Joe Pitt series

Already Dead (Joe Pitt, -1) by Charlie Huston — Already Dead (Joe Pitt, #1) by Charlie Huston

Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston.

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / Pulp / Noir, Thriller, Horror / Crime

Series Description or Overview[]

Joe Pitt, a rogue private investigator and vampyre, in Manhattan, New York City. ~ Goodreads series page

✥ The Joe Pitt Casebooks are an ongoing series of supernatural noir thrillers written by American author Charlie Huston. Each casebook chronicles Joe Pitt's life as well as his struggles in the underground of vampyre clans of New York. At first Pitt is an unaffiliated vampyre, living in between the cracks by doing jobs for various clans in exchange for blood and freedom. However, as the series progresses, this shifts and Pitt's life evolves with each book. ~ Joe Pitt Casebooks - Wikipedia

✥ The Joe Pitt stories read like crime stories (Huston’s familiar stomping ground) where the protagonist happens to be a vampire. And the other characters are no better; they’re thieves, thugs and mobsters. It would be impossible for Pitt to move around this dangerous landscape without incurring a few bruises, and he does. Big time. Violence is as much window dressing here as the vampires are. ~ SF Signal

✥ This is gritty private eye/hired gun noir, with a supernatural twist. Everybody is working an angle, but Joe's just trying to get by. ~ Goodreads book page

Lead's Species[]

Vampire, Vampire PI

Primary Supe[]

Vampires

What Sets it Apart[]

Vampires as thieves, thugs and mobsters

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

First person narrative told by Joe Pitt, protagonist.

Books in Series[]

Joe Pitt series:

Already Dead (2005)
No Dominion (2006)
Half the Blood of Brooklyn (2007)
Every Last Drop (2008)
My Dead Body (2009) ~ Final

Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides[]

none

World Building[]

Setting[]

Manhattan, New York City (and sometimes in Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Queens).

Places:

NYC: East Village, Manhattan, Long Island, Uptown, Columbia, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Queens, Yankee Stadium,
Elsewhere: Houston, Dallas, , ,

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Vampyres, zombies, supe mafia (mob), evil corporation, rich mad scientist, supe drug, , ,

These vampires are gritty, tough, and take no prisoners.

Glossary:[]

Van Helsing: Any individual who hunts vampires.
Rogue: Vampire who doesn't belong to a clan.
Shambler: Any individual who has a disease with zombie like symptoms.
Renfield: A human that worships vampires

Groups & Organizations:[]

The Coalition: The largest and most powerful of the clans
The Enclave: A clan of vampires who organize themselves as a religion.
The Society: A clan of vampires headed by Terry Bird that believe vampires can go public and openly live among the living
The Hood: A clan of vampires headed by DJ Grave Digga that are located above 110th St.

World[]

Clans: In the Joe Pitt Series, local vampyres have loosely organized themselves into clans, each with their own territory on Manhattan Island. Each of the clans jealously guards their own territory from other vampyres, as their continued existence is largely dependent on being able to feed on humans unnoticed—a feat that becomes increasingly difficult as their population increases. Vampyres who are not a member of a clan are referred to as Rogues.

The Coalition: The Coalition is the largest and most powerful of the clans, with more members and resources than any other clan. In the fourth book of the series, Pitt estimates that the Coalition may have as many as a thousand members. However, throughout the fifth book, it also becomes clear that the Coalition is actively supporting other minor clans across the island. The Coalition seems to operate in a cross between the mafia and a corporation. Dexter Predo is the face of the organization, sometimes described as being in charge of the organization's enforcers and, at one point, describing himself as chief of intelligence. By the end of the fifth book it becomes clear the Predo answers to a person or persons calling themselves the "Secretariate."

The Enclave: A clan of vampyres who organize themselves as a religion, roughly analogous to Buddhist monks. The central tenet of their faith is that the vyrus is supernatural and possibly divine. They focus on allowing the vyrus to slowly consume them in the hope that, one day, they will be able to walk in the sun without burning. The Enclave is often portrayed as a group of mad zealots, but their leader, Daniel considers Pitt to be a member of clan. As such, Pitt often turns to the Enclave for information. In the fourth book, Pitt estimates the Enclave consists of roughly a hundred members, but between the fourth and fifth book, that number doubles. The count later takes over the enclave, when Daniel tests his aiths and walks into direct sun light. Joe is no longer considered a member and is now an enemy, because of the count. The Enclave is feared and avoided by every other clan, and a 'no man's land' of several blocks is observed around their headquarters, though they do not take active part in any of the Clan affairs.

The Hood: A clan that organizes and conducts itself like a street gang, unifying visible minorities such as African-Americans and Latinos, initially formed by a man called Luther X. Luther split the clan from the Coalition years before the first book, and as of the second, has died—apparently of an assassination. His protégé, DJ Grave Digga takes over control of the clan and declares a state of emergency, assuming total control in order to combat the Coalition, who he believes is responsible for Luther's Death. By the end of the second book, Digga assures his continued control of the clan by discovering that Papa Doc. the leader of his opposition and head of the tons tons macoute, the Hood's enforcers (named for the Haitian secret police force) is guilty of trafficking a drug called 'Anathema' within The Hood and on Society turf. The Hood concerns itself primarily with the welfare of visible minorities and opposition of The Coalition. They enjoy cordial relations with The Society.

The Society: The Society is a prominent clan in lower Manhattan, and Joe Pitt lives on their turf as a Rogue (non-Clan member). It is run by Terry Bird and is made up of a ragtag mixture of Anarchists, Gay rights activists, and other small groups. The highest power level is made up of Bird, Lydia (gay rights), Tom (Anarchists), and Hurley, who is the main bodyguard to the three. Their mission is to bring together all the clans into a single group and go public with information of The Vyrus so that they may live like normal people, and a cure may one day be found.

Minor Factions: During the course of the series, a large number of other clans and factions are mentioned in passing, including The Dusters, a clan that organizes itself as a biker gang, The Bulls and Bears, Mungiki, The Family, The Cannon Balls, and others. Maps at the front of the fourth book hint that there might be even more clans that go unmentioned in the series. ~ Wikipedia

Protagonist[]

✥ A vampire who works as a freelance detective doing jobs for vampire clans around New York in exchange for blood supply.

Sidekick[]

Name: / What: / Sidekick-to: / About: / Book First Seen In:

Characters Chart[]

Resources:

Joe Pitt Series ~ Shelfari
Wikipedia

Characters	What	About
Joe Pitt (real name "Simon")	unaffiliated vampyre	who gets by doing odd jobs for the different clans
Terry Bird	Head of The Society; a vampyre	something of a hippie complex. He harbors a fondness for Joe; acts as a bit of a father-figure to vampyres in need.
Daniel	very old vampyre	Leader (and Elder) of the Enclave; made an art out of "starving" the Vyrus, so it could be stretched to its full potential
Dexter Predo	powerful vampyre	charge of running The Coalition; Joe takes odd jobs for him if he's in need of blood
Amanda Horde	Scientist	daughter of a wealthy magnate, Amanda is trying to create a cure for the vyrus; a safe haven for vampyres
Evie	Joe's girlfriend	redheaded bar tender
Hurley	vampyre, bodyguard	Terry's extremely burly Irish bodyguard
Lydia Miles	vampyre	head of the gay, lesbian, and transgendered faction of the Society
Philip Sax	A drug dealer and user	Joe's informant
Tom Nolan	anarchist	handles security for Terry.
Chubby Freeze	internet porn producer	professional dealings with Joe.
DJ Grave Digga	Leader of the Hood clan	attempting to capitalize on tensions between the Society and the Coalition
The Count	trust-fund college party-boy	intends to continue his lifestyle after being infected with the vyrus
Sela	pre-op transgender vampyre	bodyguard and lover to Amanda Horde
Christian	Leader of the Dusters	motorcycle clan; has a history with Joe
Skag Baron Menace	Leader of the Mungiki clan	in Queens; group of vampyres who sharpen their teeth and wear claws
Esperanza	Top Bronx vampyre	may have more than a professional interest in Joe
Stretch	vampyre	Leader of Brooklyn-based clan called the Freaks
Rebbe Moishe	vampyre	Leader of The Chosen vampyre clan in Brooklyn
Mrs. Vandewater	grande dame of the Coalition	Dangerous; may have ties to both Predo and Terry
Percy	One-armed barber	to DJ Grave Digga; has more secretive ties
Leprosy	Runaway squatter	sometime informant to Joe; has a mean dog named Gristle

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Or, in Source Mode: copy-paste rows.

Author[]

Charlie Huston

Website: CHARLIE HUSTON
Genres: Urban Fantasy / Pulp

Bio: Charlie Huston is an American author of Noircrime fiction. Huston's first two books, Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, along with his fourth, A Dangerous Man, follow the loveable anti-hero, Hank Thompson as he works his way through mistaken identity, his past, and a new life for himself.~ FF

✥ Charlie Huston is the author of the Henry Thompson trilogy which includes the Edgar-nominated “Six Bad Things”, the Joe Pitt Casebooks, the Los Angeles Times bestseller, “The Shotgun Rule”, and “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”. Charlie also penned the recently relaunched Marvel comic book, Moon Knight. Upcoming releases include “Sleepless” (January 2010) and a Deathlok comic book miniseries. ~ Fantasy Book Critic

More: CHARLIE HUSTON • About

Cover Artist[]

Artist: none listed

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Del Rey
Author Page:
Bok Page: Already Dead by Charlie Huston -Random House

Already Dead: Paperback, 268 pages, Pub: Dec 27th 2005—ISBN: 034547824X
No Dominion:
Half the Blood of Brooklyn:
Every Last Drop:
My Dead Body:

Plot summary, book one[]

✥ Already Dead follows the adventures of a vampyre named Joe Pitt as he tries to figure out a mysterious zombie epidemic stemming around New York. He has connections in Manhattan Underworld which makes him a valuable item for clans. Joe is then asked to find the gothic daughter of a rich man, and is pressured to do the work. Meanwhile, a disease is spreading zombie like symptoms around the town, causing whoever is bitten (or infected) by this disease into "Shamblers", and it's up to Joe to find the mysterious carrier of this sickness. ~ Already Dead - Wikipedia

Aside from his line of work, Joe has a girlfriend named Evie, a human that is HIV positive, is currently terrified of any sexual contact since she's afraid of infecting him with the sickness. Joe knows how to cure her HIV, but fears the side effects; so he tries his best to keep his vampyrism a secret from her. ~ Already Dead - Wikipedia

✥ Already Dead is a rollicking, no-holds-barred film noir vampire pastiche. Main protagonist Joe Pitt is a Mike Hammer with fangs and no suntan. As low vamp on the totem pole, Pitt gets it from all sides of the undead crime underground. Picking no side and forced to do favors here and there for the various vampire factions just to survive, he is pushed into a job to find a missing girl which develops into a complex scheme that would make Phillip Marlow's head spin. ~ Goodreads book page

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—Already Dead (2005): Those stories you hear? The ones about things that only come out at night? Things that feed on blood, feed on us? Got news for you: they're true. Only it's not like the movies or old man Stoker's storybook. It's worse. Especially if you happen to be one of them. Just ask Joe Pitt. There's a shambler on the loose. Some fool who got himself infected with a flesh-eating bacteria is lurching around, trying to munch on folks' brains. Joe hates shamblers, but he's still the one who has to deal with them. That's just the kind of life he has. Except afterlife might be better word. From the Battery to the Bronx, and from river to river, Manhattan is crawling with Vampyres. Joe is one of them, and he's not happy about it. Yeah, he gets to be stronger and faster than you, and he's tough as nails and hard to kill. But spending his nights trying to score a pint of blood to feed the Vyrus that's eating at him isn't his idea of a good time. And Joe doesn't make it any easier on himself. Going his own way, refusing to ally with the Clans that run the undead underside of Manhattan - it ain't easy. It's worse once he gets mixed up with the Coalition - the city's most powerful Clan - and finds himself searching for a poor little rich girl who's gone missing in Alphabet City. Now the Coalition and the girl's high-society parents are breathing down his neck, anarchist Vampyres are pushing him around, and a crazy Vampyre cult is stalking him. No time to complain, though. Got to find that girl and kill that shambler before the whip comes down . . . and before the sun comes up. ~ Already Dead ~ FF and Goodreads

✤ BOOK TWO—No Dominion (2006): Joe Pitt’s life sucks. He hasn’t had a case or a job in God knows how long and his stashes are running on empty. What stashes? The only ones that count to a guy like Joe: blood and money. The money he uses to buy blood; the blood he drinks. Hey, buddy, it’s that or your neck–you want to choose? The only way to lay his hands on both is to take a gig with the local Vampyre Clan. See, something new is on the streets, a new high, a high so strong it can send a Vampyre spazzing through Joe’s local watering hole. Till Joe sends him through a plate-glass window, that is. So it’s time for Joe to gut up and swallow that pride and follow the leads wherever they go. It won’t be long before he’s slapping stoolies, getting sapped, and being taken for a ride above 110th Street. Someone’s pulling Joe’s strings, and now he’s riding the A train, looking to find who it is. He’s gonna cut them when he finds them–the strings and the hands that hold them. ~ Goodreads | No Dominion (Joe Pitt, #2)

✤ BOOK THREE—Half the Blood of Brooklyn (2007): There’s only so much room on the Island, only so much blood, and Manhattan’s Vampyre Clans aren’t interested in sharing. So when the Vyrus-infected dregs of New York’s outer boroughs start creeping across the bridges and through the tunnels, the Clans want to know why. — Bad luck for PI and general hard case Joe Pitt. See, Joe used to be a Rogue, used to work off his own dime, picked his own gigs, but tight times and a terminally ill girlfriend pushed him into the arms of the renegade Society Clan. Now he has all the cash and blood he needs, but at a steep price. The price tonight is crossing the bridge, rolling to Coney Island, finding the Freak Clan, and figuring out what’s driving that bunch of savages to scratch at the Society’s door. No need to look far. The answer lies around the corner in Gravesend. Convenient, all those graves. From uptown to the boardwalk, war drums are beating. Murderous family feuds and personal grudges are being drawn and brandished, along with the long knives. Blood will spill and, big surprise, Joe’s in the middle. But hey, why should this night be different from any other? Sunset to sunrise: put off a war, keep your head attached to your neck, and save your girl. Check. Joe’s on the case. ~ Goodreads | Half the Blood of Brooklyn (Joe Pitt, #3)

✤ BOOK FOUR—Every Last Drop (2008): It’s like this: a series of bullet-riddled bad breaks has seen rogue Vampyre and terminal tough guy Joe Pitt go from PI for hire to Clan-connected enforcer to dead man walking in a New York minute. And after burning all his bridges, the only one left to cross leads to the Bronx, where Joe’s brass knuckles and straight razor can’t keep him from running afoul of a sadistic old bloodsucker with a bad bark and a worse bite. Even if every Clan in Manhattan is hollering for Joe’s head on a stick, it’s got to be better than trying to survive in the outer-borough wilderness. So it’s a no-brainer when Clan boss Dexter Predo comes looking to make a deal. All Joe has to do to win back breathing privileges on his old turf is infiltrate an upstart Clan whose plan to cure the Vyrus could expose the secret Vampyre world to mortal eyes and set off a panic-driven massacre. Not cool. But Joe’s all over it. To save the Undead future, he just has to wade neck-deep through all the archenemies, former friends, and assorted heavy hitters he’s crossed in the past. No sweat? Maybe not, but definitely more blood than he’s ever seen or hungered for. And maybe even some tears–over the horror and heartbreaking truth about the evil men do no matter who or what they are. ~ Goodreads | Every Last Drop (Joe Pitt, #4) by Charlie Huston

✤ BOOK FIVE—My Dead Body (2009): Just ask Joe Pitt. After exposing the secret source of blood for half of Manhattan’s Vampyres, he’s definitely a dead man walking. He’s been a punching bag and a bullet magnet for every Vampyre Clan in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, not to mention a private eye, an enforcer, an exile, and a vigilante, but now he’s just a target with legs. For a year he’s sloshed around the subway tunnels and sewers, tapping the veins of the lost, while above ground a Vampyre civil war threatens to drag the Clans into the sunlight once and for all. What’s it gonna take to dig him up? Just the search for a missing girl who’s carrying a baby that just might be the destiny of Vampyre-kind. Not that Joe cares all that much about destiny and such. What he cares about is that his ex-girl Evie wants him to take the gig. What’s the risk? Another turn playing pigeon in a shooting gallery. What’s the reward? Maybe one shot of his own. What’s he aiming for? Nothing much. Just all the evil at the heart of his world. ~Goodreads | My Dead Body (Joe Pitt, #5) by Charlie Huston

First Sentences[]

Already Dead (2005) — I smell them before I see them.
No Dominion (2006) — The glass is breaking. That's not the surprising thing: the surprising thing is that it didn't come as a shock.
Half the Blood of Brooklyn (2007) — I don't like him. I don't like the way he smells.
Every Last Drop (2008) — Ripe for the taking. That's all I can think as I watch them.
My Dead Body (2009) — If you're listening to this I'm dead. (laughter)

Quotes[]

Know what you love best before you sacrifice on its behalf.

Trivia[]

Awards[]

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Supe Mob / Mafia:

Noir:

NYC:

Vampires:

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

External References[]

Books:

CHARLIE HUSTON • Books
Goodreads | Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston
Joe Pitt Casebooks - Series Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Charlie Huston ~ FF
Charlie Huston - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Joe Pitt Series ~ Shelafri
Joe Pitt | Series | LibraryThing
FictFact - Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston

Summaries:

Joe Pitt Casebooks - Wikipedia

Excerpts and Freebies:

Free Readin' | Already Dead by Charlie Huston - A Dribble of Ink

Summaries–whole series:

World, Characters, etc:

Joe Pitt Casebooks - Wikipedi
Joe Pitt Series ~ Shelfari