• Darkside Blues

  • The Ulrich Files, Book 3
  • By: Ambrose Ibsen
  • Narrated by: Jake Urry
  • Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (180 ratings)

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Darkside Blues  By  cover art

Darkside Blues

By: Ambrose Ibsen
Narrated by: Jake Urry
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Publisher's summary

"Ghosts don't simply latch onto places, investigator. People can become haunted, too."

A missing person. A city plunged into unforgiving winter. A dangerous spirit.

Though enjoying an increase in business following his last case, life isn't all roses for private investigator Harlan Ulrich. His newest job, another missing person's case, is unlike any other he's ever taken on.

Local businessman Michael Poole hires Ulrich to find his estranged daughter.

The problem?

She's been dead for a decade.

Join Ulrich on a trip into the darkness, into the frostbitten underworld, as he seeks out a hateful phantom with only a cat and a thermos of good coffee on his side.

Darkside Blues is the third novel in the Ulrich Files series by Ambrose Ibsen.

©2017 Ambrose Ibsen (P)2017 Ambrose Ibsen

What listeners say about Darkside Blues

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Best one yet.

So, P.I Harlan Ulrich's business is finally taking off and his life is pretty good, and when Michael Poole approaches him and tells him that he sometime sees his daughter, who has been missing for 10 years, Ulrich thinks it's a simple case and happily takes it because Mr. Poole is willing to pay handsomely. But things aren't as they seem and Ulrich quickly realises that this isn't a simple case, someone is lying to him and things are about to get out of hand when Ulrich starts being followed by.... something.

Harlan Ulrich has quickly grown on me! He is just such a nice character, whose reactions to events feel "real". He is scared of a lot of things, and has to talk himself into investigating anything unusual, which is what I like most about him. So often, nothing phases the protagonists, but Ulrich isn't like that!! His inner monologues are the best ;)

This, like the other 2, isn't primarily a ghost story. It's a paranormal mystery that will keep you on the edge of your toes, and constantly guessing what's what! I love how the author is so good at making his books so atmospheric and spooky. He doesn't just tell us, he shows us and makes our imagination take over!!

Jake Urry is the perfect narrator for these books. He can bring across the creepiness so well!!! He has plenty of tones and cadences and knows how to tell the story so you get shivers at certain parts!! Brilliant narrator :)

I was voluntarily provided this audiobook for free from the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really good ghost story

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

Absolutely. It was a great book and while I haven't listened to any of the other books in the series, based on reviews they must be as good. I always like finding a good series to stick with and share.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Beardsly the cat. I liked Ulrich's attitude towards his cat as well as their interactions.

Which character – as performed by Jake Urry – was your favorite?

Vivian. I enjoyed his "liar" voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I have to start out by saying that I have a daughter so the story itself is awful and I would have preferred a far more intense ending. I didn't really expect the book to go the way that it did so when everything is revealed I wanted more justice. That being said the book itself was really good.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Creepy and well-written

The main character of this book was really hard up for money in the book that preceded this, so it was really cool to see him doing a job for the sake of the job in this book because he cared about the job so much, and the money was secondary.

This story had atmosphere and was moody. Ambrose Ibsen did a great job of setting the tone, and Jake Urry did an amazing job of oozing out the mood. Jake is one of my favorite narrators and I plan to stalk him on Audible until I have listened to nearly everything he has done.

If you like mysteries and ghost stories, this book is a perfect mashup. Give it a listen and you won't be sorry. I bought this book after hearing the one that came before this, and I'm hooked on this series now!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Book 3

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

Jake Urry is the perfect voice for this kind of genre

Who was the most memorable character of Darkside Blues and why?

If you love a good horror story, I recommend this series . The author creates suspense and dread for both the listener/reader. The author takes his time in telling the story and creates a wonderfully engaging character in Ulrich. These series is three books and listen to all three.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

works perfectly well as a standalone

This book was a classic haunting story that was strong all the way through - the ghost was actually terrifying in both character and gore. I often feel let down in one of those two aspects when I read horror so this gets a round of applause from me!

This book is the third in The Ulrich Files series, I haven't heard either of the earlier books but this installment works perfectly well as a standalone with only a few references to what may have occurred in the past (and where PI Harlan Ulrich got his oddly charming cat from).
Ulrich is a good main character, he's suitably freaked out when he discovers a disfigured ghost is following him but he's empathetic enough a person to stick around to see things through. He's the perfect stereotype of the moody PI with a troubled past and a heart of gold, I love me a classic and this delivers perfectly.

The ending of this story is strong and balances the paranormal with the awfulness of humanity really well, you won't be disappointed! Ibsen definitely knows how to put a great horror story together -  I'm glad that I listened to this in the lead up to Halloween, it has me itching for another good horror read to keep the creeps going.

Jake Urry was an excellent narrator for this kind of book, his character voices were the highlight for me - they sound completely different from his narration voice and really come to life (heh. Ghost puns). I found his standard narration voice a little bit slow and it didn't entirely hold my attention, though his haunted-house announcer style was very entertaining.

I'm not convinced that the sound effects that were added to the more tense moments in the book were a good move, it came across as a little bit cheesy for a book which was genuinely scary.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book - I think this is a brilliant match between author and narrator and would happily listen to more in this series.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ibsen and Urry - Amazing Every Time!

Any additional comments?

If you like stories of the paranormal variety then Ambrose Ibsen and Jake Urry are just right for you! I've listened to a number of books by this duo and they never, ever disappoint. Ibsen's stories are of the old-school ghost variety. Our protagonist, Ulrich, is a cranky, middle aged man who really enjoys a good coffee. No silly kids running around, no weird ghostly sexual encounters. Just a PI who happens to be privy to the other side and has a growing reputation for solving that particular kind of mystery. I enjoy these books so very much and I would recommend this tale to anyone who enjoys a good spooky story! 10/10

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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4 people found this helpful

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Detective ghosts and lots of double twists

Take a detective on the rise. Just completed some cases. Some local fame for the paranormal aspect of one of the cases. A crazy cat. An encounter with a man who wants to find his daughter. Did I mention she died 10 years ago? Find out why. Find out where she is. And most importantly find out what she wants. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Even the dead can get a bit blue.

Note: Even though this is Book 3 in the series, it works fine as a stand alone novel.

Following upon his success with the Exeter House mystery, Harlan Ulrich’s private investigation business has been doing quite well. He’s got a decent apartment, an admirable collection of fancy coffees, and a cat. Now he’s been hired to find yet another missing person. However, there’s more than one twist with this one. The missing person isn’t really missing but she’s not alive either.

I do believe this is my favorite of this series so far. Harlan Ulrich is truly becoming a ghost talker. He’s got his paranormal experiences of the past two books to draw on, so with this one he starts off on firmer ground, knowing some of the rules of engagement right from the start.

And we have Sparkles! Well, he was renamed by Harlan. His new name is Beardsley though I don’t think the cat really cares what Harlan calls him as long as there is food in his dish. Beardsley has a thing for coffee too and that mainly involves batting the beans about the apartment once he’s torn a hole in the bag.

Michael Poole has hired Harlan to approach his estranged daughter, Vivian. He says he’s seen her three times in an old neighborhood they used to live in when she was a teenager. However, he can’t bring himself to approach her and needs an intermediary. He’s chosen Harlan to be that man. However, Harlan discovers right away that Vivian died 10 years ago. As he continues to dig into the case, he finds other things that don’t match what Michael told him. Someone is lying. It becomes a tangled web as Harlan tracks down the ex-wife (Laguerre) and speaks with the stepmother (Meredith).

Let’s not forget the apparition that appears to be the teen-aged Vivian. However, she’s walking about with a limp. In life, she was wheelchair bound. Harlan has to unravel the truth about her apparent suicide. As Harlan makes more attempts to communicate with her, she responds in turn. However, her attempts of communication are rather disturbing to both Harlan and Beardsley.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was getting to know more about Harlan. He’s a teetotaler and his father was an alcoholic. This tale provides more glimpses into his past and that also provides a starting place for Vivian to communicate with him.

I really wasn’t sure where the author was going to take me with this one. I liked that I couldn’t guess major plot points right away. The story’s ending hung on a tipping point right up to the end. Will this character go this way or that, will it end in justice or vengeance, will Harlan have nightmares for months or sleep like a man after a fulfilling day’s work? I found the ending to be satisfying and I expect Harlan can live with the horrors he’s seen knowing he helped where he could.

I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobook Worm.

The Narration: Jake Urry continues to be great as Harlan Ulrich. His British accent continues to diminish with each book as he smooths out his American accent. Harlan sounds like a proper gent who happens to live in Toledo, Ohio. I liked his spooky voice for Vivian, who has a messed up face. Urry also added in a few sound effects here and there that worked quite well. I especially enjoyed the wind sounds in the background of some of the final scenes of the book.

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I'm hooked

I was gifted this audio ARC for a honest and unbiased review from the author/narrator.
First off this is the 3rd book in series and I have not had the honor of listening to the other 2. But book 3 can be a stand alone.
Ambrose Ibsen did a fantastic job of getting into my head with this story. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing all throughout the story.
The book was only made better with the narration done by Jake Urry. He has the right tone of voice for this type of book.
If you like mysteries and ghost stories, this book is a perfect book for you . Give it a listen and you won't be sorry.

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Darkside Blues

Darkside Blues: The Ulrich Files, Book 3
Ambrose Ibsen

Private Investigator Harlan Ulrich is back with a new case. A missing person case that takes the listener into the dark side. The story builds slowly adding lots of suspense and the supernatural chills.


The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Jake Urry brings the spooky feel to this tale!


"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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3 people found this helpful