Alive in Necropolis

A fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peaceaand maintain a grip on realityain a town where the dead outnumber the living. Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grownup relationshipsaincluding a shaky romance with an older woman; a growing alliance with his cocky, charismatic partner, Nick Toronto; fading college friendships; and an aching sense of responsibility for a local rich kid who Mercer rescues from a dangerous prank in the cemetery. But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead. And as Mercer delves deeper into Featherstoneas story, it appears that Merceras own sanity is beginning to slipaeither that, or Colmaas more famous residents are not resting in peace as they should be. With all the playful sensitivity of Haruki Murakami and the haunted atmosphere of Paul Auster, but with a voice all his own, Doug Dorst has crafted an irresistible, compelling debut.

About the Author :
Doug Dorst is the author of three books, most recently the novel "S," which he co-authored with J. J. Abrams."" He is the author of the novel "Alive in Necropolis," which was honored as San Francisco's 2009 One City One Book selection and as a runner-up for the 2009 PEN/Hemingway, Shirley Jackson, and IAFA/Crawford Awards, and a short story collection, "The Surf Guru." His stories have appeared in "McSweeney's," "Ploughshares," "ZYZZYVA," and other journals. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a three-time "Jeopardy!" champion, Dorst lives in Austin and teaches writing at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Review :
?In the same way "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" mixed high school and bloodsuckers, Doug Dorst combines cops and ghosts in his Alive in Necropolis. The result is a haunted variation on Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series ? Imaginative and accomplished ? Pitch-perfect.? ?"USA Today" "[A] daring and bighearted first novel...The left brain of this novel, the plotty, structured part, is a fine, familiar branch of California noir. Like Dashiell Hammett, Dorst conveys a hard-bitten love of the physical San Francisco, the fog-swallowed town, the sun after rain, the mineshaft drops in temperature. Scenes are rooted in surroundings and the weather. The fiction seems to possess, and be possessed by, its beloved Bay...Awareness is the high prize of the novel." ?"The New York Times Book Review" "Doug Dorst's smart and accessibly unconventional first novel, "Alive in Necropolis," ...is not quite a horror story, nor exactly a mystery, nor just a hard-boiled police procedural, but an? aIn the same way "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" mixed high school and bloodsuckers, Doug Dorst combines cops and ghosts in his Alive in Necropolis. The result is a haunted variation on Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series a] Imaginative and accomplished a] Pitch-perfect.a a"USA Today" "[A] daring and bighearted first novel...The left brain of this novel, the plotty, structured part, is a fine, familiar branch of California noir. Like Dashiell Hammett, Dorst conveys a hard-bitten love of the physical San Francisco, the fog-swallowed town, the sun after rain, the mineshaft drops in temperature. Scenes are rooted in surroundings and the weather. The fiction seems to possess, and be possessed by, its beloved Bay...Awareness is the high prize of the novel." a"The New York Times Book Review" "Doug Dorst's smart and accessibly unconventional first novel, "Alive in Necropolis," ...is not quite a horror story, nor exactly a mystery, nor just a hard-boiled police procedural, but an adult coming-of-age saga that pulls with energy and imagination from these various genres...[Dorst] us[es] a limited third-person narrative shot through with streaks of black humor to vivid, insightful effect." a"San Francisco Chronicle" (Lit Pick) aDoug Dorstas new novel, "Alive in Necropolis," takes a sort of Dashiell Hammett point of view in its good-cop-in-deadland story. Itas a ripping yarn full of Bay Area historical figures (theyare all buried out there, after all) and the kind of police drama we all love so well. . .This thing has beach read and film option written all over it.a a "SF Weekly" aThis playful debut follows a first-year cop trying to police the citizens, and perhapsghosts, of Colma, California, the tiny town where San Francisco buries its dead.a a"New York" Magazine, Summer Read pick a[A] quirky debut novel from Austin resident Doug Dorst. .,"Alive in Necropolisas" characters are defined by what they want, not by who they are. And what better metaphor for unfulfilled desire than the walking dead trying to find closure for lifeas unfinished business.a a"Texas Monthly" aAtmospheric. . .part mystery, part compelling account of an angst-ridden young man finding his way in the world.a a"Booklist" aPoignant and funny, especially about the self-destructive fools that love makes us. Dorst is a talent to watch.a a"Kirkus" aThis charming first novel maps the landscape and lives of a small town where ghosts and the living are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. That's what police officer Michael Mercer discovers the night he saves the life of a teenage boy left unconscious and at the mercy of the elements in a Colma, Calif., cemetery. Later, Michael witnesses nocturnal incidents that turn out to be the afterlife activities of local residents who've been dead for decades. The repetitive and unresolved activities of the dead slyly parallel Michael's aimless life and the lives of friends and colleagues similarly mired in day-to- day routine. Though the supernatural elements aren't as well integrated into the main action as they might be, Dorst strikes a perfect balance between humor and pathos. His ability to show the magic potential of everyday lives marks him as an author to watch.a a"Publisheras Weekly" Praise for Doug Dorst: aIt would be a shame if Doug Dorst is written of as one of the best debutnovelists weave seen in years. Heas better than that. Heas one of the best novelists weave seen in years, writing well beyond the level weave learned to expect of afirst novelistsa or anew voices.a He has the control and daring possessed by only the greats of each generation. He writes with humor and wisdom that is rare, and an empathy for his characters that is warm and complex and unique.a aStephen Elliott, author of "Happy Baby" aAtmospheric. . .part mystery, part compelling account of an angst-ridden young man finding his way in the world.a a"Booklist" aPoignant and funny, especially about the self-destructive fools that love makes us. Dorst is a talent to watch.a a"Kirkus" aThis charming first novel maps the landscape and lives of a small town where ghosts and the living are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. That's what police officer Michael Mercer discovers the night he saves the life of a teenage boy left unconscious and at the mercy of the elements in a Colma, Calif., cemetery. Later, Michael witnesses nocturnal incidents that turn out to be the afterlife activities of local residents who've been dead for decades. The repetitive and unresolved activities of the dead slyly parallel Michael's aimless life and the lives of friends and colleagues similarly mired in day-to-day routine. Though the supernatural elements aren't as well integrated into the main action as they might be, Dorst strikes a perfect balance between humor and pathos. His ability to show the magic potential of everyday lives marks him as an author to watch.a a"Publisheras Weekly" Praise for Doug Dorst: aIt would be a shame if Doug Dorst is written of as one of the best debut novelists weave seen in years. Heas better than that. Heas one of the best novelists weave seen in years, writing well beyond the level weave learned to expect of afirst novelistsa or anew voices.a He has the control and daring possessed by only the greats of each generation. He writes with humor and wisdom that is rare, and an empathy for his characters that is warm and complex and unique.a aStephen Elliott, author of "HappyBaby" aThis charming first novel maps the landscape and lives of a small town where ghosts and the living are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. That's what police officer Michael Mercer discovers the night he saves the life of a teenage boy left unconscious and at the mercy of the elements in a Colma, Calif., cemetery. Later, Michael witnesses nocturnal incidents that turn out to be the afterlife activities of local residents who've been dead for decades. The repetitive and unresolved activities of the dead slyly parallel Michael's aimless life and the lives of friends and colleagues similarly mired in day-to-day routine. Though the supernatural elements aren't as well integrated into the main action as they might be, Dorst strikes a perfect balance between humor and pathos. His ability to show the magic potential of everyday lives marks him as an author to watch.a a"Publisheras Weekly" Praise for Doug Dorst: aIt would be a shame if Doug Dorst is written of as one of the best debut novelists weave seen in years. Heas better than that. Heas one of the best novelists weave seen in years, writing well beyond the level weave learned to expect of afirst novelistsa or anew voices.a He has the control and daring possessed by only the greats of each generation. He writes with humor and wisdom that is rare, and an empathy for his characters that is warm and complex and unique.a aStephen Elliott, author of "Happy Baby" Praise for Doug Dorst: aIt would be a shame if Doug Dorst is written of as one of the best debut novelists weave seen in years. Heas better than that. Heas one of the best novelists weave seen in years, writing well beyond the level weave learned to expect of afirst novelistsa or anew voices.a He has the control and daring possessed by only the greats of each generation. He writes with humor and wisdom that is rare, and an empathy for his characters that is warm and complex and unique.a aStephen Elliott, author of "Happy Baby"