The Last Smile in Sunder City

 The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold, 352 pages.

Fetch Phillips is a man-for-hire, which is like a PI but with the hopes that nobody will think he's smart. He works in Sunder City, which has largely fallen apart (along with the rest of the world) since the magic that powered it went away six years ago in an event known as The Coda. An event that (according to Fetch) was his fault. Now he's been hired to try and find a dying professor, who happens to be a vampire, in the hopes that the new inter-species elementary school he taught at and helped hold together can be saved. 

This book is an exceptional example of the urban fantasy noir genre (which is bigger than you might expect). It's rare to find urban fantasy set in a fully fantasy world, and Arnold's world is exceptionally well filled out with dozens of species, many of which have their own creation stories. The Last Smile in Sunder City does and exceptional job both filling out a large world that feels complex and full of traditions and weaving in the exposition so it never drags down the plot. I found the pacing in this novel pretty exceptional, and I had a hard time putting it down for the whole of the final 2/3 of the book. Fetch's voice is strong, and full of the kinds of exceptionally good one-liners that can really make a noir. I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book, and am definitely looking forward to reading the next one.