Dial D for Deadman by Barry J. Hutchison

I have mentioned on numerous occasions my love for the Space Team series by Barry J. Hutchison. You can read a review here. Well, Dial D for Deadman is set in the same universe as Space Team, is written in the same hilarious style, but is a different type of adventure. For one thing, it is all set in the same city and is more of a gritty detective tale than a space adventure. It also features the eponymous Dan Deadman – who is literally a dead man – and involves a lot of parallel adventures.

If you are a fan of Space Team and have read a lot of the books, you will have met Deadman in Space Team: The Guns of Nana Joan. He is also in the short story collection – Space Team: A Lot of Weird Space Shizz. As far as I can tell, having read the two titles just mentioned, this book’s timeline sits between the two. He refers to Nana Joan’s place and what is left after that book. Not that it matters, this is a standalone tale.

Dan Deadman lives in the Down There. A huge, polluted city that is a bit scummy and very rough around the edges. He is essentially the classic noir detective but with the twist being that he is dead and most of his cases involve the Malwhere – a load of parallel dimensions populated by demons and Lovecraftian stuff. While dealing with one case, involving a deranged serial killer, he stumbles on another, involving a disorientated girl with a weird amulet. There is no need to go into too much detail. Just trust me, it is a shizz-load of fun. If you’re a Space Team fan, this is great. If you haven’t read Space Team then still check this out as you need no prior knowledge of the other series.

If you are curious, here are some links:

US customers:

And UK can look here:

Enjoy!