The Long Chain

Arcane Casebook, Book 3

By: Dan Willis

Narrated by: Alex Knox

When New York is blanketed in an unnatural fog, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself on the trail of a missing scientist, a stolen military secret, and a merciless killer leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

In a city the size of New York, things go missing all the time. When a Nobel Prize-winning chemist vanishes without a trace, his granddaughter taps Alex to find him. Locating people is easy for someone with the best finding rune in the city, but when Alex tracks down the missing man, he has no memory of who he is or what happened to him, and his research is missing.

Convinced that something larger is going on, Alex sets out to uncover the truth. Before he can learn anything concrete, however, the city is shrouded in a dense fog, and that brings New York’s resident sorceress, Sorsha Kincaid, to his door. She needs Alex’s finding rune in order to trace the source of the unnatural fog, and she has no patience for his other cases.

Now, Alex must keep the volatile and powerful sorceress happy as he tries to unravel a tangled web of science, murder, and missing memories before the clues vanish into the ever-present fog.

©2019 Dan Willis (P)2021 Dan Willis

fun ride

I definitely enjoy this series. The pace and plot keep me listening. Keep them coming. Can't wait for the next one.

This series just gets better and better

This is a fantastic series. Imagine The Maltese Falcon meets Supernatural or Charmed ... with a solid hardboiled detective who just happens to be able to do magical things. The big reveal in this one blew me away. I did not see it coming at all. And yet, as soon as it happened, everything made sense.

An engaging story

I'm finding this series very enjoyable.
I'm only a little disappointed that the narration, while quite good, doesn't have the same radio theater quality of the first book. It is nonetheless, very entertaining.
Very Raymond Chandler-esk alt-retro 1930's period detective genre, combined with a universe where magic is a common tool of trade and industry.
...and rather well done. Good show, Mr. Willis.
Nicely rendered, Mr. Knox.
Bravo!

Legitimate Suprise

I like to pride myself on being able to predict twists and endings. Dan kept me on my toes for this one, maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention, but he got me a couple times. Very much enjoyed the mystery and world are get better and better with each book. I’ll be starting Mind Games immediately.

Consider me hooked!

I have truly fallen in love with this series and have burnt through my fund’s for my audio books happily. Well written and holds your attention. Each book I’ve listened to keeps me anticipating the next! The narrator Alex Knox has been crushing the narration!

another good book in the series

lots of twists and turns in this and the introduction of a new character...
this will take the books into new directions, we will see if there's more historical references or if it's all behind the scenes type of history stories with famous characters coming in and out of the series

Love this series

Love this series. Dan Willis has created an interesting concept that combines a little history with magic, and Alex Knox brings it to life with his narration.

What a great book.

I have very much enjoyed listening to the Long Chain. Smart, funny, action packed and makes you think. What if magic was real what I would do with it! Great book! I’m ready for the next one!

Ending was Rather Confusing

Though I enjoyed this story and all the twists and turns throughout, I was confused (like Alex) at the end and where this story was heading for the next book.
Once again the Narrator does a simply Wounderful job with the various characters voices and the entire storyline.

Time passes and life brings changes.

Alex is in a race against time. Dan Willis brings our favorite gumshoe back into our lives. This time, people he knows are in grave danger. (I hate this part of the review because me and my blabber mouth will likely insert spoilers. So if I sound vague, that is why)

Alex Knox does an excellent job building on his suite of voices for this series. By the end of the book, I am hooked on his version of Alex.

Again, how do you write a review about a mystery book's story without giving spoilers? Well, you will just have to trust me, Dan is the man when it comes to giving you everything you need to parse out the case as it progresses. This is a superb listen, give it a go.

*******************
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.