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Cunning Devil

Lost Falls, Book 1

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Cunning Devil

By: Chris Underwood
Narrated by: Gary Bennett
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Summary

Breaking curses. Battling witchcraft. Revenge. All in a day's work for Ozzy Turner, folk wizard.

Is a witch throwing curses your way? Something scary scratching at your window in the night? Then, I've got just the charm for you.

Mostly, though, I find things. Lost treasures, missing loved ones...if you need something found, I'm your guy.

So, when a grieving father hired me to track down a family heirloom stolen by a sticky-fingered hobgoblin, I was happy to help.

No one was supposed to wind up dead. Especially not me. But they made a mistake when they put a bullet in my stomach and left me for the worms. They didn't bury me deep enough....

If you like Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Shayne Silvers, M.D. Massey, or Orlando A. Sanchez, then you'll love taking a trip to the sleepy town of Lost Falls, where not everything is as it seems.

©2017 Chris Underwood (P)2019 Chris Underwood Fantasy Fiction Magic Magic Users Paranormal Witchcraft
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Great plot well planned with many twists and turns cannot wait for book 2. The people are believable and the action fast and brutal keep it up

Different in a good way

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Listener received this title free

I read this book on Kindle a couple of years ago. I failed to rate or review it then, but I must have enjoyed it as I have bought and read all the subsequent Lost Falls books.

The main character, Ozzie, is a Cunning Man or white witch:

“We were the ones you came to when your crops failed or your prized cooking pan went missing. We were there to track down your son after he wandered into the woods alone. We broke curses and protected against witchcraft. We provided magical assistance for the common folk, all at a reasonable price. And though we weren’t always trusted, we were always in demand.”

Ozzie is an finely drawn character with a troubled past that slowly comes to light as the story progresses. He and his mentor, Early, see themselves as the protectors of their community of Lost Falls - both of the visible human and of the hidden non-human populations - and that role of protector often puts them in the line of fire, whether from gun, curse, or some sort of magical strike.

The non-human entities are many and varied: hags, hobgoblins, vampires, goblins, ghouls, changelings, a roggenwolf, to name a few, and it is interesting to see how none of these - even those where the most evil has arisen - is portrayed as wholly bad.

The audiobook version, which I have just finished, has a good reader in Gary Bennett. His voice suits the character of Ozzie extremely well, and is pleasant to listen to. Most of the other characters are easy to distinguish, and I particularly enjoyed the voice he gave to the Dealer.

This is a novel that pulls together a complex series of seemingly unrelated incidents and characters, blending them into a startling finale and a satisfying conclusion. It is a good start to a series that continues to improve and enthrall.

The main reason I have not given a five star rating is the plethora of f-bombs, which I find irritating - particularly when I am listening to a book. I have recently re-read the other books in this series and don’t recall an excess of swearing in those, so I think the author must have been more creative in his language as his skills developed.

Out of the ordinary urban fantasy

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A slow start but it soon picked up pace. Not my usual book selection but I liked it, thought it was very entertaining and a good read. I suppose one thing that sometimes puts me off books in this genre is that the subject matter, vampires, goblins etc can be written for a certain age group. But this was well written, well thought out and with a lot of knowledge as Chris immerses you into his fantasy world. I liked that the focus of the book wasn't just about casting spells and charms, but that it was also submerged in mystery with a feeling that the storyline could lead in any direction at any time as the story unfolds. It also didn't include typical characters like in some books of this genre which always include vampire and werewolf main leads. The narrator did a good job overall, sometimes I wondered how he managed the high pitched hobgoblins voice, while reverting back to the very calm 'Ozzy' voice, with the 'Dealers' voice being very creepy. Considering what 'Ozzy' goes through within the story I thought his voice was a little too calm and laid back for my liking. I was given a copy of this book for free of my own choosing and have voluntarily left this review.

This is what happens when you trade with a Dealer

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This has got to be one ☝🏽 of the best books 📖 i’ve heard since The Dresden Files it’s full of magic and magical creatures from goblins to vampires 🧛🏽‍♂️ & so much more I literately couldn’t stop listening 🙉 from start to finish it’s absolutely brilliant Wonderful lead characters and fantastic story line i’m giving this 10 outta 10 Can’t wait for the next book 📖 huge Thank You 😊 to this great new author LOVED ❤️🥰😍🥳😊 IT!! KAZ 🥰💙🖤💙😍😊

WOW 😮 KAZ Bedford 😊 LOVED THIS ❤️🥰

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Cunning Devil, the first book in the Lost Falls series, is a cleverly composed urban fantasy. The storyline is well-written, fascinating, suspenseful, and action-packed, loaded with twists and turns. Chris Underwood is an excellent storyteller with an incredible imagination. He has done a brilliant job with the world-building, an essential element in the paranormal genre. Ozzy Turner, the main character, is compelling, canny, and engaging; I liked how his mind works.

Gary Bennett is a talented narrator, well-paced, and precise. His inflexions entirely suited the situations and characters — especially Ozzy, he sounded exactly how imagined him.

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

Very entertaining!

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