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Nathan Larson

This “unique and memorable” blend of futuristic dystopia and dark detective story features “one of the more offbeat characters in fiction” (Booklist).
 
 In this “uncannily original” series, the man known as Dewey Decimal works in a near-future Manhattan decimated by terrorism and plague, running dirty operations for the crooked Senator Howard—though he’d prefer to spend his time among the stacks at his beloved New York Public Library (Laura Lippman). When Dewey is tasked with disrupting unrest from a growing group of outcast civilians, and simultaneously given the assignment of protecting a pair of Saudi royals, he is forced to look within and make some impossible choices—and it will put him at odds with his benefactor and the powers that be . . .
 
 “A good time for fans of the likes of Charlie Huston and Charles Stross.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
 “Dewey is an unlikely hero, a gimpy, smart-mouthed loner, obsessed with a brand-name hand sanitizer. His indomitable spirit and his distinctive ghetto-infused, educated patter give Larson’s series its unique and spicy character.” —Publishers Weekly
 
 “One of the finest (and weirdest) thriller trilogies ever.” —Mystery Scene

Akashic Books

The Dewey Decimal Novels

The Immune System

This detective story set in a dystopian New York stars “a seriously weird dude … A good time for fans of the likes of Charlie Huston and Charles Stross” (Kirkus Reviews).

Nicknamed Dewey Decimal for his obsessive attempts to bring order to the New York Public Library in the wake of disastrous events in the city, the hero of this series earns his keep as a bagman and enforcer for unscrupulous politicians and underworld figures. Now, he’s stumbled upon information concerning the gruesome murder of a prostitute that involves a prominent US senator—and finds himself chasing ghosts and fighting for his life, pursued by private military contractors and the ever-present specter of his own past …

“Larson’s vividly imagined world and his quirky narrator are likely to win him a cadre of loyal fans. ” —Publishers Weekly

“This intellectual giddy riot is the book of the year … The mystery is taken to a whole new level of technospeak artistry, and wonderfully witty, like John Kennedy Toole if he’d written a mystery novel and did meth—a lot of it. The warmth of the character seeps through in Dewey Decimal’s love for a devastated New York … The most original PI since Marlowe. OCD never seemed so compelling. Loved it—and then some. What a writer. ” —Ken Bruen, author of Headstone

“I’m a sucker for a postapocalyptic setting, and Nathan Larson’s is a doozy; but the real gold here is the voice. I could listen to this guy all day. ” —S. J. Rozan, Edgar Award-winning author of the Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series

The Nervous System

This tale of a book-loving tough guy in a decimated Manhattan is “like Motherless Brooklyn dosed with Charlie Huston … Delirious and haunting” (Megan Abbott, author of Give Me Your Hand).

After a flu pandemic, a large-scale terrorist attack, and the total collapse of Wall Street, New York City is reduced to a shadow of its former self. As the city struggles to dig itself out of the wreckage, a nameless, obsessive-compulsive veteran with a spotty memory, a love for literature, and a strong if complex moral code (that doesn’t preclude acts of extreme violence) has taken up residence at the main branch of the New York Public Library on Forty-second Street.

Dubbed “Dewey Decimal” for his desire to reorganize the library’s stock, he gets by as bagman and muscle for New York City’s unscrupulous district attorney. He takes no pleasure in this kind of civic dirty work. He’d be perfectly content alone amongst his books. But this is not in the cards, as the DA calls on Dewey for a seemingly straightforward union-busting job.

What unfolds throws Dewey into a mess of danger, shifting allegiances, and old vendettas, forcing him to face the darkness of his own past and the question of his buried identity …

“The Dewey Decimal System is proof positive that the private detective will remain a serious and seriously enjoyable literary archetype. ” —PopMatters