Death & Honey

By: Kevin Hearne, Chuck Wendig, Lila Bowen

Narrated by: Luke Daniels, Xe Sands, Robin Miles

Death & Honey contains three new novellas by New York Times best sellers Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne, and Chuck Wendig.

In The Buzz Kill by Kevin Hearne, Oberon the Irish wolfhound, and Starbuck the Boston Terrier sink their teeth into a new Meaty Mystery when they discover a body underneath a beehive in Tasmania. It’s been badly stung, but the bees aren’t at fault: This is homicide. The hounds recruit the help of their Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan, and the Tasmanian police to track down the killer in the interest of a reward - but this time, they want more than food, and justice.

Grist of Bees, by Delilah S. Dawson writing as Lila Bowen, follows Rhett Walker, who has given up his destiny as the monster-hunting Shadow to settle down with his beloved Sam. But when the call to action grows too strong, Rhett saddles up to follow a peculiar bee into the unforgiving desert. The bee leads him to a weeping mother in a strangely prosperous valley, and Rhett has no choice but to hunt the creature that's stolen her child - even if it destroys a land of milk and honey.

Interlude: Tanager by Chuck Wendig returns us to the world of Miriam Black. Lauren “Wren" Martin is a young psychic woman who can see the stained souls of killers; it is her gift, or as she sees it, her curse. And up until now, it has been her mission to kill those killers, to remove them from the pattern so that they may not murder again. But now, after a death that may not have been deserved, she’s left rudderless, without plan or purpose, until a woman with a strange power of her own takes her in and gives her a new mission - and a new target.

©2019 Kevin Hearne, Chuck Wendig, D.S. Dawson (P)2018 Luke Daniels, Xe Sands

After reading other reviews...

I expected a lot less of this collection. I'll agree that the stories weren't great, but the aren't as bad as others made them out to be. If you DEMAND a great read or don't appreciate strong language spare your self the annoyance. Otherwise, go ahead and get the book to finish up the chronicles.

I only enjoyed the kevin hearne portion

I tried to enjoy the other two authors, but they really did nothing for me and the style of book they were. narrations were good for all three books. and of course kevin hern was my favorite, i'm a big oberon fan.

Awesome collection

Kevin Hearne is currently my favorite author and I hope to get to see further adventures of iron Druid

2/3 5 stars

Hearne and Bowen’s stories were phenomenal. I initially read this only for Kevin Hearne, but I am now 100% invested in reading the series that Bowen’s short story came from. I will not, however, touch Wendig’s with a ten foot pole.


The third story just felt like a few hours of despair. If you like reading books where bad things happen to the character over and over again and the author makes the character say fuck 938 times so you don’t forget that she’s edgy, then you’d probably like this story. If you’re into a nuanced plot that doesn’t rely on the same sequence of events occurring 4 times in a row (girl with psychic powers trusts someone, uses her powers, discovers she’s being manipulated, kills everyone, cycle repeats x4), then you probably won’t like this.

features three authors I enjoy

The Buzz Kill by Kevin Hearne - This is an Oberon Meaty Mystery, narrated by Luke Daniels and the number one reason I bought this anthology. This tale pics up shortly after the events of Scourged, the last novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles. Attius and the dogs have been camping and healing Tasmanian Devils, when Atticus gives them some time to explore. Oberon and Starbuck are soon following a bee, hoping to see a hive. They find the hive but also a dead body and soon the threesome find themselves in the middle of a meaty mystery! It was wonderful getting updates. The mystery was clever and involved tracking, food and the police. For non-Iron Druid fans, this is a standalone mystery. Hearne did an impressive job of providing character background.

Luke Daniels offers an array of voices and I cannot recommend him enough. He narrates all the Iron Druid Chronicles and Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries. I confess, I look for books he narrates. It felt like coming home. If you start the series, grab it on audio because it’s amazing.

Grist of Bees, by Delilah S. Dawson, writing as Lila Bowen - Narrated by Robin Miles, this takes place in the world of Bowen’s Shadow series. I have read and enjoyed audiobooks by Dawson, so I was curious to read this. The story centers on Rhett Walker, who has just finished his day when a bee begins to bother him and seems to want him to follow. The bee leads him to a woman who tells him how the Oracle’s handmaidens came down off the mountain and stole her daughter. Something inside of Rhett urges him to help. Terms are met and our adventure begins. While in some respects I felt I had been dropped into this western landscape, I thought the author did a strong enough job allowing this story to work for newcomers. As we journey Rhett faces monsters and runs into old friends before the climatic battle. While, the world and characters were interesting it just never grabbed me. The beginning and end were the most interesting, but the middle never fully pulled me in.

Robin Miles was lovely with the narration and offered unique voices, nice pacing and enhanced the story.


Interlude: Tanager by Chuck Wendig- This is a Wren novella from his Miriam Black world. Xe Sands narrated the story and one I was eager to try. Wendig’s novel the Wanderers was a top ten read for me and my first by this author. I liked this dark, gritty tale about a girl with a talent to see if someone is capable of murder. She is offered a job and becomes an assassin.
This was dark, twisted and had flashbacks that enabled me to get a feel for the world and series but also to fully enjoy the tale. The climatic ending was tense, and I liked the story enough that I will seek the series out on audio.

Xe Sands was delightful and the perfect choice for the story. I find her pacing, tone and voices to enhance any story she narrates.