Alive in NecropolisA fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peace—and maintain a grip on reality—in a town where the dead outnumber the living. Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grownup relationships—including a shaky romance with an older woman; a growing alliance with his cocky, charismatic partner, Nick Toronto; fading college friendships; and an aching sense of responsibility for a local rich kid who Mercer rescues from a dangerous prank in the cemetery. But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead. And as Mercer delves deeper into Featherstone’s story, it appears that Mercer’s own sanity is beginning to slip—either that, or Colma’s more famous residents are not resting in peace as they should be. With all the playful sensitivity of Haruki Murakami and the haunted atmosphere of Paul Auster, but with a voice all his own, Doug Dorst has crafted an irresistible, compelling debut. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - Blacklin - LibraryThingI picked up Doug Dorst’s Alive In Necropolis at the library because the cover art attracted my attention. And then I became intrigued about the book when I read the blurb on the book flap. I thought ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - viking2917 - LibraryThingIf you love Tim Powers, you will like this a lot. The book has great characters with very real flaws. Juxtaposed with those characters are denizens of a supernatural world that are jealous of those in ... Read full review
Contents
Section 1 | 9 |
Section 2 | 23 |
Section 3 | 40 |
Section 4 | 58 |
Section 5 | 71 |
Section 6 | 77 |
Section 7 | 98 |
Section 8 | 122 |
Section 19 | 285 |
Section 20 | 296 |
Section 21 | 310 |
Section 22 | 312 |
Section 23 | 314 |
Section 24 | 324 |
Section 25 | 335 |
Section 26 | 343 |
Section 9 | 168 |
Section 10 | 187 |
Section 11 | 195 |
Section 12 | 196 |
Section 13 | 204 |
Section 14 | 221 |
Section 15 | 225 |
Section 16 | 243 |
Section 17 | 260 |
Section 18 | 279 |
Section 27 | 344 |
Section 28 | 354 |
Section 29 | 364 |
Section 30 | 367 |
Section 31 | 378 |
Section 32 | 396 |
Section 33 | 399 |
Section 34 | 406 |
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Common terms and phrases
anyway arms Barker Barker Gang Beachey Benzinger says Bobby Boy Thirteen breath Cambi says Carlos cemetery close Colma cruiser Cypress Lawn Daly City dead DiMaio door drink empty eyes face Featherstone feels Fern Grotto fingers Fiona friends front fuck Gage ghosts girl glass goddamn goddamnit going hair hand head hears holds Jerry Johnny Johnny K Jude says Jude's keep Kelly Kinnicutt laughs Layla legs light Lincoln Beachey looks Lorna Mercer asks Mercer nods Mercer says Mercer thinks Mike Mollie says night Officer Mercer Owen says pain parking Phineas Gage pulls remember Reyna S-Barker sauerkraut shakes shit shoulder shouts sitting skin sleep smell smile someone sound spanakopita stop sure suspects talk tell There's thing told tonight Toronto says trying turns voice wait walk watches What's Whipple who's woman worry yurts
Bibliographic information
| Title | Alive in Necropolis |
| Author | Doug Dorst |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2008 |
| ISBN | 1594489874, 9781594489877 |
| Length | 437 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Literary |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |