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Dead Man's Hand
- The Unorthodox Chronicles, Book 1
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
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Dead Man's Hand
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Summary
In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.
On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.
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Critic reviews
“Woot! Get set for a wild ride! Debut author James J. Butcher hits one out of the ballpark. Nonstop action in this character-driven urban fantasy that is both laugh-out-loud and terrifying—sometimes at the same time.”—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Clear your schedule. You won’t want to put this down. With awkward heroes, convincing villains, and reluctant deadly mentors, James J Butcher’s Dead Man’s Hand is a gem. Uneven alliances evolving into comrade-in-arms, personal growth, and, most important to me, inventive world building all make Dead Man’s Hand an entirely enjoyable read that proves once more that snark is indeed a deadly weapon. Read it. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly await the sequel.”—Kim Harrison, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Dead Man's Hand is splendid, a spectacular debut novel and the best book I’ve read in years. James J. Butcher is an outstanding storyteller and I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.”—Faith Hunter, New York Times bestselling author
What listeners say about Dead Man's Hand
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David LEWIS
- 30-03-24
Good characters.
interesting world setting. Great pilot story with the twists and turns one would expect from a Butcher. on to next installment
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-02-24
Brilliant story and a well crafted world
James J Butcher has managed to simultaneously capture the essence and spirit of his father's legacy, whilst building up a world and story of his own. I enjoyed every second of this book and will be immediately picking up the second. I have read everything his Jim Butcher has written more than once and I will definitely be doing the same for his sons work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-10-22
Not bad for a first book
You can definitely feel an influence from his dad.. one or two areas you feel like you may have heard something similar before. But the characters are great, it’s well written and over all I’m genuinely looking forward to the next one. I’d say give it a go
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Benjamin kai holland
- 02-05-23
Very impressed
Great book, if you like Dresden files you will like this a lot, a great first book, very impressed, great book, learnt from his dad I guess
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. Demarcy
- 16-07-23
Fantastic
The world, characters and story are all fantastic I thoroughly enjoyed it and will listen over and over as I do with all my favourites. Can't wait for more!
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- ryan burnside
- 03-11-22
excellent
loved the book, pulled me if fast and kept me entertained throughout. can't wait for the next one.
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- John P. Allum
- 21-01-24
Enjoyable listen
That was an enjoyable story and could be the start of a good series. Opps. 15 word minimum.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- TW
- 27-10-22
Excellent Promise as an Author
An interesting, curious dive into another modern day urban fantasy world. Despite having the potential to be case in the shadow of the Dresden Files, James J. Butcher knocks this out the park. Excellent beginning to (hopefully) and incredible series
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mark Chitty
- 07-11-22
An interesting novel, and promising series
I quite enjoyed Dead Man's Hand by the end, though it took a while to really get going and for Butcher to building the world and characters. I liked Grimsby, our main character, and he has an interesting history that helped drive the plot forward. World building was done slowly and steadily and reminded me very much of the way the early Dresden books were done. Very interested to see where he takes this series from here.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Karen
- 10-03-24
Great story
I enjoyed this very much. Great characters and plenty of tension. Well read too. Looking forward to other books from the same author.
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