Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Blue Blazes | 2013 | Chuck Wendig | Buy |
| 2 | The Hellsblood Bride | 2014 | Chuck Wendig | Buy |
| 3 | Red Devils Rise | 2015 | Chuck Wendig | Buy |
The Mookie Pearl series by Chuck Wendig is published by Angry Robot Books and mixes organized crime fiction with dark urban fantasy. Mookie Pearl is a big, tough enforcer who works for the Organization, a criminal empire that controls the flow of magical pigments mined from the Great Below, a vast network of supernatural tunnels and caverns under New York City. These pigments give temporary abilities to whoever uses them, and they are worth a fortune on the streets above.
The Blue Blazes (2013) starts when Mookie’s daughter Nora, who wants nothing to do with him, launches a power play against the Organization. Mookie is caught between loyalty to his bosses and love for his kid, all while monsters from the deep start pushing toward the surface. The Hellsblood Bride (2014) and Red Devils Rise (2015) continue the story, taking Mookie deeper into the underworld both literally and figuratively.
What sets this series apart is the mix of blue-collar crime drama with genuinely weird fantasy. Mookie is not a wizard or a chosen one. He is a working man with a wrench and a bad attitude who happens to live in a world where the ground beneath his feet is full of nightmares. Wendig gives the setting a grimy, lived-in quality that makes the supernatural elements feel grounded.