Luke Arnold: Dead Man in a Ditch (2020, Little, Brown Book Group Limited)
320 pages
English language
Published Oct. 8, 2020 by Little, Brown Book Group Limited.
The unholy love child of Raymond Chandler and Bram Stoker. A great beach read for those of us who prefer our beaches dark and littered with sinister creatures.
Wow. Dead Man in a Ditch really takes the world that was hammered out in The Last Smile in Sunder City and tells you a heartbreaking tale. I love this series. The Noir detective mystery continues to be a delivery vehicle for the incredible (set of) tale(s) that defies further categorization. The world expands as it transitions from high to low fantasy, and seeds that were sown in the previous novel start to flourish. Fetch continues to subvert expectations: an alleged anti-hero that is probably more of a protagonist with a serious case of depression and PTSD. You desperately hope that something good will come into his life, while knowing that it's not going to happen.
Similar to the first novel, this is not a happy tale. It is grimdark, and reminds me a lot of the fantastic work that is Dresden Files. If any of this interests you, …
Wow. Dead Man in a Ditch really takes the world that was hammered out in The Last Smile in Sunder City and tells you a heartbreaking tale. I love this series. The Noir detective mystery continues to be a delivery vehicle for the incredible (set of) tale(s) that defies further categorization. The world expands as it transitions from high to low fantasy, and seeds that were sown in the previous novel start to flourish. Fetch continues to subvert expectations: an alleged anti-hero that is probably more of a protagonist with a serious case of depression and PTSD. You desperately hope that something good will come into his life, while knowing that it's not going to happen.
Similar to the first novel, this is not a happy tale. It is grimdark, and reminds me a lot of the fantastic work that is Dresden Files. If any of this interests you, please pick up a copy and support Luke Arnold. The world needs more of his imagination.
I have no idea how to even write the following without considering it spoilers. Like... everything good about Fetch turns bad in this. It is SO horrific to read. I dreaded turning pages near the end, because I could see where things were going. Jim Butcher of the Dresden Files once said that he makes his main character suffer, and Luke Arnold does the same to Fetch and more. I could see the heel-turn of his mentor a mile away, and knew that Fetch's love would be lost.
It's incredibly satisfying to see all the random plots (enjoyable to read but disjoint) in the first half come together. The fact that the wizard in the Ditch actually returns in the pen-ultimate fight in the Stadium was a superb piece of writing. I didn't care that the first half felt like three different mysteries, as there was an underlying thread that was being investigated, but then absolutely everything comes together (to fall apart lol).
What an amazing novel.
Ich vergebe schlussendlich doch 4 Sterne, auch wenn mir die Geschichte anfangs auf den Keks ging.
Der „Mann für alles“ hat mehr Feinde, als für ihn und seine Gesundheit gut ist, verhält sich dazu oft wie ein rechter Tölpel und stolpert orientierungslos durch die Geschichte. Das Setting ist hoffnungs- und trostlos, manchmal bizarr und bevölkert von verbitterten Lebewesen. Dieses Gemenge fand ich anfangs nur schwer erträglich. Das Ende bietet dann aber doch einen kleinen Lichtblick auf einen interessanten dritten Band.
Wer gut mit Trübsinn umgehen kann und den ersten Band kennt, kann hier gerne zugreifen.
