Book Title: Dead Man's Reach (The Thieftaker Chronicles #4)
Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy
Pages: 366
Audio Run Time: 11 hrs and 56 mins
Author: D. B. Jackson
Audio Run Time: 11 hrs and 56 mins
Author: D. B. Jackson
Date Published: 21 July 2015
Synopsis:
Boston, 1770: The city is a powder keg as tensions between would-be rebels and loyalist torries approach a breaking point and one man is willing to light the match that sets everything off to ensure that he has his revenge.
Boston, 1770: The city is a powder keg as tensions between would-be rebels and loyalist torries approach a breaking point and one man is willing to light the match that sets everything off to ensure that he has his revenge.
The presence of the British Regulars has made thieftaking a hard business to be in and the jobs that are available are reserved for Sephira Pryce. Ethan Kaille has to resort to taking on jobs that he would otherwise pass up, namely protecting the shops of Torries from Patriot mobs. But, when one British loyalist takes things too far and accidentally kills a young boy, even Ethan reconsiders his line of work. Even more troubling is that instances of violence in the city are increasing, and Ethan often finds himself at the center of the trouble.
Once Ethan realizes why he is at the center of all the violence, he finds out that some enemies don't stay buried and will stop at nothing to ruin Ethan's life. Even if that means costing the lives of everyone in Boston, including the people that Ethan loves most.
Review:
Dead Man's Reach by D.B. JacksonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the fourth book in a fantastic historical urban fantasy. I loved it!
Ethan Kaille is an interesting character. He is a Thieftaker, a conjurer who uses his magic to track down thieves and the stolen items. I liked this eighteenth century gent. He has a very sharp mind, and is quite talented as a magical detective. He has a dark past, which gives him an air of mystery.
I downloaded this as an audio book, so I could listen to it while doing housework, or just before going to bed.
The tale was again narrated by Jonathan Davis, who brought the characters and story alive with his narration. I love his smooth tone and could listen to him speak for hours!
In this story, Ethan is faced with a challenging situation. Spells are being cast and people are being hurt. Unfortunately, there is no way for Ethan to find out who is casting these spells. Ethan has his suspicions, but is having difficulty in proving it. As the violence escalates, Ethan will have to use all his wits to find the culprit. When he finds out that an old foe is definitely behind the events, Ethan finds himself having to face more danger in order to confront him.
The story has several twists and turns, which kept me hooked from beginning to end. The descriptions of the characters and scenes brought Boston in 1770 to life; I could picture it quite clearly. The book is set about six months to a year after the previous story. There is still tension between Britain and her colony, and Boston is still struggling to deal with the highly volatile political situation within it's walls. There is plenty of action and danger in the story, but unfortunately in my opinion, some of the scenes seemed to be slightly overly long and tended to drag. There are, however, a few scenes that reduced me to tears. I will not say which ones, as this would spoil it for those of you who would like to read this book. Sephira Pryce, as well as most of the other characters from the previous books appear in this story. However, they did not interact as much with Ethan this time, as he purposely separated himself from them. I can understand why he would do that but, sometimes you need your friends (and even some foes like Sephira) to help. I wanted to shake some sense into him at times!
As I reached the end of the story, I felt that Ethan's character seemed to be more tired and dispirited in this tale. The struggle to survive as a Thieftaker seems to have taken it's toll on Ethan, who makes a decision that could change his life. I reached the end with mixed feelings. Whether this is the last book in the series, time will tell. However, if the author decides to carry on with this series, I would definitely love to read more.
D.B. Jackson has written a fantastic historical urban fantasy. I love his writing style, which is fast paced and action packed. But, the story flow was not as fluid as it could have been. However, I would most definitely read more of this author's books in the future as I am fast becoming a huge fan.
There are a few scenes of cutting (for spell making) that may upset some readers. Therefore, I do not recommend this book for younger readers or those of a nervous disposition. However, I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal, urban fantasy, mystery, thriller or detective genres. - Lynn Worton
View all my reviews
Under the name David B. Coe, he is working on a contemporary urban fantasy series called The Case Files of Justis Fearsson. The first book in the series, Spell Blind, came out in January 2015 from Baen Books, and the second, His Father’s Eyes, was released in August 2015. The third volume, Shadow’s Blade, will be published in May 2016..
D.B. Jackson/David B. Coe was born in New York many, many years ago, and has since lived in New England, California, Australia, and Appalachia. He did his undergraduate work at Brown University, worked for a time as a political consultant, went to Stanford University, where he earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in U.S. History, and finally returned to his first love: writing fiction.
D.B. is married to a college professor who is far smarter than he is, and together they have two beautiful daughters, both of whom are also far smarter than their father. Life’s tough that way. They live in a small college town on the Cumberland Plateau.
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