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Justis Fearsson #3
Shadow's Blade
Book #3 in The Case Files of Justis Fearsson, the critically acclaimed contemporary fantasy series from fantasy all-star David B. Coe. A hardboiled, magic-using private detective fights dark sorcerers in Phoenix, Arizona.
Justis Fearsson is a weremyste and a private detective. He wields potent magic, but every month, on the full moon, he loses his mind. His battles with insanity have already cost him his job as a cop; he can’t afford to let them interfere with his latest case.
Phoenix has become ground zero in a magical war, and an army of werecreatures, blood sorcerers, and necromancers has made Jay its number one target. When he is hired to track down a woman who has gone missing with her two young children, he has a hunch that the dark ones are to blame. But then he’s also brought in by the police to help with a murder investigation, and all the evidence implicates this same woman. Soon he is caught up in a deadly race to find not only the young family, but also an ancient weapon that could prove decisive in the looming conflict. Can he keep himself alive long enough to reach the woman and her kids before his enemies do? And can he claim the weapon before the people he loves, and the world he knows, are lost in a storm of flame, blood, and darkest sorcery?
The Case Files of Justis Fearsson
Spell Blind
His Father's Eyes
Shadow's Blade
About Shadow's Blade :
"Coe balances wit and drama, gives his female characters plenty of agency, and even throws in a bit of The Maltese Falcon via a powerful object everyone desires. This noir-tinged urban fantasy with real-feeling magic and multiple moral quandaries is highly recommended."— Publishers Weekly
About Spell Blind, Book One in the Case Files of Justis
"Justis is on the streets and has never been so cool; I can't wait for his next adventure!"—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times Best Seller
"Coe brings deep knowledge of both fantasy and mystery to his well-structured first urban fantasy novel. . . . He tells an entertaining story with a good mystery at its core."— Publishers Weekly
About David B. Coe's Rules of Ascension :
"War and politics, love and magic, all drawn in detail against a vividly imagined feudal background. A complex and excellent book." —David Drake, author of Lord of the Isles
". . . epic . . . a world of rival nobles, sinister mages, and a few men and women of courage and conviction. Well-developed characters and an intriguing political background . . ."— Library Journal
Justis Fearsson is a weremyste and a private detective. He wields potent magic, but every month, on the full moon, he loses his mind. His battles with insanity have already cost him his job as a cop; he can’t afford to let them interfere with his latest case.
Phoenix has become ground zero in a magical war, and an army of werecreatures, blood sorcerers, and necromancers has made Jay its number one target. When he is hired to track down a woman who has gone missing with her two young children, he has a hunch that the dark ones are to blame. But then he’s also brought in by the police to help with a murder investigation, and all the evidence implicates this same woman. Soon he is caught up in a deadly race to find not only the young family, but also an ancient weapon that could prove decisive in the looming conflict. Can he keep himself alive long enough to reach the woman and her kids before his enemies do? And can he claim the weapon before the people he loves, and the world he knows, are lost in a storm of flame, blood, and darkest sorcery?
The Case Files of Justis Fearsson
Spell Blind
His Father's Eyes
Shadow's Blade
About Shadow's Blade :
"Coe balances wit and drama, gives his female characters plenty of agency, and even throws in a bit of The Maltese Falcon via a powerful object everyone desires. This noir-tinged urban fantasy with real-feeling magic and multiple moral quandaries is highly recommended."— Publishers Weekly
About Spell Blind, Book One in the Case Files of Justis
"Justis is on the streets and has never been so cool; I can't wait for his next adventure!"—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times Best Seller
"Coe brings deep knowledge of both fantasy and mystery to his well-structured first urban fantasy novel. . . . He tells an entertaining story with a good mystery at its core."— Publishers Weekly
About David B. Coe's Rules of Ascension :
"War and politics, love and magic, all drawn in detail against a vividly imagined feudal background. A complex and excellent book." —David Drake, author of Lord of the Isles
". . . epic . . . a world of rival nobles, sinister mages, and a few men and women of courage and conviction. Well-developed characters and an intriguing political background . . ."— Library Journal
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2016
291 people want to read
About the author
David B. Coe
67 books260 followersDavid B. Coe is an author of fantasy novels and short stories. He lives with his wife, Nancy Berner, and their two daughters on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 27, 2018
Another fun UF adventure that finally brought the threads from the last book to a conclusion, but I hope the author stops here. He leveled up Fearson toward the end of the last book an awful lot, almost jumped the shark. Any books following this will probably be too far out for me.
I was absolutely floored by one minor incident. In the midst of all the chaos, Fearson takes a small boy outside to pee & freaks out about not having any way to wash his hands afterward. Seriously?!!! Boys have been pissing outside & not washing their hands afterwards forever. Have we as a society gotten so ridiculously squeamish? If so, don't use any keyboard, never breath in a bathroom where you flush the toilet, & never ever use the inside door handle on a public bathroom again. Just beat your head against the door until someone lets you out, proceed to the nearest vat of Lysol, & drown yourself.
I was absolutely floored by one minor incident. In the midst of all the chaos, Fearson takes a small boy outside to pee & freaks out about not having any way to wash his hands afterward. Seriously?!!! Boys have been pissing outside & not washing their hands afterwards forever. Have we as a society gotten so ridiculously squeamish? If so, don't use any keyboard, never breath in a bathroom where you flush the toilet, & never ever use the inside door handle on a public bathroom again. Just beat your head against the door until someone lets you out, proceed to the nearest vat of Lysol, & drown yourself.
April 28, 2017
Another good addition to this series... Except now I have concerns, because Justis has leveled up way too much by the end, which often means things are going to be pretty ho-hum going forward. Here's hoping that isn't the case for this series.
April 5, 2019
I have to admit that this is my least-favourite of the three Justis Fearsson books. I don't know why, but I just found it hard to connect with Jay (Justis) enough to care about what happened in this book - maybe because I never really doubted that he'd win through in the end. The other thing was that the McGuffin - the magic doohickey that everyone was after - could have been a Tiffany lamp for all the difference it made. We'd never encountered it before (that I remember) and we had no evidence of its power, so there was no sense of danger when contemplating what might happen if the bad guys got the doohickey instead of the good guys.
On the good side, however, I liked Billie - Jay's girlfriend - more in this one, even though she didn't have a major role. I would have liked to have seen more of her, as she didn't have much page time in which to let the reader get to know her.
All in all, I'd say that this is solid urban fantasy - but it just didn't do it for me personally.
On the good side, however, I liked Billie - Jay's girlfriend - more in this one, even though she didn't have a major role. I would have liked to have seen more of her, as she didn't have much page time in which to let the reader get to know her.
All in all, I'd say that this is solid urban fantasy - but it just didn't do it for me personally.
February 3, 2026
Decent conclusion to the series. I can see why it ended how it did. I don’t know if I would want more of the series.
March 11, 2017
I liked it. It was a satisfying ending of the initial arc while still leaving room for more books if the series continues.
August 10, 2018
I've read books from each of David Coe's fantasy series and the Justis Fearsson series is my least favorite. It's not that Coe has not constructed a well-plotted series. He has. He has created a world where certain individuals have magical abilities as weremystes and runemasters. Some want to use their abilities for evil and Fearsson as an ex-cop, now P.I., finds himself up against the worst.
My personal beef is that there's something about the main character that doesn't work for me. Part of it is his relationship with his non-magically-endowed girl friend. It seems Coe recognizes the incongruity of that relationship by what he does to overcome their differences at the end of this story.
The other aspect of the character that doesn't win me over is knowing that it's through the use of magic that he'll carry the day. Yes, he's brave and all that, but I'm never convinced he's in real danger. By now--in the third book of this series--I know some variation of the rules of magic that I as a reader am not aware of will play a role in Fearsson's coming through in the end.
That said, Coe fans ought to give this series a try. There is a progressive logic to the books in this series...so I recommend reading them in order.
My personal beef is that there's something about the main character that doesn't work for me. Part of it is his relationship with his non-magically-endowed girl friend. It seems Coe recognizes the incongruity of that relationship by what he does to overcome their differences at the end of this story.
The other aspect of the character that doesn't win me over is knowing that it's through the use of magic that he'll carry the day. Yes, he's brave and all that, but I'm never convinced he's in real danger. By now--in the third book of this series--I know some variation of the rules of magic that I as a reader am not aware of will play a role in Fearsson's coming through in the end.
That said, Coe fans ought to give this series a try. There is a progressive logic to the books in this series...so I recommend reading them in order.
February 10, 2022
We’ll, I’ve reached the end of the three book series, and I’m ok with that. For me, this installment falls firmly in the middle. On the positive, I’ve stopped immediately thinking of Dresden while I read. As for the negatives, the characters feel flat and I still don’t care about most of them. I’m most drawn to the crime lord (his name escapes me, which isn’t a good sign). I can’t stand the runemaster, who seems like a stereotype, and I find it VERY DIFFICULT to connect with Fearson this time.
Again, if I hear about “no socks” one more time…I actually considered walking away from the book as soon as it was brought up, which was unfortunately at the beginning.
The big reveal was predictable, which judging by the way the trilogy had already run, isn’t a surprise.
Again, if I hear about “no socks” one more time…I actually considered walking away from the book as soon as it was brought up, which was unfortunately at the beginning.
The big reveal was predictable, which judging by the way the trilogy had already run, isn’t a surprise.
May 9, 2017
Strong beginning with a mother and children in jeopardy. Sucked me right in. I really enjoy the magic and gripping action scenes (often magical duels) in this series. The new character, Gracie, was very well done, prickly and believable--to the point where Billie started to look a bit bland... I also really like Justis's relationship with his troubled weremyste father.
Quibble: I had a bit of trouble investing in the mystery element--magic weapon, blah, blah, blah. Seen this so many times before.
Quibble: I had a bit of trouble investing in the mystery element--magic weapon, blah, blah, blah. Seen this so many times before.
May 13, 2019
Very good story, well done: the descriptions are quite good, the plot follows itself to the end, the characters stay in character. A very worthy read.
A very inventive world that I love. The idea of were mystics doing magic but going insane for three days a month is clever.
The idea of a special weapon is a bit cliche-ish but Coe takes it on as his own. There is suspense, twists and action in this story. Quite well done as I said already.
I recommend it but read the first two books before this one.
A very inventive world that I love. The idea of were mystics doing magic but going insane for three days a month is clever.
The idea of a special weapon is a bit cliche-ish but Coe takes it on as his own. There is suspense, twists and action in this story. Quite well done as I said already.
I recommend it but read the first two books before this one.
August 15, 2017
Buena historia, que empieza con un secuestro (desaparición) de una madre y sus hijos y que se complica cada vez más con la inclusión de muchos interesados en l suerte de esa familia. Lo único malo es que el protagonista ha subido tantos niveles de experiencia en un solo libro que los siguientes, si hay, van a ser contra enemigos demasiado poderosos, y a ver cómo maneja eso el autor. B+
November 12, 2017
I read this book in 4 hours. It is as good as #1 and #2, if not better. I hope happen Coe change his stories a little bit for the next book, because soon this become formula. Still really good urban fantasy.
February 25, 2018
Sad to see this series end, for the most part I wasn't as fond of it, but David B Coe's ability to tell an amazing story is why it has a 4. He has a way with words that could make any story worth reading, even it isn't something that one is fond of.
April 28, 2020
Another great story in the series. Justis is still battling necromancers, and this time he's trying to save a mum and her two kids from them.
I liked how David Coe has set up the magic for his world, and that he's managed to show how the character has progressed in his spells and magic use.
I liked how David Coe has set up the magic for his world, and that he's managed to show how the character has progressed in his spells and magic use.
July 12, 2017
This series feels a little bit like a mash up of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. It's excellent.
December 27, 2017
Frustrated that there isn't a #4 ready for me to read. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. The writing holds true through each title. Looking forward to the next one.
March 13, 2019
Best of the 3 Fearsson books
July 10, 2021
Good story, with a satisfying ending.....the author left the door open in case he chooses to continue the tale.
August 13, 2022
A fast caper with the perfect blend of a crime novel and an urban fantasy novel.
February 7, 2017
Before starting this book I remember glancing through a few reviews of it on Goodreads, on Amazon. Popular, they claimed that this was the best Fearsson novel to date, maybe even Coe's best yet. After the first 60-70 pages, I have to admit, I was far from convinced.
I mean, it was good, but it'd also taken me three days to reach that point; I was by no means flying through it. Shadow's Blade also features a return adversary from the previous story. As a veteran of Coe's Thieftaker series--penned under the pseudonym, D. B. Jackson--I've learned that he doesn't always play such a twist to his advantage, and the story seems to suffer from it. Maybe 10 hours later, however (yes, I'm a slow reader, I know), maybe I can understand.
Shadow's Blade is by no means perfect. There were a few moments, especially late in the book, that were headscratchers. Though they weren't necessarily plot related. More of the why-are-the-villains-being-so-civil, or maybe why-didn't-they-just-kill-him moments.
It is also the shortest (I think, but I read the PB of the first two and switched to the HC for this) of the three, though the story does by no means suffer from this.
In all honesty, I'll likely have to read it again, later, to fully appreciate how good Shadow's Blade IS. What I know now however, is that it's the best Fearsson novel to date, and I really shouldn't have doubted either the readers to judge it so or Coe to deliver.
Can't wait for the next one!
4.6-4.7 / 5 stars
I mean, it was good, but it'd also taken me three days to reach that point; I was by no means flying through it. Shadow's Blade also features a return adversary from the previous story. As a veteran of Coe's Thieftaker series--penned under the pseudonym, D. B. Jackson--I've learned that he doesn't always play such a twist to his advantage, and the story seems to suffer from it. Maybe 10 hours later, however (yes, I'm a slow reader, I know), maybe I can understand.
Shadow's Blade is by no means perfect. There were a few moments, especially late in the book, that were headscratchers. Though they weren't necessarily plot related. More of the why-are-the-villains-being-so-civil, or maybe why-didn't-they-just-kill-him moments.
It is also the shortest (I think, but I read the PB of the first two and switched to the HC for this) of the three, though the story does by no means suffer from this.
In all honesty, I'll likely have to read it again, later, to fully appreciate how good Shadow's Blade IS. What I know now however, is that it's the best Fearsson novel to date, and I really shouldn't have doubted either the readers to judge it so or Coe to deliver.
Can't wait for the next one!
4.6-4.7 / 5 stars
June 1, 2016
Shadow's Blade by David B. Coe
This is an urban fantasy with "were" and runemysters which are for want of a better definition magic casters. Coe has developed his own lexicon for the Justin Fearsson Investigations Inc. story line. Justin, as a magic wielding private eye, is enveloped in a life threatening case by, a heart is not gold, gangster who is not a black arts practitioner. Justin is tasked to find a missing woman and her children.
Coe has an appealing style that draws you in quickly and then creates characters that are memorable. One of the aspects of Justin Fearsson's character is that not only is he ethical, he is far more realistic than most fantasy characters. Justin is not a "kill them all and let the Lord sort them out" type of hero. All to often fantasies are populated by characters that have no concern for collateral damage of the lives of marginally bad people. Coe avoids that and thusly imparts a greater sense of reality in an urban fantasy.
This is a well crafted book and I will be looking for other books in the series as well as any thing else this superlative author has written.
Web Site: http://www.davidbcoe.com/
This is an urban fantasy with "were" and runemysters which are for want of a better definition magic casters. Coe has developed his own lexicon for the Justin Fearsson Investigations Inc. story line. Justin, as a magic wielding private eye, is enveloped in a life threatening case by, a heart is not gold, gangster who is not a black arts practitioner. Justin is tasked to find a missing woman and her children.
Coe has an appealing style that draws you in quickly and then creates characters that are memorable. One of the aspects of Justin Fearsson's character is that not only is he ethical, he is far more realistic than most fantasy characters. Justin is not a "kill them all and let the Lord sort them out" type of hero. All to often fantasies are populated by characters that have no concern for collateral damage of the lives of marginally bad people. Coe avoids that and thusly imparts a greater sense of reality in an urban fantasy.
This is a well crafted book and I will be looking for other books in the series as well as any thing else this superlative author has written.
Web Site: http://www.davidbcoe.com/
June 4, 2016
David B. Coe has a third tale of PI Justis Fearsson, and ex-cop, weremyste able to work magic. This time the case involves a woman with two kids on the run, mainly because she’s found Shadow’s Blade (hard from Baen) and some very bad blood mages are after her, including one who can totally drain a person’s blood with a touch and use it to create powerful spells. There’s a trail of dead bodies, and the bad guys even use helicopters. There’s a trail of dead bodies around Phoenix, including ones his ex-partner Kona is investigating. Very exciting.. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
September 7, 2016
Note: I did not read the first book in the series.
Fearsson is a Private Investigator, an ex-cop, and a magic welding sorcerer. He is brought into a new case of a rogue mom with two kids trying to run away from other were-creatures and magic users.
The book is surprisingly good - it really sucked me into it and I didnt even notice that I was getting to the end!
*I got this book through GoodRead's Giveaways - an excellent source of interesting books!
Fearsson is a Private Investigator, an ex-cop, and a magic welding sorcerer. He is brought into a new case of a rogue mom with two kids trying to run away from other were-creatures and magic users.
The book is surprisingly good - it really sucked me into it and I didnt even notice that I was getting to the end!
*I got this book through GoodRead's Giveaways - an excellent source of interesting books!
August 21, 2016
3.5 stars
A good conclusion to what I hope is only stage 1 of Justis's files. I rated this one a 3.5 because the big climax is a result of what seems to be a sudden jump in skill. Otherwise, it is a well written tale with engaging characters, except for the bad guys, who are REALLY bad, in both actions and intentions.
A good conclusion to what I hope is only stage 1 of Justis's files. I rated this one a 3.5 because the big climax is a result of what seems to be a sudden jump in skill. Otherwise, it is a well written tale with engaging characters, except for the bad guys, who are REALLY bad, in both actions and intentions.
June 18, 2016
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I think this author just gets better with each new book. The writing on Shadow's Blade is great, the plot intriguing, and the characters strong Can't wait to read more from this author!
September 8, 2016
Having not read the other books in this series, I was surprised at how easy it was to dive into this new world and enjoy it. Excellent story that is well told. I'll have to pick up the rest of this series and add this author on my list of those to watch.
June 30, 2020
I need two books at once Mr. Coe. I need more....
June 4, 2016
Write faster, David! I really like this series. A little bit of everything.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews