The Living End

Daniel Faust, Book 3

By: Craig Schaefer

Narrated by: Adam Verner

As the FBI closes in on the Las Vegas underworld, Daniel Faust - grifter, thief, and sorcerer - isn't the only one feeling the heat. Half-demon racket boss Nicky Agnelli is fighting to hang on to his empire, leaving a trail of dead informants in his wake, while Daniel's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer, rallies her forces on the street and aims her sights at Nicky's crown.

Meanwhile, homeless people are vanishing by the dozens. Daniel has bigger problems to worry about, but a plea from an old friend sends him on a search for answers. What he finds is a conspiracy 20 years in the making, involving a power-hungry senator, occult experiments, murderous British mercenaries...and Lauren Carmichael, Daniel's nemesis.

From a gunfight in the Arizona badlands to unearthing buried secrets in a New York laboratory, the hunt is on. With Lauren's deadly plan revealed and time running out, Daniel and his crew will stop at nothing to take her down. She's got the law in her pocket and a hired army at her back. He's got black magic, bullets, and the art of the con. It's high noon in Vegas, and when the dust settles, only one side will be left standing.

May the best villain win.

©2015 Demimonde Books (P)2015 Demimonde Books

Daniel! How does he do it?

Daniel! How does he do it? I love how Crag Schaefer writes these books. There is so much plot that I can never imagine how Faust is going to get out of the mess. And it is normally the mess that he has created.

This one is no different. There is a bit more from the previous stories so technically you could read this without reading the others. However, I would recommend reading them in order. Although there are a few reminders for the first two books, it still is not enough to really give you the sense of the characters and all that they have gone through.

That said, there are all the same old characters in this. Thank goodness too! Book three and they are starting to feel like family. Adam Verner once again brings the characters to life. I love that he is able to pull off a bunch of different accents. The new one in this is from a military guy with a Cockney type accent. Very thick but also very recognizable. All of his characters are like this. The Scottish brogue from Caitlyn is still my favorite but all are easy to distinguish.

The production also had a few things added in for this one. Special sound effects that I did not remember from the others. Superbly done and really added to the story.

One thing that surprises me about Craig’s writing is that he withholds some of the information that puts the entire plot together. He brings everything together at the very end but by doing this he allows the reader to be just as surprised as the characters in the book! Now, normally I think this may annoy me, but with this particular story, withholding some of the information makes sense. I’m not saying I LOVE it but I am really happy when it all comes together. Still just as shocked as everyone else in the plot also, which is saying something for the writing! I can never figure out what is going to happen.

Like the other books, Daniel Faust is as crazy in this and there are even more characters for him to play with! These plots are absolutely brilliant and I cannot wait to listen to the next!

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Another enjoyable entry in the Faust series

Great book for the car. The Faust series was interesting to get into as a prequel to the Harmony Black series. Would definitely recommend for commuters interested in the subject.

Another great entry

I haven’t read a book by Craig Schaefer I haven’t loved. Adam Verner continues to be the perfect Faust. This is a perfect wrap up to the first three books

Good

Good story with a great deal of creativity in the plot. Recommended for anyone that had read the Dresden file's.

Straight

I have no complaints. Solid story and performance. ready to listen to the next one.

Dark, gritty. Drugs, dark magic. Fighting and more

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Adam once again blows away the voice of Daniel Faust and crew. He breaths new life into Daniel with each word through emotion and personality. He changes tone along with personality for each character. It's great to get a full rounded feel of the characters through voice with Craig's amazing writing.

Craig has an amazing ability to draw details and physical feelings in his unique descriptions to have me understand. I know if it's a good or bad with his word selection. I'm always taken with Craig's descriptions. They are unique and detailed to fit his world. The descriptions give the feel and detail to understand what it means or feels like. He uses what we know and twists them to the moment in the magical world. Amazing.

Sometimes I wonder how a story can move from one place to another. Where do the threads and ties come from? Craig flows through a story with ease. Each step forward creates that new thread and tie for Daniel to find the next step as he goes. Crafty, indeed.

Dark and gritty with drugs and dark magic. Fighting and torture. But there is so much going on in the story! There's the FEDs to worry about in a case against Nicky which draws Daniel and others into the line of sight of FEDs. There's Lauren Carmichael still trying to ascend. Meadow Brand is still after Daniel. And it's all coming to a point. If Lauren accomplishes what she wants, it will be the end of the world -- from her and maybe from others to stop her.

Craig creates another story that kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering how Daniel will get through this and come out on the other end, alive. Another outstanding addition to the world. I love it!

Good Installment

Any additional comments?

This is a really good installment for the series. I really enjoy the narration - I think the narration makes the story better than it actually is . Really wish we could break down the ratings more, because the story is more like a 3.5. The author borrows heavily from the rest of the genre. Having said that, I really do enjoy the main character - his humor, quips, and general cranky attitude. The love story aspect is ....stale, not sure what to say exactly, but the love story could have been better or left out. Great characters and I'll be ready for he next one.

Great supernatural book!

The Living End by Craig Schaefer and narrated by Adam Verner is a great addition to the series. Half-human demon mobsters, someone using magic and chemicals to kidnap homeless people, lab experiments, and lots of other supernatural craziness happiness going on. But Daniel is on it with his demon girl friend! Great story and narration!

VERY GOOD. ENJOYING THIS SERIES VERY MUCH!

I totally enjoy this series so far. Book 3 is still going strong. The action and dialogue are fantasist in. I like Daniel Faust and his friends. They are so loyal to each other and I like that. Craig Shaefer writes a fantastic series with black magic, sorcery, cops and the gangs. Truly action packed thoughout. Adam Verne does a good job with all the different voices. He does female voice well too. I am continuing book 4 which already out and I know I will definitely love it.

Another step up

Each book has improved. The first was a bit too seedy, with not enough action, humor, or magic. The last book developed the secondary characters and the demon connections, but was too stingy with the magic. This books sees Daniel Faust using his magic and his grifter skills, even if there’s still little explanation of the hows and the whys. And, the team dynamic continues to grow, providing a welcome change from the usual white male uber-wizard schtick. The balance of the elements that I like in urban fantasy seems to be settling in. The next book is where the author finds my sweet spot.

I do have some lingering quibbles. I wish the author would spend more time developing and describing people and places. For instance, one of the minor characters gets killed, serving as the motivation to seek revenge, yet there wasn’t any time spent showing us this character’s life or relationship with team Faust. Or, as another example, there’s little interaction between Faust and his nemesis until the final chapter, and the climactic battle is more like them each showing their hand and the author informing us “he won and she went poof, the end.”

I’m still not feeling the credibility of Faust’s relationship with demon Caitlyn, especially because she is also (rather implausibly in my opinion) sidelined and doesn’t contribute to the fight against the apocalypse, except as girlfriend-support. I do appreciate that there are frisky bits and innuendo, but this doesn’t detour into sexcapades.

I also would like more details, from the physical (is Faust short, lanky, blond with a scraggly goatee…?) to the humanizing (other than Faust’s loose morality, what are his other flaws or quirks?). I guess what I’m saying is the concept and storyline are good, but painting a better picture of the people and the setting would make this great.