Malaise Falchion

The Spade Case Files

By: Paul Barrett

Narrated by: Jack Wayne

Disgraced during the Demon War, Dwarf investigator Snazdaggin Kundarik (Spade to his friends) wants nothing more than a desk to sleep on, a bottle of grog to drink, and the occasional easy case for quick pay.

Then a mysterious female Elf from the posh side of town shows up and offers him exoneration for his past sins and lots of gold. All he has to do is follow her brother and report his activities. Simple, right?

He should have known better. The simple job soon spirals out of control. Spade finds himself sucked into intrigue, powerful magic, and the hunt for a weapon powerful enough to end the world. Ill-prepared, Spade forges on with the aid of his hapless sidekick and a reluctant female warrior.

Will he survive long enough to save the world and get his grog?

©2016 Paul Barrett (P)2017 Paul Barrett

A noir D&D mystery.

If you like a fantasy setting, and you like noir mystery, then this title sits right in the sweet spot for both. Our main hero is a dwarf private detective, who is hired by an elf, in a city run by a wizard. I really enjoyed this book as it brings in all of the tropes of fantasy to build the world without being bogged down in description of every nuance of the setting. In noir fashion we follow Spade in first person as he seeks to unravel the truth behind his mysterious employer and the job he is hired for.

For those who have played D&D there are a lot of call backs, but isn't a requirement to enjoy the story. It was a fun adventure following Spade and the rag tag group of misfits he gathers around himself and easy to get lost in the story.

The narrator did a great job in showing the personality of our main hero who is gruff and cynical of the world around him. He can be crude and this book is aimed at a mature audience as there is more than a little bit of language and that goes with that.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light hearted mystery and adventure story that purposefully parodies both fantasy and mystery with some subtle (and not so subtle) call outs to game culture.

***I was given a free copy of this audiobook by the narrator, publisher or author in exchange for an honest review***

A fantastical retelling of a classic noir story

Sometimes, comedy is hard. Sometimes, it is impossible.

On rare occassions, comedy will work. And on less frequent occurances thn that , comedy is funny.

This book is funny. It plays out the classic Maltese Falcon storyline, only set in a fantasy world. This elevates the original story more than you might have thought possible. Spade's lizard folk companions are good for some chuckles, and the story fills in laughs in very unexpected places. Oh, it does so in expected places too.

Jack Wayne nails the mood with his narration, delivery and tone. I listen to a lot of different narrators, and have some particular favorites, but I cannot see anyone else doing the job that he did here. It is hard to believe that this book came out two years ago, as this feels like a real classic. It has real meat on its bones. It is a rare book that can take and remain close to its source material, but convert it into something very different, and make it funny. I don't recall ever lightly chuckling while watching the Malteese Falcon.


Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

Detective Dwarf

Snazdaggin is a dwarf, an outcast, and a detective. When an elf asks for his help, she makes him an offer to good to refuse. Silly boy doesn’t he know that if it's too good to be true…

The assignment leads Snaz down a rabbit hole, filled with fascinating characters, intrigue, and plenty of treachery and betrayal. Lucky for him, he has a motley crew of helpers who have just the skills he's going to need to get out of this alive!

This audiobook is definitely unique. It’s a mixture of epic fantasy and a hard-boiled detective story put all together by author Paul Barrett and it works! This 8 ½ hour audiobook is narrated by Jack Wayne. What a large array of characters he performs in this fully voiced production! He did a wonderful job and each character had their own style and it all worked to make this story with so many different characters, easy to follow.

I can see this book becoming a franchise. If so, I’m in!

This audiobook was received in exchange for an unbiased review!

Crazy Enjoyable Story

This was such a crazy fun book to listen to. Jack Wayne does a great job as narrator. The character voices were distinct and the story easy to follow. I loved learning about all of the different species they came in contact with along their journey. I highly recommend Author & Narrator!!

Incredible blend

first, to get it out of the way, "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

The next thing is this story isn't for kids. Language, and violence make this for an older audience.
That being said, what a great story. the author takes different story types and makes it work. It may start a little slow, but then hang on, you're in for one heck of a ride. You like fantasy ,and detective stories? This is for you. Yes it has been done before, but so rarely done as well.

The narrator is a perfect fit for this book. He breaths life into the characters and makes the story truly flow.
I look forward to more from both.

More grog!

Any additional comments?

A funny grumpy drunk dwarf. How much more fun couldn't get. This is a fun listen. Full of interesting and unusual characters. A good storyline to follow as the grumpy dwarf Spade investigates. At the end of the case more grog!“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Best Noir Comedic Fantasy

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

I'd recommend it, I'd play it during a dinner party, or I'd convince them to listen and review as my birthday prezzie this year.

What did you like best about this story?

"Instead of dying in a hot fire, why don't you shave a blazing porker up your **** and parboil your innards."

Omfgoddess ... this book was filled with the funniest dialogues. Idk how the narrator kept a straight face as he read it!

What does Jack Wayne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Everything. The accent and ability to make the bad asses bad and the double crossers hated.
Had I read the book, some of the humour would have gone over my head, actually.

Any additional comments?

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

An Interesting Tale

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher and found it very entertaining. Snobbish Elves and a drunk Dwarf, what could be more fun. The Elves hire the Dwarf, a private investigator, to find a priceless artifact. Too bad no one tell him the truth about it. The unique characters and the fast paced plot will keep you listening until the end.

Well narrated, but odd mystery/fantasy wackiness.<br />

"Malaise Falchion: The Spade Case Files" is an utterly ridiculous action packed mystery tale swarming with personality and strange clashing fantasy stereotypes. This book is a relatively unknown diamond in the rough so far, because one has to practically stumble across it on audible.com. However, once discovered listeners will find that it makes for a great audiobook once given the chance. Mystery, comedy, action, and fantasy collide here in an oddly entertaining way.

Jack Wayne was a perfect choice to narrate this story as well. Without his voice this audiobook would only be on the upperside of so-so,  but his vocal range brings the whole story to life. From the jaded alcoholic dwarven detective named Spade to his oddball reptilian pals to his stuck up elven employeer, each character sounds unique and memorable.

Recommended to listeners who believe both fantasy and mystery is at it's best when it is full of nonsensical ironic slap stick humor and self aware jokes.

Fantasy detective noir - voiced tough & hardboiled

If you like your fantasy hardboiled and gritty this audiobook may be for you. Paul Barrett's tale of Dwarf investigator Snazdaggin Kundarik (or Spade) skillfully employs much-loved tropes from the tradition of hardboiled crime literature and film noir. If readers enjoy the 'Garrett, P.I.' and 'Black Company' stories by Glen Cook then they are in the right place here.

'Malaise Falchion' is driven by the first-person narrative viewpoint of central protagonist Spade. Jack Wayne's performance fills out Spade's personality. If descriptors such as grizzled, tough and smooth-talkin' were in the brief for the job of narrator, Jack Wayne nailed it.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.