''Sweet Silver Blues'' is a

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

by American writer

Glen Cook Glen Charles Cook (born July 9, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, known for ''The Black Company'' and '' Garrett P.I.'' fantasy series. Biography Cook was born in New York City.first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

in his ongoing

Garrett P.I. Garrett P.I. is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Glen Cook about Garrett, a freelance private investigator. The novels are written in a hard-boiled detective fiction style, with elements of traditional mystery and dialogue-based humo ...

series. The series combines elements of

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

as it follows the adventures of

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Garrett.

Plot

Garrett is a

living in the city of TunFaire, a melting pot of different races, mixed breeds, cultures and religions, though humans predominate. He is approached by the wealthy Tate family. Denny Tate, an old army buddy of Garrett's, has died in an accident. In his will, Denny left an enormous fortune in silver, acquired through questionable means, to a woman his family knows nothing about, Kayean Kronk. Denny's father Willard tries to hire Garrett to locate Kayean, who is believed to be living in the Cantard, the battleground of a generations-old war between the kingdoms of Karenta and Venageta. Having survived his mandatory five-year service there (which many do not), Garrett wants no part of it. Then Denny's partners try to steal the silver and his writings, the latter so they can continue operating as before. For the 10% executor's fee and also to be reunited with Kayean Kronk (a teenage love of Garrett's), Garrett reluctantly heads off to the Cantard with his half-dark elf friend and assassin Morley Dotes, who has his own agenda, and the Roze triplets. Denny's beautiful cousins, Rose and Tinnie Tate, try to tag along, but Garrett forcibly sends them back. When they arrive in Full Harbor, a major Karentine base/city, Garrett makes inquiries, but nobody wants to talk about Kayean, not even her brother. Eventually, he discovers that Kayean loyally followed her husband when he and his brother joined a nest of much despised and feared vampires. A centaur named Zeck Zack, who sometimes works with the vampires, and several other parties become involved. After forcing the truth out of Zack, Garrett and his gang set out to rescue Kayean. In a desperate battle, Garrett retrieves her (as well as Rose and Tinnie Tate and Garrett's friend Saucerhead Tharpe) from the vampire lair. Morley kills Kayean's husband and takes her brother-in-law prisoner. They return to TunFaire, where Garrett delivers Kayean to the Tates. Willard Tate hires TunFaire's foremost expert to cure her. Because she fought the vampire disease, her prognosis is good. Meanwhile, Morley, with Garrett and Saucerhead Tharpe along as guards, delivers the vampire he captured (currently dormant for lack of sustenance) to the kingpin of the criminal underworld of TunFaire. It turns out that the vampire was the kingpin's right-hand man, until he and his brother fled with half of the kingpin's treasure. The kingpin, expecting to see a corpse (in exchange for forgiving Morley Dotes' transgressions), is instead killed by the famished vampire. With his new riches, Garrett purchases the house he has been living in with the Dead Man, a murdered Loghyr who reluctantly helps Garrett out on his cases. (A Loghyr's spirit can linger after death, in the Dead Man's case for four centuries and counting.)

Characters

* Garrett *

The Dead Man ''The Dead Man'' was a science fiction strip in the British comic '' 2000 AD'' by writer John Wagner and artist John Ridgway, published in black and white in 1989–90. Although it was not billed as a ''Judge Dredd'' story, it featured Dredd as ...

* Rose Tate * Tinnie Tate * Willard Tate *Lester Tate * Morley Dotes * Saucerhead Tharpe * The Roze Triplets *

Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

*Zeck Zack *Kayean Kronk

References

{{Garrett P.I. 1987 American novels Garrett P.I. American fantasy novels Novels by Glen Cook