Dead to Me is the first novel of Anton Strout featuring Simon Canderous, a psychometrist (touches objects and gets psychic flashes of who had it before) who works for a governmental agency that deals with the supernatural.

Male protagonists in Urban Fantasy are a little rare these days. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden is the obvious comparison, but I'd say fans might not necessarily cross over between these two series.

Simon is more light-hearted, less angsty than Harry, and he defnitely doesn't get as beat up.

He is a hero thought, trying to do Good with a capital "G" although he comes from a criminal past.

His adventures are more humorous than thrilling, but what I did like about this series is how the book shows how his powers limit him in day to day real life. (ever touch the phone of your current main squeeze and "see" her with her ex boyfriend?) as well as give us a tongue-in-cheek view of the evils of bureaucracy.

Some of the details of this world were unclear to me, as well as the agency Simon works for, but I'd read a second book in this series.

Recommended for urban fantasy fans.