Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson and Thomas E. Sniegoski

There are streets no one else should walk, places that no one should dare go, and places that no one should see. But there are also people who walk, go and see where others shouldn't, and there are those who make their living at it. These are their stories.

Mean Streets is a compilation of four paranormal stories, each from a different author, of people who live far different lives, but each deal with things most people couldn't face.

Jim Butcher's story, "The Warrior" involves Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional practicing wizard. Harry's friend Michael Carpenter was one of the Holy Knights of the Cross, wielding a sword forged with one of the nails that Jesus was crucified with. But recent permanent injuries have forced him to give up that role, and Harry, already holding on to one of the Holy Swords, was also given Michael's, to hold until a new wielder appeared for it. But someone has decided they want the swords and would be a better steward for it than Harry, who is a wizard and not a person of faith. But when Michael is drawn into the conflict by the kidnapping of his daughter, will be be able to hold onto his godly ideals? And just what is "fighting the good fight", really? Does it always mean battle, or can it mean something else as well?

Simon R. Green adds a tale of John Taylor from the Nightside. John is asked by a woman who has lost her memory of an entire day to recover her memory for her. But her husband also seems to be missing, and may have something to do with her missing day that she cannot remember. The trail will lead John, the woman, and Dead Boy into the worst place in the Nightside: The Badlands, where you can find sins that even the Nightside finds too disgusting and twisted to own. But can John save his client from what she finds in the Badlands, and the secrets of her own heart?

Kat Richardson spins a tale of Harper Blaine, a woman who died and came back, and is now able to see and hear ghosts of people who live in a place called "The Gray". Harper is hired to bring a small ceramic dog statue to Oxaca in Mexico and lay it on the grave of a man called Hector Purecete, buried somewhere in Oxaca. Harper agrees to do so, but finds that the statue has some kind of hair inside it. And when the dog statuetee is destroyed at the airport by a hasty customs official, she can see that the spirit of a real dog was somehow bound inside it. But can she discover why her now-dead client wanted the dog to be put on the the grave during El Dios de las Muertas?

Thomas Sniegoski tales the tale of the Detective Remy Chandler, formerly the Angel Remiel of the Heavenly Host. Heartbroken over the death of his wife from cancer, Remiel is asked by another fallen angel to look into the death of Noah, of the Ark fame. After having saved all the animals he brought on the ark, Noah became obsessed with the creatures he didn't save, including a variant of humans called the Chimerians, who were abandoned by God for humanity. He became convinced that some of them had survived the flood and were still alive. Can Remiel discover the truth of Noah's Orphans?

Each of the stories were very different, but each spectacular in its own way. My two favorites were the Harry Dresden and John Taylor stories, mainly because I am very familliar with those worlds and already enjoyed them before I even picked up the book. The Harry Dresden story plays with the reader's conception of what constitutes the Good Fight when it comes to God, and how it's still possible to make a difference even if you don't believe in the Christian God, simply by helping others. By contrast, the John Taylor story illuminates another part of the Nightside, fleshing it out a bit more, while allowing us to enjoy some vicarious violence on his part.

The Harper Blaine story I also found interesting, and on the strength of reading this short story/novella, I picked up the two volumes written of her, the first of which is the novel "Greywalker", in which she gains her abilities. I liked some of the more interesting ideas in this story, like that the appearance of ghosts comes from the living and what they believe the ghosts should look like, and that Harper Blaine isn't the only one with her powers. The Thomas Sniegoski story was new to me, but I have read some stories about Fallen Angels on earth before. This one was interesting, but it didn't make me rush out to read more right away. Which is fine, because I still enjoyed the story. I just didn't feel the need to read more.

An excellent collection of Paranormal Private Investigators, you'll find a lot to like here. Each character brings a decidedly different outlook to the party, but ones you will definitely find enjoyable and memorable. Highly recommended.