Nekropolis

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at first: *another* undead detective? But *Nekropolis* won me over by the second chapter, mostly because Matt Richter is such a compelling mess. He’s not a brooding hero or a snarky quip machine—he’s a genuinely tired, morally flexible zombie just trying to pay his rent in a city where the rent is paid in blood or souls. Waggoner’s worldbuilding is dense but never overwhelming, dropping you into Nekropolis’ hierarchy (vampire elite, zombie laborers, feral ghouls in the sewers) with the efficiency of a tour guide who’s seen it all. The case—involving a missing vampire heiress and a drug called *Stiff*—is a classic noir setup, but the twists feel earned, not rote. John Banks’ performance is *almost* flawless. His Richter is pitch-perfect—a mix of exhaustion and dry wit—but a few secondary characters veer into cartoonish territory (a lisping demon comes dangerously close to *Looney Tunes*). The pacing drags slightly in the middle during a subplot involving zombie union politics, though it picks up once the body count rises. What I loved most? The audiobook’s *tone*. It’s grim but never joyless, violent but not gratuitous, and the dark humor lands because the stakes feel real. If you like your fantasy with a side of cynicism and a chaser of gallows humor, this is a standout. Just don’t expect a happy ending—this is Nekropolis, after all.