Customer Reviews

Old Tin Sorrows (Garrett Files, Bk. 4)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Old Tin Sorrows


Old Tin Sorrows is the fourth book in the Garrett Files collection. Garrett is a tough ex-marine, private investigator in the mold of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. The series is set in a fantasy world that is quite amusing. His advisor is "the Dead Man" who is really not a man at all and isn't dead exactly, but, oh never mind, buy this book; you'll want to read it several times. In this book Garrett is doing a favor for his old marine Sergeant who asks him to figure out who is poisoning his ex-general (who just happens to have a beautiful young daughter.

He, also introduces a new character, a Dr. Doom who sounds like he could be in future books,at lest I hope so, he sounds interesting

Highly recommended for fans of Cook and high adventure.




1. Sweet Silver Blues (1987)
2. Bitter Gold Hearts (1988)
3. Cold Copper Tears (1988)
4. Old Tin Sorrows (1989)
5. Dread Brass Shadows (1990)
6. Red Iron Nights (1991)
7. Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994)
8. Petty Pewter Gods (1995)
9. Faded Steel Heat (1999)
10. Angry Lead Skies (2002)
11. Whispering Nickel Idols (2005)
Science Fiction Book Club omnibus editions:
1. The Garrett Files (collects Sweet Silver Blues, Bitter Gold Hearts, and Cold Copper Tears; 2003)
2. Garrett, P.I. (collects Old Tin Sorrows, Dread Brass Shadows, and Red Iron Nights; 2003)
3. Garrett Investigates (collects Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Petty Pewter Gods, and Faded Steel Heat; 2004)

Gunner December, 2007

This is the book for anyone who has enjoyed any other of the Garrett novels. It is the second book in the sequence of events in Garrett's life. It explains the background of Elenor, the haunting painting that hangs above Garrett's desk. Fans of the Dead Man will be disappointed, as he makes but a brief appearence in this book. This is possibly Cook's best Murder mystery / Ghost story.

This is the 4th in Cook's Garrett series ("Sweet Silver Blues," "Bitter Gold Hearts," "Cold Copper Tears," "Old Tin Sorrows," "Dread Brass Shadows," "Red Iron Nights," "Deadly Quicksilver Lies," "Petty Pewter Gods," "Faded Steel Heat," "Angry Lead Skies," and "Whispering Nickel Idols"). If this isn't the best of the whole Garrett series, it's right up there fighting for the slot. For all intents and purposes, there's no Dead Man in this book: it's all Garrett, with some support from Morley and a couple of appearances from Saucerhead and the Dojango triplets. It's got good pacing and keeps you scratching your head trying to figure out what's going on all the way to the end. It's also one of the darkest books in the series. Nasty stuff. But, it explains why Garrett is so fixated on his picture of Eleanor in later books. Excellent, excellent book. I rate it at 5 stars out of 5.

BTW: At the time of this review, this book is long out of print. It's tough to find anywhere. As an alternative, look around for the SFBC's "Garrett, P.I.." This book is part of that collection.

This one has it all, a hard-bitten detective, his slightly sleazy sidekick, several beautiful women as love interests, and a story that will keep you engrossed and guessing till the end

this is the odd duck of the series, out of sequence, darker, isolated from the colorful tapestry of TunFaire that powers the other books.
But what a great tale anyway! The characterizations feel more mature, the atmosphere positively Gothic, and serious emotions, for once. I was moved by certain scenes. Given that the series is basically a riot to read (one of my all time favorites), I think this book uniquely contributes by adding a little more reality and empathy for Garrett, thus giving the 'shallower' remains of the series a little more depth. One of the things I love about this series is that Cook could have easily fallen into formula with the fantasy elements and the crime-noir, but instead has kept rocking the boat as well as successfully world building with such disparate elements as vampires, army life, the mob, the birth of modern commerce, and an entire evolving backdrop of a society.
Anyway, as a single, this is my favorite, but I think it helps to love Garrett first from the other books. Being able to put Garrett out there on his own without the usual circus around him shows how strong a lead character he is.

I'm a huge fan of the Garrett series with one notable exception - Old Tin Sorrows. The problem for me occurs very early in the plot, when Garrett is first hired to investigate the shady doings in General Stantnor's mansion. The events are unpleasantly similar to those in the opening chapters of The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler. The plots of the two books diverge somewhat in later chapters, but not much. Essentially, blackmail/pornography/murder in The Big Sleep are rendered as poisoning/magic/murder in Old Tin Sorrows.

Now I'm not accusing Cook of plagiarism by any means. For all I know, he may have been paying homage to Chandler in this fashion. It's just that the basic plotline, especially in the beginning, isn't really Cook's; and there's no apology to Chandler regarding this adaptation.

If the more recent Garrett novels were similarly inspired by other mystery classics, I haven't noticed it. I'm glad for that. I just wish I didn't have Old Tin Sorrows to think about every time I start reading a new Garrett story.

UpRight Ape

This is no.4 in the Garrett series, and a departure from the format of the previous 3. There is almost no Dead Man, and instead is a classic whodunit. There is the usual Garrett wit, with crackling dialogue and cynical humour.

Its a fun read, one of my favourite Garrett stories, and well worth picking up.

Old Tin Sorrows by Glen Cook is a Garrett, P.I. novel. I'm not sure which one in the series this is, but they can be read stand alone without hurting their enjoyment. If you are a fan of Cook you'll enjoy this book. Fans of humorous fantasy noir will also enjoy it. I think it's a great read.

This book was advertised as new so I bought it for my husband (this is his account) and it is not new - June 1989 first printing. The paperback version is new. I wish it would have said that. But the book is excellent. Just go through you or your husbands old books and see if it is there in hardback before you buy it.

This is the best Garrett book I've read so far. Glen Cook does not always cooks a convincing story line (sorry for the pun); this one was excellent, a real mystery story a la Agatha Cristie but with Gothic flavor. Almost Victorian :-) And it is nice once in a while to see Garrett going without help from the Dead Man.