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Arcane Casebook #1
In Plain Sight
When a magical plague is released in a Depression-era New York soup kitchen, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself in a desperate hunt to catch a madman before he can strike again.
His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre. With the police and New York’s Council of Sorcerers desperate to find the culprit, Alex becomes a suspect himself, thanks to his ties to the priest who ran the soup kitchen.
Now Alex has his book of spells, a pack of matches and four days to find out where the plague came from, or that authorities will hang the crime squarely on him.
His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre. With the police and New York’s Council of Sorcerers desperate to find the culprit, Alex becomes a suspect himself, thanks to his ties to the priest who ran the soup kitchen.
Now Alex has his book of spells, a pack of matches and four days to find out where the plague came from, or that authorities will hang the crime squarely on him.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2018
About the author
Dan Willis
49 books279 followersDan is an award-winning, best-selling author who has been writing for most of his life. He wrote for the long running DragonLance series and has worked in the board game and video game industries as well. His current work is the Arcane Casebook series, a fantasy twist on the 1930’s noir detective story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 422 reviews
July 16, 2020
Started, made it to a second big event and lost interest to more interesting books.
What happened? There's an interesting idea here with a magical concepts of of runes on paper, couched in absolutely boring writing. The protagonist, Alex, is a private investigator who has magical skill. The premise is hardboiled noir, right down to the crummy office, the empty bank account and the hot secretary with the long legs. The feel is 1930s depression, with streetcars, American prejudice, diner slang, and orphanages run by the church, with the difference of sorcerers powering the city.
The noir tropes got old for me and the sexist ones--the secretary who has a crush on Alex, the pretty girl in the dinner who worries about her clothes and who also develops a crush on Alex--make it much, much more annoying. I'd say most of the characters are cardboard; the broke-but-noble hero-detective, the generous priest caring for the orphans, the ball-busting police captain, the friendly police detective, the saintly nun.
Ultimately, however, all that might have been tolerable. After all, the idea of the runes was interesting, as was the magical deaths Alex is charged with solving. But something about the writing just killed it for me. I found both the narrative tone and the actual word choice uninteresting. The first, I think, because Willis often uses the "I went here, I did this, this person said this, this is how I felt about this person" linear style of story-telling. The second is that Willis is very concrete in most of his descriptions. You can probably feel like you are in the scene, but it's not a scene with a lot of color. It'd actually be great journalist writing, because it removes a lot of the slant and purple prose. In fact, if you hate purple prose, this may be your thing.
"Alex exited his cab thirty-five minutes later and made his way toward the cluster of police cars parked in front of a neat, three-story brick building. He got a few curious glances when people on the street realized the rain was avoiding him, but he was used to that.
'What do you want?' the officer at the door said in his best 'go away' voice. He had a pug nose, close-set eyes and a scar on his cheek that made him look all business. Definitely the right man to put on the door. 'I'm Alex Lockerby,' Alex said, handing the officer a business card. 'Detective Pak is expecting me.'
Ultimately, all of those things together--the noir sexism, the cardboard, the writing, meant I bored out of reading it. I didn't hate it, but it didn't really interest me, either.
What happened? There's an interesting idea here with a magical concepts of of runes on paper, couched in absolutely boring writing. The protagonist, Alex, is a private investigator who has magical skill. The premise is hardboiled noir, right down to the crummy office, the empty bank account and the hot secretary with the long legs. The feel is 1930s depression, with streetcars, American prejudice, diner slang, and orphanages run by the church, with the difference of sorcerers powering the city.
The noir tropes got old for me and the sexist ones--the secretary who has a crush on Alex, the pretty girl in the dinner who worries about her clothes and who also develops a crush on Alex--make it much, much more annoying. I'd say most of the characters are cardboard; the broke-but-noble hero-detective, the generous priest caring for the orphans, the ball-busting police captain, the friendly police detective, the saintly nun.
Ultimately, however, all that might have been tolerable. After all, the idea of the runes was interesting, as was the magical deaths Alex is charged with solving. But something about the writing just killed it for me. I found both the narrative tone and the actual word choice uninteresting. The first, I think, because Willis often uses the "I went here, I did this, this person said this, this is how I felt about this person" linear style of story-telling. The second is that Willis is very concrete in most of his descriptions. You can probably feel like you are in the scene, but it's not a scene with a lot of color. It'd actually be great journalist writing, because it removes a lot of the slant and purple prose. In fact, if you hate purple prose, this may be your thing.
"Alex exited his cab thirty-five minutes later and made his way toward the cluster of police cars parked in front of a neat, three-story brick building. He got a few curious glances when people on the street realized the rain was avoiding him, but he was used to that.
'What do you want?' the officer at the door said in his best 'go away' voice. He had a pug nose, close-set eyes and a scar on his cheek that made him look all business. Definitely the right man to put on the door. 'I'm Alex Lockerby,' Alex said, handing the officer a business card. 'Detective Pak is expecting me.'
Ultimately, all of those things together--the noir sexism, the cardboard, the writing, meant I bored out of reading it. I didn't hate it, but it didn't really interest me, either.
March 20, 2021
I have a hard time separating art from the artist. I actually really enjoyed this book, I originally gave it five stars. Then I followed the author on social media. Big mistake. I found out he calls covid “the chinese virus” and is a Trump supporter. He retweets some offensive stuff on Twitter, like support for Gina Carano after she compared being conservative to being a jew during WW2. I just can’t read anything else he writes without thinking about this stuff, and it has tainted my memories of the books I’ve already read.
June 21, 2020
Alt-history, urban fantasy, hardboiled mashup in which a sorcerer-like Private Investigator in 1930's New York City becomes involved in foiling an act of state sponsored terrorism and a search for a grimoire that is hidden in plain sight.
My ebook version was a modest 275 pages. It had a 2018 US copyright.
Dan Willis is an American author of fantasy novels. He has published about ten (10) novels in a couple of series. Most of his work is self-published through Amazon. This book is the first book in his Arcane Casebook series. It’s the first book I've read by the author.
Sometime ago, I realized that the better new writers had abandoned writing science fiction. Reading urban fantasy became my shame. It's what I do in lieu of eating pork rinds.
I recently picked up In Plain Sight (Arcane Casebook Book 1) by Dan Willis for US$0.99 in Digital Credit from Amazon. A friend recommended it. It was use-it-or-lose-it fake money. I would give the eBook an hour of my time. I finished it.
From the beginning, I could see it was self-published. The artwork was not-quite up to major publisher standard. The formatting and typography were 'pro-sumer' quality.
In the past, my experience with self-published books has been poor. The last two (2) self-published books I've read were drivel. This was despite one of them having excellent artwork, professional formatting and typography. Where are the new Andy Weirs?
This book changed my opinion on self-publishing. It’s not 'a great work', but it was very good for something that didn't have a corporate publisher behind it.
Dan Willis is a journeyman author. Dialog and descriptive prose were good. It’s obvious that the prose had been professionally edited. If I had a problem with the prose, it’s that it was uneven in achieving atmosphere. The author did not consistently use period or New York vernacular in the dialog. Sometimes he used modern vernacular. It was also unrealistically politically correct for the genre. Willis' hardboiled was very sanitary and free of grit. In addition, there was some inconsistency in emulating Dashell Hammett or Raymond Chandler toward hardboiled. For example, I can't recall one memorable line characteristic of classic hardboiled. Remember, "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window."?
The story contains sex, drugs and violence. The sex was of the non-graphic, ‘fade to black’ category. Drug usage was alcohol and tobacco, with reference to other soft-core drugs. Alcohol and tobacco usage were muted in comparison to the genre’s traditional norms. Willis doesn’t write about smoking or drinking with the familiarity of a smoker and a drinker. Violence was moderately graphic, but not disturbing. It includes physical violence and firearms usage. I thought the magical attacks were particularly good. There was remarkably little blood and gore in the descriptions. The main characters were also remarkably resistant to physical punishment. Body count was on the high side of moderate.
There was a single POV, that of Alex Lockerby the protagonist. Lockerby was a PI and a magic practitioner similar to Harry Dresden . Although, he’s supposed to more of a cross between Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe , and Sherlock Holmes . Lockerby was a wisecracking, not hard-drinking, semi-tough private eye, proficient with: observation, deduction, forensics and logical reasoning. Did I mention he was also a magic practitioner? It was one (maybe two) PI’s traits too many in my mind. Characters were an abbreviated collection of the genre’s Usual Suspects: diplomats, spies, politicians, rich men, gangsters, activists, good cops, bent cops, Feds, a hooker, professional thieves, hangers-on, con artists and magic practitioners. Willis’ New York demimonde really wasn’t seedy enough. In addition, I found many of his female characters to be peculiar. They were needlessly, but unconvincingly sexualized.
Plot was traditional for the genre. It was the two (2) seemingly unrelated investigations that were really the same. The grimoire is the McGuffin. A modern the fight isn't over yet ending was tacked-on. The plotting had ‘good bones’. The real ending felt a tad rushed. I also thought there were too many ‘reveals’ for the modest page count. Some of which could have been held back for long-term, series plot line usage. As with many Sherlockian-inspired stories, I had a problem with some of these reveals. I also found several, technical-related continuity problems. For example, the plague plot element was alternately a bacterium and a virus.
World building was good. The Magic System was well wrought. The alt-history, 1930’s era was OK. The author needed to do a deeper-dive on between the wars world history, particularly American. If I had a problem, it was that Willis did not achieve the atmosphere Hammett did with San Francisco, Chandler did with his Bay City or Holmes with London within Lockerby’s NYC. Willis didn’t write about The City, with the needed urban familiarity.
I'm a critical reader. I’ve read almost everything Hammett and Chandler wrote. I also fancy myself an amateur historian. I have a particular interest in The World Between the Wars. I know a little bit about UF. I'm impressed by the effort put into this self-published book. Willis put money into artwork. He put money into an independent editor. He had a credible story that hews closely to the mashup of his chosen genres. There are problems with the story, but generally I found them to be outshone by the effort. I think with more: time, experience, and better research the author will become a good writer. In summary, this book was a surprise to me. It was pretty good. It showed me that self-publishing wasn't the nasty, drain trap I'd come to think of it as. There is hope.
My ebook version was a modest 275 pages. It had a 2018 US copyright.
Dan Willis is an American author of fantasy novels. He has published about ten (10) novels in a couple of series. Most of his work is self-published through Amazon. This book is the first book in his Arcane Casebook series. It’s the first book I've read by the author.
Sometime ago, I realized that the better new writers had abandoned writing science fiction. Reading urban fantasy became my shame. It's what I do in lieu of eating pork rinds.
I recently picked up In Plain Sight (Arcane Casebook Book 1) by Dan Willis for US$0.99 in Digital Credit from Amazon. A friend recommended it. It was use-it-or-lose-it fake money. I would give the eBook an hour of my time. I finished it.
From the beginning, I could see it was self-published. The artwork was not-quite up to major publisher standard. The formatting and typography were 'pro-sumer' quality.
In the past, my experience with self-published books has been poor. The last two (2) self-published books I've read were drivel. This was despite one of them having excellent artwork, professional formatting and typography. Where are the new Andy Weirs?
This book changed my opinion on self-publishing. It’s not 'a great work', but it was very good for something that didn't have a corporate publisher behind it.
Dan Willis is a journeyman author. Dialog and descriptive prose were good. It’s obvious that the prose had been professionally edited. If I had a problem with the prose, it’s that it was uneven in achieving atmosphere. The author did not consistently use period or New York vernacular in the dialog. Sometimes he used modern vernacular. It was also unrealistically politically correct for the genre. Willis' hardboiled was very sanitary and free of grit. In addition, there was some inconsistency in emulating Dashell Hammett or Raymond Chandler toward hardboiled. For example, I can't recall one memorable line characteristic of classic hardboiled. Remember, "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window."?
The story contains sex, drugs and violence. The sex was of the non-graphic, ‘fade to black’ category. Drug usage was alcohol and tobacco, with reference to other soft-core drugs. Alcohol and tobacco usage were muted in comparison to the genre’s traditional norms. Willis doesn’t write about smoking or drinking with the familiarity of a smoker and a drinker. Violence was moderately graphic, but not disturbing. It includes physical violence and firearms usage. I thought the magical attacks were particularly good. There was remarkably little blood and gore in the descriptions. The main characters were also remarkably resistant to physical punishment. Body count was on the high side of moderate.
There was a single POV, that of Alex Lockerby the protagonist. Lockerby was a PI and a magic practitioner similar to Harry Dresden . Although, he’s supposed to more of a cross between Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe , and Sherlock Holmes . Lockerby was a wisecracking, not hard-drinking, semi-tough private eye, proficient with: observation, deduction, forensics and logical reasoning. Did I mention he was also a magic practitioner? It was one (maybe two) PI’s traits too many in my mind. Characters were an abbreviated collection of the genre’s Usual Suspects: diplomats, spies, politicians, rich men, gangsters, activists, good cops, bent cops, Feds, a hooker, professional thieves, hangers-on, con artists and magic practitioners. Willis’ New York demimonde really wasn’t seedy enough. In addition, I found many of his female characters to be peculiar. They were needlessly, but unconvincingly sexualized.
Plot was traditional for the genre. It was the two (2) seemingly unrelated investigations that were really the same. The grimoire is the McGuffin. A modern the fight isn't over yet ending was tacked-on. The plotting had ‘good bones’. The real ending felt a tad rushed. I also thought there were too many ‘reveals’ for the modest page count. Some of which could have been held back for long-term, series plot line usage. As with many Sherlockian-inspired stories, I had a problem with some of these reveals. I also found several, technical-related continuity problems. For example, the plague plot element was alternately a bacterium and a virus.
World building was good. The Magic System was well wrought. The alt-history, 1930’s era was OK. The author needed to do a deeper-dive on between the wars world history, particularly American. If I had a problem, it was that Willis did not achieve the atmosphere Hammett did with San Francisco, Chandler did with his Bay City or Holmes with London within Lockerby’s NYC. Willis didn’t write about The City, with the needed urban familiarity.
I'm a critical reader. I’ve read almost everything Hammett and Chandler wrote. I also fancy myself an amateur historian. I have a particular interest in The World Between the Wars. I know a little bit about UF. I'm impressed by the effort put into this self-published book. Willis put money into artwork. He put money into an independent editor. He had a credible story that hews closely to the mashup of his chosen genres. There are problems with the story, but generally I found them to be outshone by the effort. I think with more: time, experience, and better research the author will become a good writer. In summary, this book was a surprise to me. It was pretty good. It showed me that self-publishing wasn't the nasty, drain trap I'd come to think of it as. There is hope.
December 9, 2022
3 stars. This started out really "meh," but it got progressively better as it went on. Will continue the series, I think.
January 21, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this book even though I have some quibbles with some aspects of the writing. This tells a story about Alex Lockerby, a down on his luck private investigator set in an alternate 1930's where magic is an everyday part of life. The world building is a little abrupt as an info dump right at the beginning, there are three main kinds of magic. Sorcerers who are immensely powerful and can do outrageous things. Rune wrights who can cause magical effects by creating and burning a rune. And alchemists who create potions or elixirs that do specific things. Alex is a rune wright of good skill and education, able to cast some very powerful spells via his runes. The runes are often passed hereditarily, and most rune wrights do all in their power to keep their own set of runes secret from others.
Alex is quickly drawn into a major problem when the Father who raised him at an orphanage is killed along with everyone else in the building by a mysterious disease. Aided by his police friend Danny, and his mentor Iggy, Alex looks into the problem. Meanwhile he is also trying to solve an unrelated issue brought to him by the police department that has the potential to get his friend Danny in deep trouble.
Eventually he comes to the end of these mysteries and finds surprising twists to both, one of which brings him into contact and conflict with one of the six most powerful people in New York City, the sorceress commonly called the Ice Queen.
I liked the world and the story building. The twists were well placed and the solutions didn't feel like cheats. Even when I was screaming at the page who one of the bad guys were that Alex didn't seem to recognize it was later revealed through his actions that he had the same suspicions as I did they were just never expressed in the writing. So overall that was fun to read.
My major problem with the book is that many of the characters all sound too similar. His mentor Iggy is from England, much older and better educated, yet he talks almost like the street wise Alex. Danny is a minority Asian on the New York police force and sounds like the street wise Alex. The most distinct voices were the women Evelyn, Leslie and the Sorceress all have clear voices.
The influences on Willis are almost certainly from the school of American hard-boiled detective stories and he captures that feeling well. The principal influence is probably Rex Stout. There are many similarities between Archie and Alex, and between Iggy and Nero Wolfe. They all live in a brownstone. Alex sleeps on the third floor while Iggy the second. Iggy has a greenhouse full of orchids. Iggy provides vital information that Alex does the field work on. That may be subconsciously affecting my desire for Iggy to have a much more distinct voice than Alex.
In any case, I really enjoyed the story and I'll be picking up the second volume soon.
Alex is quickly drawn into a major problem when the Father who raised him at an orphanage is killed along with everyone else in the building by a mysterious disease. Aided by his police friend Danny, and his mentor Iggy, Alex looks into the problem. Meanwhile he is also trying to solve an unrelated issue brought to him by the police department that has the potential to get his friend Danny in deep trouble.
Eventually he comes to the end of these mysteries and finds surprising twists to both, one of which brings him into contact and conflict with one of the six most powerful people in New York City, the sorceress commonly called the Ice Queen.
I liked the world and the story building. The twists were well placed and the solutions didn't feel like cheats. Even when I was screaming at the page who one of the bad guys were that Alex didn't seem to recognize it was later revealed through his actions that he had the same suspicions as I did they were just never expressed in the writing. So overall that was fun to read.
My major problem with the book is that many of the characters all sound too similar. His mentor Iggy is from England, much older and better educated, yet he talks almost like the street wise Alex. Danny is a minority Asian on the New York police force and sounds like the street wise Alex. The most distinct voices were the women Evelyn, Leslie and the Sorceress all have clear voices.
The influences on Willis are almost certainly from the school of American hard-boiled detective stories and he captures that feeling well. The principal influence is probably Rex Stout. There are many similarities between Archie and Alex, and between Iggy and Nero Wolfe. They all live in a brownstone. Alex sleeps on the third floor while Iggy the second. Iggy has a greenhouse full of orchids. Iggy provides vital information that Alex does the field work on. That may be subconsciously affecting my desire for Iggy to have a much more distinct voice than Alex.
In any case, I really enjoyed the story and I'll be picking up the second volume soon.
January 6, 2023
I decided to give this series a try because it seemed to include a number of my triggers. It promised Harry Dresden-like urban fantasy but in an alternate world set in the 1930s. I love stories that take place in that era, especially those set in NYC. The protagonist, Alex Lockerby, is a private investigator who is also a Runemaster. Powerful sorcerers exist but are rare and several historical figures are sprinkled in throughout the narrative.
I enjoyed the fact that Lockerby is a hard working PI but not a rich man by any means. He is a street-level gumshoe and pretty much has to take on every client that comes his way in order to make ends meet. There are similarities to characters such as Philip Marlowe, as well as Perry Mason and Sam Spade, including a beautiful secretary without whom, the PI would be much less effective.
To be clear, this is no Harry Dresden novel. There are some pacing problems and a couple of plot holes exist along with a few overly contrived situations. But overall, this is a fun novel to read. The world building is intriguing without being overbearing and the magic system seems well thought out. Happily, the story does not rely solely on magic bells and whistles but puts the burden squarely on the shoulders of the characters, where it belongs. The main characters are nicely engaging and the plot is intriguing enough to lead towards reading more of the series. I certainly plan to do so.
I enjoyed the fact that Lockerby is a hard working PI but not a rich man by any means. He is a street-level gumshoe and pretty much has to take on every client that comes his way in order to make ends meet. There are similarities to characters such as Philip Marlowe, as well as Perry Mason and Sam Spade, including a beautiful secretary without whom, the PI would be much less effective.
To be clear, this is no Harry Dresden novel. There are some pacing problems and a couple of plot holes exist along with a few overly contrived situations. But overall, this is a fun novel to read. The world building is intriguing without being overbearing and the magic system seems well thought out. Happily, the story does not rely solely on magic bells and whistles but puts the burden squarely on the shoulders of the characters, where it belongs. The main characters are nicely engaging and the plot is intriguing enough to lead towards reading more of the series. I certainly plan to do so.
April 12, 2019
Arcane Casebook book 1, but stand alone. A private investigator and rune-wright in a magical New York 1930s.
Alex is on the job, having just managed a case, and the police call him over. They have a burned body on their hands. Alex deduces a few things that lead them to use a powerful rune that reveals more complications. Then, he goes to help at a church mission where he had found refuge when a child -- helping with the roof tiles against the leaks -- and returns to his mentor's home.
That is where he get called back to the mission. And the plot thickens.
It involves rivalries between sorcerers, helping a girl get a new job, a woman whose brother didn't arrive for a dinner, a pack of cigarettes, the rune needed to restore a tooth, life runes that you have to die younger to use, and more.
Alex is on the job, having just managed a case, and the police call him over. They have a burned body on their hands. Alex deduces a few things that lead them to use a powerful rune that reveals more complications. Then, he goes to help at a church mission where he had found refuge when a child -- helping with the roof tiles against the leaks -- and returns to his mentor's home.
That is where he get called back to the mission. And the plot thickens.
It involves rivalries between sorcerers, helping a girl get a new job, a woman whose brother didn't arrive for a dinner, a pack of cigarettes, the rune needed to restore a tooth, life runes that you have to die younger to use, and more.
May 28, 2022
Until the finale, the book accomplished what it set out to do. It wasn't particularly original in its plot construction but the world at least was quite creative and it managed to bring across the noir atmosphere it was going for.
The end is a hot mess though. The book can't stop chaining twists together that get bigger and bigger.
At the end there, I wouldn't have been surprised by alien zombie-cow people trying to mind-control the government with nano-tech milk.
It's not actually that absurd but it went so far beyond anything reasonable in an effort to impress that it became laughable. Each twist had to outdo the previous one but each time it seems like the author wasn't yet satisfied with the scope and the mind blow. That is not how twists work. There are some tenuous connections to hints and breadcrumbs from earlier but they are all so vague that you could've crafted any conclusion you wanted to fit them.
tl;dr
cool world, mediocre writing, average plot, bad and absurd end.
The end is a hot mess though. The book can't stop chaining twists together that get bigger and bigger.
At the end there, I wouldn't have been surprised by alien zombie-cow people trying to mind-control the government with nano-tech milk.
It's not actually that absurd but it went so far beyond anything reasonable in an effort to impress that it became laughable. Each twist had to outdo the previous one but each time it seems like the author wasn't yet satisfied with the scope and the mind blow. That is not how twists work. There are some tenuous connections to hints and breadcrumbs from earlier but they are all so vague that you could've crafted any conclusion you wanted to fit them.
tl;dr
cool world, mediocre writing, average plot, bad and absurd end.
January 11, 2022
Have you ever read a book that should have been right in your wheelhouse, but for whatever reason it just didn't work for you?
That's what In Plain Sight is for me.
In my case the main problem is that I just never gave a hoot for the main character...or any character in the book, really. The writing was fine and the magic system was interesting enough and I did manage to slog my way to the end, but I doubt I'll ever pick the up the rest of the series.
It might be your cup of tea, but it wasn't mine.
That's what In Plain Sight is for me.
In my case the main problem is that I just never gave a hoot for the main character...or any character in the book, really. The writing was fine and the magic system was interesting enough and I did manage to slog my way to the end, but I doubt I'll ever pick the up the rest of the series.
It might be your cup of tea, but it wasn't mine.
July 19, 2020
Well, first of after Harry Dresden it is difficult to find a matching equivalent. In this story the world building was interesting, the main character was ok, but the language was annoyingly simplistic. All in all, after some break I may come back and read the second installment out of curiosity 😏
December 13, 2018
1930s Magic Noir - if you like Larry Correia´s Grimnoir, you will feel right at home in this universe :) Giving it 5 starts, as it reminds me of Jim Butchers Storm Front (first book of Dresden Files) - not yet perfect, but a good start for another 20 novels :)
May 27, 2022
3.5 stars
A fast paced adventure that combines urban fantasy with a proper detective story.
I simply love all ingredients this little goodie of a book is made up out of. It's set in the 1930s New York (with a fantasy twist) and has a sassy main character.
The setting is cool and the magic really interesting and inventive.
However the narrator is all wrong for this book.
Not only does he make our crafty sleuth, Alex, (really tall and everything) sound like a snooty kid, he's just not the right voice for the story, era, setting or characters.
This kind of noir inspired private eye story needs someone with a bit more grit and authority. Someone like James Marsters, reading The Dresden Files. That kind of vibe. Sorely needed!
But I soldiered through this book, because the story was good. The writing wasn't top-notch all the time, but the creativity of the magic system was just really brilliant.
AND I noticed that there's a different narrator reading all the following books. Thank the audiobook gods for that! 1I 00% will keep going.
A fast paced adventure that combines urban fantasy with a proper detective story.
I simply love all ingredients this little goodie of a book is made up out of. It's set in the 1930s New York (with a fantasy twist) and has a sassy main character.
The setting is cool and the magic really interesting and inventive.
However the narrator is all wrong for this book.
Not only does he make our crafty sleuth, Alex, (really tall and everything) sound like a snooty kid, he's just not the right voice for the story, era, setting or characters.
This kind of noir inspired private eye story needs someone with a bit more grit and authority. Someone like James Marsters, reading The Dresden Files. That kind of vibe. Sorely needed!
But I soldiered through this book, because the story was good. The writing wasn't top-notch all the time, but the creativity of the magic system was just really brilliant.
AND I noticed that there's a different narrator reading all the following books. Thank the audiobook gods for that! 1I 00% will keep going.
September 14, 2024
This was a fun and interesting, I would say pace of life, noir mystery with a fantasy twist. I found the main character to be a fun and interesting character. I definitely look forward to continuing this series, especially with some of the consequences of the end of the novel.
May 24, 2022
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Arcane Casebook series. There are 8 books in this series right now, with the most recent one being released March 2022. I borrowed a copy of this ebook through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: I wasn’t a huge fan of this book and stopped reading 66% of the way through. While some of the magic elements are interesting and the 1930’s alternate historical setting in NYC is also interesting, I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. The writing comes off as a bit stark and felt immature. I also just couldn’t engage with any of the characters very well.
The book follows Alex, a private investigator in an alternate 1930’s NYC where magic is commonplace and sorcerers run the world. Alex is a runewright, a lesser magic user, who uses runes to perform magic. Alex gets drawn into a mystery involving both a mysterious death and a strange plague. The book has a very hard-boiled noir feel to it.
I just did not like the style this book was written in and really struggled to read it; I kept having to re-read portions. The writing felt stark, simplistic and didn’t flow well. I also never engaged with the characters well. This is very obviously intended for a male audience and Alex is a bit of a lady’s man. There are some female characters in here and they were okay, but very much in the background and usually addressed as “doll” or “sweetheart” by their male counterparts.
In the end I don’t feel like this book was a good fit for me. The alternate NYC setting and rune magic was intriguing but I realized (at 66% of the way through) that I just didn’t care what was happening and was dreading sitting down to read more of this and decided to set it aside.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this wasn’t a great book and really just wasn’t for me. The writing style felt immature and simplistic and I didn’t enjoy the characters or story. Some of the magic is intriguing and the idea of an alternate historical magical NYC is fun (even if it has been done a lot already). This is very much a hard-boiled noir type of read and very much targeted at a white male audience. I didn’t care for it and won’t be continuing the series.
Thoughts: I wasn’t a huge fan of this book and stopped reading 66% of the way through. While some of the magic elements are interesting and the 1930’s alternate historical setting in NYC is also interesting, I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. The writing comes off as a bit stark and felt immature. I also just couldn’t engage with any of the characters very well.
The book follows Alex, a private investigator in an alternate 1930’s NYC where magic is commonplace and sorcerers run the world. Alex is a runewright, a lesser magic user, who uses runes to perform magic. Alex gets drawn into a mystery involving both a mysterious death and a strange plague. The book has a very hard-boiled noir feel to it.
I just did not like the style this book was written in and really struggled to read it; I kept having to re-read portions. The writing felt stark, simplistic and didn’t flow well. I also never engaged with the characters well. This is very obviously intended for a male audience and Alex is a bit of a lady’s man. There are some female characters in here and they were okay, but very much in the background and usually addressed as “doll” or “sweetheart” by their male counterparts.
In the end I don’t feel like this book was a good fit for me. The alternate NYC setting and rune magic was intriguing but I realized (at 66% of the way through) that I just didn’t care what was happening and was dreading sitting down to read more of this and decided to set it aside.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this wasn’t a great book and really just wasn’t for me. The writing style felt immature and simplistic and I didn’t enjoy the characters or story. Some of the magic is intriguing and the idea of an alternate historical magical NYC is fun (even if it has been done a lot already). This is very much a hard-boiled noir type of read and very much targeted at a white male audience. I didn’t care for it and won’t be continuing the series.
December 28, 2018
In Plain Sight by Dan Willis
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is a well-written, well-conceived bit of urban fantasy. The setting is a parallel 1930s New York. Alex Lockerby is a private investigator living hand to mouth by taking cases that come his way and occasionally consulting for the NYPD.
He's also a "runewright." In this version of the world, there are two kinds of magic. One kind involves the writing of runes - which are arcane geometric drawings that when ignited can perform all kinds of useful magic. The other is sorcery whereby sorcerers control elemental power, such as electricity or cold. People who can write runes are rare, but sorcerers are even rarer and far, far more powerful because while runes fade away over time, sorcery does not.
Willis follows the standard hardboiled detective format pioneered by Hammet and Chandler by stringing together three apparently unconnected plot lines and adding a femme fatale. Except that this detective is far too nice and generous to be Sam Spade or Phillip Marlow. This story does not involve a question of existential evil, rather evil is plainly identifiable on one side, and Lockerby is on the other side, helping widows and orphans.
The plot is engaging and it works. When I thought we were done, Willis added in a wrinkle that took the story up a notch.
Obviously, this is the first installment of a series. Willis has introduced us to the main and supporting characters and did a nice job of grounding us in the setting of a 1930s that looks a lot like the one that our grandparents knew, but is wildly different.
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is a well-written, well-conceived bit of urban fantasy. The setting is a parallel 1930s New York. Alex Lockerby is a private investigator living hand to mouth by taking cases that come his way and occasionally consulting for the NYPD.
He's also a "runewright." In this version of the world, there are two kinds of magic. One kind involves the writing of runes - which are arcane geometric drawings that when ignited can perform all kinds of useful magic. The other is sorcery whereby sorcerers control elemental power, such as electricity or cold. People who can write runes are rare, but sorcerers are even rarer and far, far more powerful because while runes fade away over time, sorcery does not.
Willis follows the standard hardboiled detective format pioneered by Hammet and Chandler by stringing together three apparently unconnected plot lines and adding a femme fatale. Except that this detective is far too nice and generous to be Sam Spade or Phillip Marlow. This story does not involve a question of existential evil, rather evil is plainly identifiable on one side, and Lockerby is on the other side, helping widows and orphans.
The plot is engaging and it works. When I thought we were done, Willis added in a wrinkle that took the story up a notch.
Obviously, this is the first installment of a series. Willis has introduced us to the main and supporting characters and did a nice job of grounding us in the setting of a 1930s that looks a lot like the one that our grandparents knew, but is wildly different.
December 16, 2018
I had fun with this story. The setting is described enough to get the point across without burying you in 90 year old vernacular. The story could have easily been host to some heavy handed misogyny due to the time period, but Willis delivered a world where the women easily held their own with their male counterparts.
The magic of this universe isn't over explained or pontificated upon ad nauseam. I enjoy stories where the magic is a little weird and dangerous to the user. Dan did a good job of giving you enough of a framework to grasp the concept, but left enough wiggle room for me to use my imagination to fill in the blanks. If you are familiar with pulp era writings, the story might seem formulaic, but then, just about every movie and novel today seem to follow the heroes journey so I don't view this as a negative.
Bottom line, I had fun with the story and will definitely keep an eye out for the next in the series. If this were a film, it would be a fun drive-in movie to kick back and enjoy.
The magic of this universe isn't over explained or pontificated upon ad nauseam. I enjoy stories where the magic is a little weird and dangerous to the user. Dan did a good job of giving you enough of a framework to grasp the concept, but left enough wiggle room for me to use my imagination to fill in the blanks. If you are familiar with pulp era writings, the story might seem formulaic, but then, just about every movie and novel today seem to follow the heroes journey so I don't view this as a negative.
Bottom line, I had fun with the story and will definitely keep an eye out for the next in the series. If this were a film, it would be a fun drive-in movie to kick back and enjoy.
December 15, 2018
A pleasant way to pass away the hours
A paranormal PI /runesmith in the 1930s? This was too interesting to pass up. The action kept moving and I couldn't put the book down but it seemed as though I was eating literary snack food. It felt good going down but when I was done I really didn't have a lot to remember it by. If you are looking for a light-hearted and painless action novel, this might be the book for you.
I remember thinking as I finished this book that if there is a sequel I will probably read it.
A paranormal PI /runesmith in the 1930s? This was too interesting to pass up. The action kept moving and I couldn't put the book down but it seemed as though I was eating literary snack food. It felt good going down but when I was done I really didn't have a lot to remember it by. If you are looking for a light-hearted and painless action novel, this might be the book for you.
I remember thinking as I finished this book that if there is a sequel I will probably read it.
December 25, 2018
3.5 stars
I thought this book had an interesting premise -- a 1930's detective/mystery in alternate universe, with magic and runes. Alex, the main character, is quite likable. He sure is loyal to the ones who he calls friends; he is also kind-hearted, shown in the way Alex helps this cook to get a better job. I might get lost in the plot somehow -- as Alex finds himself involved in more than one cases -- but in the end, I'm quite intrigued for the next book.
I thought this book had an interesting premise -- a 1930's detective/mystery in alternate universe, with magic and runes. Alex, the main character, is quite likable. He sure is loyal to the ones who he calls friends; he is also kind-hearted, shown in the way Alex helps this cook to get a better job. I might get lost in the plot somehow -- as Alex finds himself involved in more than one cases -- but in the end, I'm quite intrigued for the next book.
June 1, 2020
This book was good enough that it took less than a day for me to get through it all, and it left me wishing the rest of the books were out in audio already. Dan is an author that always delivers, so give this one a try if you like urban fantasy or detective noir.
June 21, 2022
Liked the synopsis, liked the first few pages, but also read about the author in relation to his view on Trump and Covid. Dumped the book… Nope, I’m not going to fund his idea of extremist and twisted views
April 10, 2024
First book in this series First book by this author I've ever read/listened too...I like it and there are a good number of cases in the Arcane casebook so I'll be revisiting Iggy is n old man English and a Dr. He takes in a young rune writer Alex and helps teach him stronger runes and spells Alex is a magical detective who helps the police solve some of the tough to crack cases set in the early thirties the world is run by magic with some of the top ranking people of that time period being the strongest magic users around....Iggy has a secret that Alex tries to unravel as other rune writes and magic users have tried before will Alex figure out what is hidden "In Plain Sight" or will he to fail as all the others have done?? read it and see my friends read it and see :)
October 24, 2019
Clever and original
On the whole, VERY well done. It's an investigation story, with the world-building and internal mythology slipped in cleanly. No info dumps or "As you know, Bob" conversations. I tend to be skeptical of all urban fantasy coming at me through KU because it is 50% identical stories about plucky heroines discovering they're magical/more magical/The Chosen One, 30% vampire stories that usually involve sex, 5% straight up dreadful dreck, and 15% good original stuff that I wouldn't have found otherwise. This was a refreshing find - Amazon targeted the right audience on Facebook, apparently. I hope the rest in the series are this good.
On the whole, VERY well done. It's an investigation story, with the world-building and internal mythology slipped in cleanly. No info dumps or "As you know, Bob" conversations. I tend to be skeptical of all urban fantasy coming at me through KU because it is 50% identical stories about plucky heroines discovering they're magical/more magical/The Chosen One, 30% vampire stories that usually involve sex, 5% straight up dreadful dreck, and 15% good original stuff that I wouldn't have found otherwise. This was a refreshing find - Amazon targeted the right audience on Facebook, apparently. I hope the rest in the series are this good.
July 28, 2021
I got this book on vacation from a friend who had already read it. I do not read a whole lot of urban fantasy/modern magic stuff. But I am a major fan of pulp detective storys.
So there are some very obvious tropes and well-known plot devices. But I had an immense amount of fun with this. It was much better than expected, I liked all of the storyline - maybe even because it went just like one would expect. I guess I could read this style storyline endlessly.
This was fun for me. It was a nice easy-reader and after another long month of travel and work, this was a great way to relax. I do intend to read book 2.
So there are some very obvious tropes and well-known plot devices. But I had an immense amount of fun with this. It was much better than expected, I liked all of the storyline - maybe even because it went just like one would expect. I guess I could read this style storyline endlessly.
This was fun for me. It was a nice easy-reader and after another long month of travel and work, this was a great way to relax. I do intend to read book 2.
February 10, 2020
This is a bit different than many of the urban fantasies available through Kindle Unlimited. This has the feel of a pulp/hard-boiled detective novel. Just with magic. It is a lot of fun. Plus, the women aren't as stereotyped in a real pulp/hard-boiled detective story. I wouldn't call it an equal society but some women definitely have powerful roles.
I definitely want to read the next one in the series.
I definitely want to read the next one in the series.
May 25, 2021
5 stars
This is the first book in the Arcane Casebook series by Dan Willis.
Wow, this amazing book will surprise you.
I didn't know what to expect when I opened this book, but what I found inside is an amazing world. This is a world I would like to discover more of. Definitely digging more into this wonderful series.
Read this book for free via my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
This is the first book in the Arcane Casebook series by Dan Willis.
Wow, this amazing book will surprise you.
I didn't know what to expect when I opened this book, but what I found inside is an amazing world. This is a world I would like to discover more of. Definitely digging more into this wonderful series.
Read this book for free via my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
October 13, 2021
Good story/interesting concept and characters.
This is really a side note) There is an issue with Yiddish anachronisms. Nice to see Yiddish, don't get me wrong, but there's no way a gentile in the 1930s is going to know Yiddish expressions popularized by post-Holocaust Jewish refugees -
I'm going to assume the author isn't a putz but just didn't realise they were expressions from Yiddish and therefore didn't realise they are anachronistic. (I was going to let it go, not the biggest deal- but oy gevalt - I'm on book 5 and I'm still seeing them). I'm hoping if there is an audiobook the actor doesn't add insult to injury and f-up the pronunciation like many Americans do (do not use forvo for Yiddish expressions that have become part of American English people! The cringe is high)
This is really a side note) There is an issue with Yiddish anachronisms. Nice to see Yiddish, don't get me wrong, but there's no way a gentile in the 1930s is going to know Yiddish expressions popularized by post-Holocaust Jewish refugees -
I'm going to assume the author isn't a putz but just didn't realise they were expressions from Yiddish and therefore didn't realise they are anachronistic. (I was going to let it go, not the biggest deal- but oy gevalt - I'm on book 5 and I'm still seeing them). I'm hoping if there is an audiobook the actor doesn't add insult to injury and f-up the pronunciation like many Americans do (do not use forvo for Yiddish expressions that have become part of American English people! The cringe is high)
April 2, 2019
Excellent start to a series. Urban fantasy set in depression era New York.
September 16, 2021
loved this book, love Iki love mc love all the chacaters cant wait buy book 2 i reacamned this book to all
July 5, 2022
This book was an unexpected pleasure. Old time PI, bit of magic and some action as well. Looking forward to book 2.
November 5, 2022
A very fun read. Mr. Wills' magic systems are practical and well thought out. I cannot wait to dive into the next installment to see more Sorcery. The noir detective feel was spot on for me and the world was well-wrought.
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