Book review: Vermin by Scott A. Johnson

I love books that allow me to experience a story through the eyes of someone I can relate to. And for as much as I can relate to a going-on-middle-age clairvoyant man, I’ve got Stanley Cooper.

Vermin, the first in the Stanley Cooper chronicles, gives us our first glimpse of Stanley and his band of magical cohorts as they try to save Pittsburgh from a deadly force bent on destroying the city. A very near-death experience left Stan dead for 3 minutes and he wakes with the ability to see the dead and the energies that all living and almost-living creatures leave in their wake. This is pretty cool on its own, but factor in Stanley’s hometown—the undead city of Pittsburgh—and you’ve got a rough kind of day.

When college student Shannon contacts Stanley about an unusual house problem, then turns up dead, Stanley has the police and the supernatural breathing down his neck. The problem in Shannon’s house is bigger than Stanley expected. People disappear, lives are destroyed, and it’s up to Stanley to fix the problem.

We meet Maggie who is a practicing witch with a shop on Pittsburgh’s historic and diverse South Side and also Stan’s best friend and sometimes lover. Detective Taylor takes a chance on Stanley and learns some things he wishes he didn’t. We’re also introduced to Andrea, a girl with incredible potential and a great need for some guidance. The characters are the kind of people you meet on the street everyday in the city of Pittsburgh… and the ones you hope will be in charge when the supernatural world crashes into ours.

I highly recommend Vermin for readers who enjoy a whirlwind adventure with paranormal elements.