to work for New York City's Department of Extraordinary Affairs. Simon works in the Other department and his specialty is psychometry--he can read objects. In between battling zombies and tackling ghosts, Simon saves Irene, a forgetful ghost who hasn't moved on for some reason. The Sectarian Defense League (government speak for cultists) ransacked Irene's apartment and stole her wooden fish. Huh? Read this snarky urban fantasy to see how Simon saves the day. ( )

It's an average urban fantasy with secret societies and official agents all running around New York City attempting to tip the balance toward good or evil.

The main character was a thief/con-artist using his psychometry for profit, but now he works for the nominal good guys at the Department of Extraordinary Affairs (DEA), helping people.

In my opinion, everything about this book was average and generic. I wasn't enthralled with any of the characters, nor was I sympathetic. The story was initially a bit film-noire with its ghostly damsel in distress, but in truth, it's a mish-mash of standard pieces. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed both Harry Potter and Xanth, but don't mind modern urban fantasy. For me, the constant puns were grating and somewhat juvenile, so as much as I like the genre, this book wasn't to my taste. ( )

Simon Canderous, former thief, and now member of a secret and underfunded NYC department that explores and controls the supernatural, can "read" objects. He can also see ghosts and that is how he becomes involved in the whole mess revolving around a pretty ghost, who does not know she is dead, ghost-sniffing junkies, and cultist who just want to get along, (so they say).

I enjoyed this book. There is action and a nice story. The idea of the beaurocracy of managing supernatural stuff in NYC is played to the hilt, expense accounts and all. Simon is a likeable fellow who is just learning to control his powers and his urge to return to a life a crime. Well it does pay better. And unlike a lot of urban fantasy, there is not so much, well, fantasy that it is hard to keep up with. Enjoy. ( )

Dead To Me, by Anton Strout, is a fantastic, urban fantasy debut.

Simon Canderous has the gift of psychometry – when he touches an object he can view its history. But this isn’t necessarily a gift when it comes to information he doesn’t want to know, especially when it comes to the women he dates. Recently recruited to the DEA (District of Extraordinary Affairs), Simon uses his gift to help others. His latest case involves a woman who doesn’t know she’s dead. As Simon begins to uncover the reasons behind her death, he soon finds himself in escalating, dangerous situations.

Dead To Me has all the fun and mystery of the Dresden Files with great secondary characters as well. Paranormal creatures and danger, infused with comedic relief, made this debut stand out from among the rest. Simon is a wonderful character that I look forward to seeing more of and how he develops. The women in his life are just as complex, and only add to Simon’s difficult life. From bookstacks that attack to cultists who are into inhaling ghosts for a high, this exciting urban fantasy has tremendous potential. With plenty of suspense and humor, I highly recommend this debut to any fantasy fan. ( )

I'm a little reluctant to buy a lot of urban fantasy these days. When done right (Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Emma Bull) it's one of my favorite sub-genres of speculative fiction. When done badly (too many to list), it's a paranormal romance novel with ghosts, vampires and goblins thrown in so it gets shelved in a different area than the typical bodice ripper.

Dead to Me is somewhere in between. Simon Canderous possesses a power called psychometry which allows him to read the psychic history of both objects and people. Having turned away from a life as a thief, he now works for the Department of Extraordinary Affairs in New York. It's a secret agency that handles paranormal activity in the city. Ghosts, zombies and evil cults all turn up in the book.

It's a good premise, but executed here in a less than perfect way. We learn very little except the basics of the D.E.A., and there's a little too much emphasis on Simon's personal troubles. I had a hard time staying involved in the story itself as the conflict seemed unimportant. We learn almost nothing of the villain's goals until the last 100 pages or so, and by then it's too late to care. In addition, Strout always seems to be involving us in the less interesting details of the story. I mean, if you're going to send your hero out to help contain a zombie infestation, why not tell us about it in more detail, rather than just using it as a convenient way to distract him and move us along to the next chapter?

The book isn't all bad; Simon is fun, and the problems are fairly typical first novel stuff. I'll give Strout another chance as there's potential for something good here; but overall, buy this used if you can. ( )