Part of Dirk Gently, book 2
First published 1989
An explosion tears apart a check-in counter at Heathrow Airport. Detective Dirk Gently arrives to investigate what appears to be a terrorist attack but quickly realizes something far stranger is at work. The blast bears the hallmarks of divine intervention, and Gently must determine which deity has decided to wreak havoc in modern London. His unconventional methods clash with standard police procedure as he pursues leads that seem impossible to anyone thinking rationally. Ancient gods walk among mortals, their petty squabbles spilling into the contemporary world with devastating consequences. Gently navigates between mythological forces and bureaucratic obstacles, following his intuition rather than evidence. The case pulls him deeper into a conflict between immortal beings who treat human civilization as their playground. At its heart, this is a story about finding meaning in chaos and maintaining sanity when the universe operates by rules that defy logic.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, supernatural, urban-fantasy
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: detective, supernatural
Setting: England, Heathrow Airport, London, Nursing Home, Valhala
Period: Murder
319 pages · Hardcover · Simon and Schuster