Dead Man in a Ditch

By: Luke Arnold

Narrated by: Luke Arnold

A former soldier turned PI solves crime in a world that's lost its magic in this brilliant sequel to actor Luke Arnold's debut The Last Smile in Sunder City.
The name's Fetch Phillips -- what do you need?
Cover a Gnome with a crossbow while he does a dodgy deal? Sure.
Find out who killed Lance Niles, the big-shot businessman who just arrived in town? I'll give it shot.
Help an old-lady Elf track down her husband's murderer? That's right up my alley.
What I don't do, because it's impossible, is search for a way to bring the goddamn magic back.
Rumors got out about what happened with the Professor, so now people keep asking me to fix the world.
But there's no magic in this story. Just dead friends, twisted miracles, and a secret machine made to deliver a single shot of murder.
Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

Critic reviews

"A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill."—Peter McClean, author of Priest of Bones on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"[T]he focus on meticulous worldbuilding and highly detailed backstory as well as the cast of fully developed and memorable characters are unarguable strengths....The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and Dashiell Hammett."—Kirkus on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"A richly imagined world...Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"This off-piste detective story set in a magical world, now in meltdown, has verve and charm in abundance and a rough diamond hero with quite a story to tell."—Andrew Caldecott, author of Rotherweird on The Last Smile in Sunder City

Outstanding

This book, like Last Smile in Sunder City, captured me and brought me to a world full of mystery, magic and life. I cheered and was concerned for Fetch and hated those that did him harm. It is a wonderfully amazing book. I suggest it for anyone who wants to escape in a new world full of hope.

Second verse as good as the first

This is the second entry in the Fetch Phillips series. I have to say it is as good as the first if not better. The worst thing about this book is at this moment there is no third book for me to delve immediately into. I've consumed both of the books in this series over the past week, always eager to hear the continuation of the very well written story and equally well performed voice acting. Now that I have completed both books, I am greatly disappointed that I will have to wait for another entry instead of having the immediate satisfaction of more Fetch Phillips and more of Luke Arnold's voice.

What a Fantastic Adventure.

What takes other series several books to get to, this series has achieved in two. The narrator/author is a gem, and did a fantastic job in-graining such emotion and compassion in his words spoken and written. The first one was great and this was somehow even better. It had me in tears and it had me cheering. I'm hooked and will listen to this series till the very end no matter how many books he decides to write. Bravo my dear boy, Bravo.

Both Books are Outstanding

Both Books are Outstanding, the narrator as well! Totally original world built and characters described. Highly recommended.

Always rooting for Fetch!

I listened to this book right after the first one and I’m so glad I carried on. Is Fetch the most moral person around? Nah, not really, but he is charming as all get out and pretty honest and that really made me stick around. He has a lovely way of knowing how to level with folks, and does a great job of admitting his faults. Just like the first book, the way that everything is described encourages your imagination to run wild and I really enjoy that.

This was also another really amazing performance by Luke Arnold. I could listen to him all day long. With the addition of all the new characters, and even some singing, he did a fantastic job of giving everyone a unique voice. No two characters sounded the same. He is so talented. Can’t wait for the next installment to come out!