Limelight

Arcane Casebook, Book 5

By: Dan Willis

Narrated by: Alex Knox

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

When a madman starts robbing banks the really old-fashioned way - by blowing holes in them with magical explosives - the police want Alex to catch him before he kills and robs again. There are two problems with that, however - first, as far as Alex knows, there’s no such thing as a blasting rune; and second, his friend Danny Pak is up for a promotion, and that’s not Danny’s case.

Alex splits his time between chasing the homicidal bomber and helping Danny figure out what happened to a dead writer who was basing her book on Broadway’s most famous murder. While the bomber continues to elude Alex, he becomes convinced that the writer was killed by someone who wanted the old murder to remain unsolved. Before he can pursue either case further, however, the feds show up, wanting Alex’s take on a series of bizarre magic-related deaths.

Now Alex must solve the 15-year-old Broadway murder, catch a blast-happy bank robber, and figure out how average people are being killed by a mysterious, untraceable magic. All the while, he has scant leads, even fewer suspects, and the inescapable feeling that he’s being played.

©2020 Dan Willis (P)2021 Dan Willis

Another great title in the series

The Arcane Casebook series always delivers an immersive entertaining experience & this was another fantastic mystery. I am in awe.

another great book in the series

the game is afoot... once again I'll say that you need to read the other books first. This plot has a lot of twists and turns to it and a great storyline. Again there's reoccurring characters that are further developed and some new ones... I thoroughly enjoyed the narration and the performance of Alex Knox as a narrator.... I look forward to the next book

Great story

Keeps listener engaged and interesting every step of the way. Chapter after chapter. We are looking to download the next book right away.

Series keeps growing stronger

I really enjoyed this book. Twice I thought the book was wrapping up, and then there was more. I

Im still hooked.

Each book is better than the previous one. I love these books and all of the characters.

Excited for the next book

Once again the story kept me captivated. Each book increases the suspense of the next book and neatly wraps up all his cases. These audio books cant come out fast enough.

This book is my favorite of the series so far.

Dan Willis gives you two mysteries in this book; either of them could be a book on its own. He weaves the pair together deftly and with his typical runic noir style. Our understanding of the characters gets deeper, even as Alex scrambles from one issue to the next.

Alex Knox, well, no offense to Vic meant, but he is Alex Lockerby now. I'm sold on the switch. He does an excellent job of bringing the story to life in my mind.

Yet more mystery problems, How do I tell you the story is great without giving spoilers? Well, That's just it; if you are here and started from book one, you've likely seen my other reviews. Dan Willis Arcane Casebook series is simply an excellent listen. They are diverse in stories, plots, capers, and characters. None of these books feels like a previous book. New problems, new cases, and plenty of new ideas.

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Audible's rating is:
1 Star is "not for me"
2 Stars "it is okay"
3 Stars "pretty good"
4 Stars "it's great"
5 Stars "I love it"

A one star book could be a very dry topic, story, crude, or someone preaching down to the reader. I generally don't have 1-star books. I will just return them and go my own way. My last three were from the same series; I had hit a very dry spot in my listening.

A 2-star story, would be something that was phoned in by a writer that typically has done much better work. I have a couple of reviews from authors that just seemed to phone it in, one most recently from an author that decided to mix current politics into his novel. If I wanted that, I would just watch the news.

A 3-star review is where I really start. It means I enjoyed the book. That I did not have a hard time following it (I have lost a lot of my conversational hearing). That the story kept to a plot, the characters were not static, and the world built was plausible.

A 4-star review is something that I really enjoyed. It puts the author on my map to keep an eye out for. I go through 12-15 books a month. (audible is my primary source of entertainment. ) I will search for the author's works regularly and seek out their stories for future purchases.

A 5-star review, These are not as rare as one would think. These are the books where the characters grow, learn, and act according to their nature. Where the world is not only plausible but believable. Where there are economic systems, businesses, and rules of law that make sense. Where the story is woven, progressed, and told with caring and dedication. These are books, series, authors, and narrators that bring it all in a package.

So, when reading my reviews, if anyone does, that is how I judge the books.

Awesome

These books only get better and better as they go. The narrator is great and I can’t get these fast enough.

Wonderfully fun

I really like this series, it obviously rings a lot of Dresden Files bells which I love, but the lighter(in comparison, there's still a deal of darkness here) tone makes it a very different story.

Got me!

I tried to guess my way ahead again this time around and got beat into the ground. Fun mystery, great world building, and is looking at building an awesome series arch. Already bought the next book hitting play, now.