Dead Man

Black Magic Outlaw, Book 1

By: Domino Finn

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

I'm Cisco Suarez: necromancer, shadow charmer, black magic outlaw. Sounds kinda cool, doesn't it? It was, right until I woke up half dead in a dumpster.

Did I say half dead? Because I meant 100% dead. Full on. I don't do things halfway.

So here I am, alive for some reason, just another sunny day in Miami. It's a perfect paradise, except I'm into something bad. Wanted by police, drenched in the stink of dark magic, nether creatures coming out of the woodwork, and don't get me started on the Haitian voodoo gang. Trust me, it's all fun and games until there's a zombie pit bull on your tail.

I'm Cisco Suarez: necromancer, shadow charmer, black magic outlaw, and totally screwed.

©2015 Domino Finn (P)2016 Domino Finn

Wow, so much good stuff packed into this!

Cisco Suarez wakes up in a dumster, having no idea how he got there. As he climbs out, he notices his hair is londer than usual, he has a lot more muscle than he remembers, some new tattoos, oh, and a car load of Haitian voodoo gangster's at the end of the alley saying that they killed him yesterday, but since it didn't take, hey, they'll be happy to repeat the job. That is the start of the wild series of adventures Cisco has, as he finds out he has been dead for 10 years, and everything he knew in the past has changed. His family was murdered, his friends are being targeted, and someone definitely wants him dead. Well, Cisco Suarez will have something to say about that. Using his magical skills and street smarts, Cisco will uncover a conspiracy much bigger than himself, but will he be able to deal with the much bigger fish in his pond? Get a copy and find out in the enjoyable conclusion. With a fast paced plot, snarky but endearing main character, and villains you can really loathe, this is a great new urban fantasy addition to any collection. As far as narration, this was the first time I had heard Neil Hellegars, but hopefully not the last, since he does a great job bringing out the snark in cisco while still keeping him likeable. Excellent job narrating. Any fan of Jim Butcher or Tim Marquitz's Demon Squad books will enjoy this book.

I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review through Audiobookboom.

voodoo, necromancy, the occult, potions, and more

Cisco Suarez wakes up in a dumpster after being killed 10 years ago.  He remembers none of the last decade, how he died, or how he got many of the skills and strength he now has.  After tracking down a couple of friends, he is able to piece together enough details to follow a trail toward his killers.  More questions arise as he finds out someone slaughtered his family and a Hattian voodoo gang wants him dead.

The action continues non-stop throughout the story, voodoo, necromancy, the occult, potions, and more fill the tale with magical violence.  The story is written in the first person, so the listener is inside Cisco’s head throughout; reliving his fears, insecurities, slowly returning memories and newly discovered abilities.  He is a self-taught necromancer and wielder of magic, so most of his skills are sometimes a surprise to him.

As the listener rediscovers Cisco’s lost 10 years, we relive his emotions with him, lost friendships, family, and lover.  It gets claustrophobic and redundant at times but remains generally entertaining.  The plot is less about making sense than following Cisco’s stumbling luck as an amateur occult detective.

Neil Hellegers performs the story well, giving it a personality.  His voice gets into the listeners head as he becomes Cisco.  A solid performance that is pleasant to listen to and gets out of the way when the action gets hot.

Dead Man is a detective story wrapped in the shell of magic and the occult.  There are enough dead bodies, zombies, and wizards to fill a small stadium.  Strange that the non-magic people don’t seem to notice much of it.  Never mind, that’s not the point.  It is Cisco’s world and you are invited to share it intimately as you ride on his shoulder.  While there is plenty of violence and most of it horrific, it is cartoonish and won’t give you nightmares.  The story is entertaining enough, fast paced and inventive.  Listen to the sample, it will give you enough to decide if the style is your taste.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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

[If this review helped, please press YES. Thanks!]

Can't Wait For The Next One!!!

Absolutely awesome story!! I love the intertwined mythos of the series and the humor of the main character melds the modern day and mystical lore into one.

great start to the series

this looks to be a great series and I can't wait for more books it a mix of sandman slim and the Dresden files with street slang

Hidden Gem

Sometimes you have to listen to a bunch of poorly written and poorly narrated books until you find a hidden gem like this one. I can't wait till the next one comes out in the series. Both the author and narrator did an amazing job.

An Excellent Urban Fantasy

Dead man was an excellent Urban Fantasy novel, and it was a real pleasure listening to it. The action starts right in the beginning and the entire story is an exciting ride with a lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The main character has a real snarky, in your face attitude, but at the same time he seems like a dude that you’d want to grab a beer with. The narrator does an excellent job with this novel, and I was impressed by the number of different accents and voices he used for the characters. Plus, his voicing of Cisco was absolutely perfect. Having listened to book one and two, the Black Magic Outlaw series is off to a great starts and I hope to listen to the rest of Cisco’s adventures.

This audiobook was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great start to a new series

Cisco Suarez is a recently back from the dead ... or is he. As one who dabbles in dark magic, Suarez doesn't have any idea where he has been for the past 10 years. Over the course of the story, he finds what has happened, who is to blame and comes up with a plan for the future. I can't wait to see what happens next for him.

I recommend this book for those who enjoy a darker kind of mystery. There is some magic and voodoo in this book so this may not be for everyone. Neil Hellegers is a great narrator who brings out all the emotions necessary to tell this story!

I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review through Audiobookboom.

Not what I expected, and that's not a bad thing!

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

Dead Man is an easy recommendation to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy. In a genre that is often over run with very similar titles and content Finn has managed to find his own way and to my knowledge write something that is unique.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Enough information is given to you to keep you wondering, questioning and guessing at about the world, keeping you really engage. I have a feeling that after a few more books into this series it will have that comfortable old hat feel that novels of this type develop over time as you become more accustomed to the world really letting you understand the workings of its magic and lore.

Which character – as performed by Neil Hellegers – was your favorite?

Cisco without a doubt, although I really felt that he should have had a stronger accent when I first started listening. That said I ultimately found I was mistaken and he was just write. Sometimes it hard to see past your preconceived notions and expectations.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for something fresh and new in the Urban Fantasy genre the 'Black Magic Outlaw' series of books might be just what you've been looking for. And don't let the "Black Magic" aspect of it scare you off, magic in this book is much more shades of gray then good or evil, nothing so sinister as the Danial Faust novels for instance.

Resurrection of black magic from the dark lands!

Brought back many memories of stories I heard and read in my early teens, but with new twists that brings this book to the 21st century. I have read some of the reviews that show the main character as an idiot that is full time mistake prone. I think the author chose to show Suarez to be a fighter with one goal in mind and that is redemption for what his master did to him,his family, and friends.
This book is somewhat outside my regular choice, but I think it is a welcome change of pace with vampires, witches, magicians, creatures of the dark, and oh yes ....the walking dead. Great change of pace that delivered all the way to the end.
Definitely a story of great pain and death with outstanding descriptions of rationalization of how to deal with it.

Another great urban fantasy series

Harry Dresden - Jim Butcher
Kate Daniels - Ilona Andrews
Monster Hunter International - Larry Correia
Pax Arcana - Elliott James

If you like the above series' then you are going to love Domino Finn's contribution to the smart talking MC that's perpetually stuck between a rock and a hard place, in way over his head when dealing with his supernatural problems.

While the formula is similar to other urban fantasies, The Black Magic Outlaw series is fresh, with the location set in Miami, FL (and surrounding areas). The cultural feel and ethnicities that give the locale its character has been beautifully captured. Miami is as much a secondary character in the stories as the secondary characters; and all of them are fleshed out and three dimensional, making each adventure a vivid and enjoyable experience to listen to.

Neil Hellegers narration is terrific. I warmed up to his deep raspy voice quickly and his range and accents for the other characters is very well done.

And did I mention funny? Cisco Suarez has some great one liners that had me laughing out loud.

Dead Man thrusts you into Cisco's world from the get go. I was on the fence during the first few chapters whether I would continue to listen. The writing is not very strong initially, but then Domino Finn hits his stride and I was swept away, the listening effortless. Each successive story gets better and better. The characters evolve, grow, the supernatural elements are intriguing and nothing is a given. Just when you think you know where it's going it takes a left turn into the bizarre. Good deal!

The Black Magic Outlaw series is a keeper for me, to be relistened to again and again. Here's hoping the next book will be available soon.

Enjoy!

Great

This is the first book I have bought by Domino Finn and the narrator Neil Hellegers and it was so good.

Cisco Suarez is a necromancer , Black magic outlaw and shadow charmer then he wakes up in a dumpster half dead.
It’s just your normal sunny day in Miami yet I finds himself chased by police , creatures from the nether worlds and a Haitian voodoo gang and not only that I stink of dark magic.
Cisco finds out he’s been dead for 10 years yet here he is breathing and he aims to find out why and how.
With not many people he can trust he seeks out is old school friend who is now the head of a special police task force and he aims to find out who killed him and why and also who slaughtered his family although he’s not ready for that answer.
The book was fun to listen too and I’ve bought the rest of the series 🙂