Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann is part Batman and part Sky Captain. The book is a steampunk pulp superhero that is an homage to The Shadow, only our hero is The Ghost. The US is in a cold war with Britain (whose Queen Victoria just died at the ripe of age of 107) and is deep into prohibition and jazz. The only thing missing from the book was appearances from Babe Ruth and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Our hero is a playboy who doesn’t like to be alone, but doesn’t want anyone truly around. So he buries himself in one outlandish party after another. Except for Celeste, the jazz singer who has captured his heart. But when he puts on his night vision goggles and jet boots, he becomes The Ghost. And he’s hot on the trail of The Roman, who’s killing random people and putting authentic roman coins on their eyes. Joining him in this manhunt is Detective Felix Donovan. He’s been offered a bribe by The Roman’s men and knows that his choices are his integrity or his life.

When The Ghost starts taking out The Roman’s men, new helpers start showing up with the thugs. Moss covered golems which are superstrong and hard to kill. The Ghost, Detective Donovan and Celeste realize that one of them might have to die to stop The Roman and his nefarious plans. But what can they be and will they be able to get there in time.

Ghosts of Manhattan is a fun read. It reminded me a lot of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril in it’s obvious love of pulp. Highly recommended for a quick, light read. If you’re not sure you would like it, the publisher has made the first six chapters available online.