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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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Publisher's 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.
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
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 03-05-2023
Bloody brilliant
A bloody brilliant book with funny characters. I binged this in one day and can’t wait for the next one to be released
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Damian Perry
- 26-06-2023
Came for the surname stayed for the story
I really enjoyed this. Great world building, decent humour and a story with nice twists, characters and plot. Definitely continuing on
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kerry
- 28-08-2023
Great romp with strong characters
James Butcher has started fashioning an image interesting world. Grimsby and Mayflower are terrific characters although perhaps a trifle indestructible ( one too many close calls maybe?) Still I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely read a sequel.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-03-2024
comfort food
this book was very much comfort food. it was a little predictable, but gave the same comfort that Jim Butchers books do (funny that).
my only complaint is with the performance. I wish the performer had used more range of different voices. I found myself confusing some of the voices between characters.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-04-2024
Good story but man character is uninspiring
Good story.
Good world building for a 1st book
Decent prose
Character building is where it falls down. The main character is so uninspiring, only alive due to plot armor, he’s very carebear, not very capable for someone who trained as an auditor and whose mum was apparently a witch, knows only 3 spells. Lacks grit and determination. May let the serious improve before I give it another go
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Futurecow
- 02-12-2022
Excellent first book
James J. Butcher shows he is a talented writer in his own right, and not carried by his last name. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-02-2023
Great story combined with a Great performance
Loved it. Highly recommend. I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jeff Northam
- 04-04-2023
honestly hard to complain about this book
The protagonist has some nice limitations to overcome, good story arc, and narrated by one of the best.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tabitha
- 13-07-2023
Butcher 2.0
The influence is obvious but in a style all his own. Effortless storytelling. Coming back for more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 21-01-2024
Fantastic!
James J Butcher has an easy style, great character development & dialogue. He opens up this world in dead man's hand with a class that belies a debut novel. Will definitely read more & be following this author!
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