Dead Man's Hand

The Unorthodox Chronicles, Book 1

By: James J. Butcher

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

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.

©2022 James J. Butcher (P)2022 Penguin Audio

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

the characters are good

good read and awesome story and character are well play with a dresden file feel to it

Engaging and enjoyable magical combat.

The characters are believable and you will care about them while they figure out what the Jabberwocky is going on. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Amazing story

Great story well written , characters felt real. James Patrick Cronin did a great job narrating as usual. I hope to see more to come from these characters.

Not a Dresden clone.. but much the same DNA

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Dresden Files. Different in a good way, darker, not a seasoned witch/wizard. I enjoyed it looking forward to more in series.

Magically delicious adventure!

Lovably flawed characters. He does his pop proud. Nicely done. May i have some more? Cheers!

A solid first installment

This book is a solid first installment in a new modern, urban fantasy series. Notably, magic is public knowledge so there's none of the usual secrecy tropes at play. That allows for the story to expand in some interesting directions, which the author definitely took advantage of. Overall, the story is good and I wasn't left disappointed. That said, I felt it just missed nailing a few story beats that would have pushed it to be something great. The mystery plot is good, but a few of the reveals aren't foreshadowed enough to allow for readers to be able to really follow along and be able to truly track where things may be going. The action scenes as well are good, but lack some satisfying resolutions or scenes that I was hoping for.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and I'll definitely be picking up the next one whenever it rolls out,

the horror of the TACO FAIRY!

I loved this book;
I can relate to the main hero character; who hasn't been trapped into working a customer service job, been treated like slave labor by your boss and customers, with nothing but the hope that it won't get worse.
Grimsby is very good as a hero in training, but Mayflower is a great hero who's glory is slowly fading away. He reminds me of Clint Eastwood/Chuck Norris after the cameras stop filming.
I love the way the narrator almost losses it when he gets to the part about the "Taco Fairy" uniform: pink tutu and taco wings. Only a true hero could wear that in public with any amount of dignity

Impressively good combared to his Father's work

I won’t lie. Jim Butcher is an all-time hero of mine. His work with Dresden Files shaped me as an author. But HOLY HOT DAMN!!! James is a hell of an impressive artist in his own right.

Looking at it from an author’s perspective, foreshadowing was impressively well done. Red herring work is top-notch. Character design is both relatable and intriguing with backstory hints that have me asking questions even at the end of the book. The meshing of the start components of the story with the end climax was seemless. At that Epilogue… GAHH!! I already want the next book and I can’t wait to see how James works with what he has already used.

I only have one issue with the story and the only reason I spotted this plot hole is because I’m an actively practicing witch in my downtime. His Ogham is off. I can’t say too much without serious spoilers but, but I’m reasonably fluent in the script of the druids and the layered meaning doesn’t fit.

But even with that issue I still give the story 5/5.

Excellent

If your expectations are that this will be just another Jim Butcher book, you’d be incorrect. His son has written a unique and well crafted story that will stand on its own regardless of who the father or the writer may be.

I were greatly entertained

The writing and performance of the book was even better than hoped, and I were well entertained throughout.