The Long Way Down

Daniel Faust, Book 1

By: Craig Schaefer

Narrated by: Adam Verner

Nobody knows the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas like Daniel Faust, a sorcerer for hire and ex-gangster who uses black magic and bullets to solve his clients' problems. When an old man comes seeking vengeance for his murdered granddaughter, what looks like a simple job quickly spirals out of control.

Soon Daniel stands in the crossfire between a murderous porn director; a corrupt cop with a quick trigger finger; and his own former employer, a racket boss who isn't entirely human. Then there's Caitlin: brilliant, beautiful, and the lethal right hand of a demon prince.

A man named Faust should know what happens when you rub shoulders with demons. Still Daniel can't resist being drawn to Caitlin's flame as they race to unlock the secret of the Etruscan Box, a relic that people all over town are dying - and killing - to get their hands on. As the bodies drop and the double-crosses pile up, Daniel will need every shred of his wits, courage, and sheer ruthlessness just to survive.

Daniel Faust knew he was standing with one foot over the brink of hell. He's about to find out just how far he can fall.

©2014 Demimonde Books (P)2014 Demimonde Books

I love this book

The plot is amazing. More let turns then a round about. If this was a movie, I'd watch it in a heart beat. Or a tv show since it feels like it has so many small stories to make one large one.

Pretty solid fantasy detective novel

This was a pretty solid fantasy detective novel. There are a lot of the gumshoe detective tropes but they are used well and that's what makes a genre. The style and narration need a little polishing but are for the most part pretty good. Solid first installment and I will likely read the next one.

Just to address this, a lot of other commenters compare this to the Dresden files, and there are some similarities especially at the beginning but Jim Butcher does not have a monopoly on the genre. Every magical detective novel is likely to have some overlap but the style of this author is different and thus far it's pretty good.

Good Story, Awful Narrator

I like the characters and the story. It’s a great start to a series.

But I’ve listened to 100s of audiobooks at this point and I’ve never come across a narrator who was so awful with female voices. It took a lot away from the listening pleasure. To the point where I’m 50/50 on continuing the series.

Fun Vegas Detective Story with Magic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I couldn't stop listening to this book and ended up getting all the books in the series and whipping through them. The story is a Mickey Spillane type story, but filled with magic and demons both good and bad. Daniel Faust is the sorcerer detective that keeps getting involved with saving humanity with the help of his magic friends and demon girlfriend. Fun characters and great narration.

Have you listened to any of Adam Verner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Loved Verner's reading, so natural and full of emotion.

One thing

This book was good but what pushed it into GREAT was that the author never said "the house always wins" in a book set in Las Vegas

God that must have been hard

Entertaining enough

This book was entertaining enough to distract me from the monotony of driving through ever present traffic to and from work. I would have liked to see the main character, a magician, actually use some magic though. The cover made him look like a bad-ass. I was expecting (hoping for) something reminiscent of Sandman Slim or the Demon Accords. Instead I got another interesting book with a main character who's basically a pussy who scrapes by through luck and impossible chance as opposed to his intellectual prowess and/or sheer power. I understand a weak lead makes for dramatic suspense because he's always in grave danger of imminent death or failure, but you can get drama from the relationships and unknown outcomes while allowing your character some legitimate power to make things more exciting. Anyway, good book. Obviously I'm just a little tired of the main character barely scraping by routine.

average at best

Lack luster characters with a predictable story that does not have many redeemable qualities. skip this onee

Decent noir urban fantasy

This was good enough for me to wishlist the next book to await a sale. I like that Daniel has a complicated, broken past and isn’t a Gary Stu. I also like that he’s not completely a solo operator and actually has a group of friends, unlike so many urban fantasy series out there. The tone is detective noir meets demons and occults. There are several potentially triggering scenes involving girls being victimized, but they are mostly described in indirect ways.

For an even grittier UF series with an even more anti-hero MC, I recommend the Nightwise series.
For a pulpier, more fantasy leaning series try the Valkyrie Chronicles.

Well done but not my thing.

Narration and story are good and it was a fun ride to the end. It just wasn't for me. If you like urban noir with a hellfire twist then you'll love this.

cool

Magician . . . not quite sorcerer. winning by luck.
Great story line. Well written