A New York City detective discovers a cache of weapons - and a terrible secret. Detective John Tallow and his partner answer a call to an apartment building where a man, overwhelmed by the fact that he is being evicted so the building owners can demolish the building, is firing his shotgun and threatening his neighbors. Tallow's partner, recently married and recently forced to exercise by his new wife, falls because of a strained knee and ends up in the man's sights – and pays for his stumble with his life. Tallow kills the man and begins to mourn his partner, only to find that one of the man's shotgun blasts has created a hole into a nearby apartment. Peering through the hole in the wall, Tallow finds hundreds upon hundreds of guns in all shapes, sizes, and caliber mounted on every square inch of the apartment's walls. Tallow's Lieutenant puts him on the case, along with a pair of NYPD forensic analysts, Bat and Scarly. Tallow knows that, because of the recent loss of his partner, he shouldn't even be on the case – and quickly realizes that he is not meant to solve the mystery of the guns. As Tallow, Bat, and Scarly work to connect the guns to murders both mundane and infamous – including the Son of Sam murders – Tallow falls into the sights of the Hunter, a delusional assassin whose reality continually warps between modern-day New York and the Manhatta that belonged to the original Native American inhabitants. The guns belong to the Hunter, and he wants them back. As Tallow slowly peels back the layers of mystery surrounding the guns and the conspiracy behind them, he regains his relish for his job and, once he finally puts all the pieces together, rediscovers his relish for life as well.
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Best part of story, including ending:
Warren Ellis spun his particular brand of British mania into his characters, bringing Tallow, Bat, Scarly, and the Hunter to vivid, detailed life.
Best scene in story:
Unfortunately, the opening scene with the death of Tallow's partner was my favorite scene. Not only did it drive the entire book, but it was so completely sudden and unexpected (because I didn't read the book jacket).
Opinion about the main character:
Tallow was a loner - the only friend he had was his partner, but his social awkwardness and inherent introversion fell away as he worked with, and befriended, Bat and Scarly.