Dead to Me is the first novel by Anton Strout and is a somewhat humorous and light-hearted take on the Urban Fantasy genre. Set in New York City (you can't get any more urban), it is told from the point of view of Simon Canderous, a reformed (for the most part) thief with the power of psychometry who has recently joined up with the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, a New York City agency that is secret and underfunded. When Simon touches an object, he has the capability to experience events from the past related to the object, usually seeing it from the point of view of a person associated with it. He's still learning to use his power and his boss, Connor, will occasionally test him on it, much to Simon's annoyance. In the end, it pays off though, with Simon using his power to help him get through some tight situations near the end of the adventure.

Simon's power causes difficulties with the opposite sex and even when a ghost turns up that seems to take a liking to him, he can still get himself into trouble. The overall story deals with cultists making use of the souls of the recently departed for getting people high with Simon and Connor trying to find out what's really going on and following various leads. Along the way, Simon develops a relationship with the ghost as well as the assistant to the head cultist while dealing with departmental and government politics and various threats to his life and the department.

The novel reads quick and takes a lighter approach to the goings-on than some of the more serious books in the genre. Some deaths and events seem to be taken a bit too lightly, though, and at times Simon seems a bit too naive for his own good. Comparisons to early Dresden Files novels can be made, but it doesn't have nearly the depth or plotting of later books in that series. It also makes use of some common plot elements such as an occult bookstore with magical books and bookshelves as the most prominent. One nit to pick, however, is how Strout handles Simon's dealing with the after-affects of using his power. Simon's blood sugar drops when he uses his power and he refuels by popping Life Savers candies. In real life that isn't as effective for a diabetic to bring themselves back up. But, it is a fantasy, so I'll cut him some slack.

For a first novel, it does set up the situation and characters well and doesn't get bogged down in too much exposition. It also tells its story without much in the way of sex or gore, which makes for a good change of pace from some authors in the genre. As long as you go into it expecting a more light-hearted adventure, you should be entertained and will have a tough time putting it down. - Lee Whiteside