Entertaining noir detective story in an urban fantasy world, with all sorts of interesting myths, legends, people, beings, creatures, objects and rules. Wonderful wry humorous tone to the text, and witty dialogue. Various features of life and New York are sent-up. A lot happens in quite a short timeframe (24 hours). John Justin Mallory is enticed to hunt a stolen unicorn, but all is not what it seems, and he works out he has been set up. A light, enjoyable read. ( )

It was typical quirky fantasy detective story - in that there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of sense to the world created, no underlying theme or rules. The bad guy was bad because he wanted to be, the detective was a bit too good, the cat girl seems to be a standard in every book like this. But, even though there were a lot of cliches, it was well written, the characters standard, but not cardboard, and the plot wasn't as transparent as I thought it would be. Its a quick, light read, for those who wants an easy book that doesn't take itself to seriously. ( )

Stalking the Unicorn was a fun fantasy novel with the twists and turns of a detective mystery. It is a little bit Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz with a dash of Gulliver's Travels thrown in. Private eye John Justin Mallory has had a bad year. His wife ran off with his partner, he's been evicted from his apartment, and a couple of thugs are watching his office. It's New Year's and he is drowning his woes when a green elf walks through the door and asks him to help find his lost unicorn. Mallory figures dancing pink elephants will appear next, but they don't. The elf is real and he will die if he doesn't find the unicorn before sunrise. Mallory and the elf search for the unicorn in an alternate Manhattan full of elephant cabs, feline women, leprechauns, gnomes, and other unusual sights.

While Mallory searches for the unicorn, he meets various interesting people. He stops to question people like Alice questioned the strange goings on in Wonderland. I liked how he accepted the outrageous antics without judging them. For example, two gentlemen had been playing the same game of chess at the same outdoor café since 1937. Mallory and the elf are joined by other characters who want to help with the search, not unlike Dorothy and her friends traveling to the emerald city in OZ. There is also a morality story thrown in concerning betting on horse races which reminded me of the Houyhnhnms from Gulliver’s Travels. ( )

Very entertaining and quick read. John Justin is a true blue hard-boiled detective. Think Bogart, and you'll have John Justin. It was a lot of fun to watch how everything plays out in the end and how John Justin takes care of his enemies. Great characters and a fun setting. Look forward to reading the sequel! ( )

http://thenovelworld.com/2008/09/03/s... ( )