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Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Case Files of Erik Rugar
It’s hard to fight wizards and demons when all you have is a gun and a badge.
The use of magic in the Sovereign City of Dracoheim is regulated by the Lord Mayor's Committee For Public Safety. From the licensing of magi, to the health and safety requirements for magical manufacturing, to the import and export of goods to the Realms of Nightmare, dedicated civil servants ensure that the metropolitan area stays safe from magical mayhem.
Most of the time, anyway.
My name is Erik Rugar. I’m an agent of the Criminal Investigation Division of CPS. We operate outside of the authority of Parliament and are answerable only to the Lord Mayor himself. We get involved when the regular beat cops are out of their depth. If a magic shop gets robbed by junkies, or someone gets vaporized by a fireball, or shapechanging creatures start infiltrating the city, I get the call.
But I’m not a mage; I’m just a cop. I face down magical threats with my keen investigative skills and a trusty revolver.
Welcome to my world.
Includes the short story “In the City of Dreadful Joy,” third-place winner of the 2019 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award!
The use of magic in the Sovereign City of Dracoheim is regulated by the Lord Mayor's Committee For Public Safety. From the licensing of magi, to the health and safety requirements for magical manufacturing, to the import and export of goods to the Realms of Nightmare, dedicated civil servants ensure that the metropolitan area stays safe from magical mayhem.
Most of the time, anyway.
My name is Erik Rugar. I’m an agent of the Criminal Investigation Division of CPS. We operate outside of the authority of Parliament and are answerable only to the Lord Mayor himself. We get involved when the regular beat cops are out of their depth. If a magic shop gets robbed by junkies, or someone gets vaporized by a fireball, or shapechanging creatures start infiltrating the city, I get the call.
But I’m not a mage; I’m just a cop. I face down magical threats with my keen investigative skills and a trusty revolver.
Welcome to my world.
Includes the short story “In the City of Dreadful Joy,” third-place winner of the 2019 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award!
- GenresFantasy
226 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2019
7 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Misha Burnett
66 books61 followersI want to write stories unlike any that have ever been written before.
Yes, I know that there are only a few basic plots and everything has been done before, but I think there is still room for a personal vision.
I have always been fascinated by writers who invent their own worlds, their own cosmologies. That's my goal as a writer, to take my readers on a trip to a place where they have never been before, a place where no one has ever before.
I believe in that place, and I think it's all around us, just around the corner. I think the world is a stranger place than we imagine, a more dangerous and a more beautiful place than can imagine, and I want to share my world with you.
Come with me, I'll show you...
Yes, I know that there are only a few basic plots and everything has been done before, but I think there is still room for a personal vision.
I have always been fascinated by writers who invent their own worlds, their own cosmologies. That's my goal as a writer, to take my readers on a trip to a place where they have never been before, a place where no one has ever before.
I believe in that place, and I think it's all around us, just around the corner. I think the world is a stranger place than we imagine, a more dangerous and a more beautiful place than can imagine, and I want to share my world with you.
Come with me, I'll show you...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 16, 2019
Life of a cop in a city with a dragon mayor.
A collection of short stories with little connection besides their happening to the narrator, and so all being stuff about magic, which he investigates. Including some that blow up, such as starting with a break-in, and some major from the start, as when the mayor calls him in for a missing persons case.
Interesting.
A collection of short stories with little connection besides their happening to the narrator, and so all being stuff about magic, which he investigates. Including some that blow up, such as starting with a break-in, and some major from the start, as when the mayor calls him in for a missing persons case.
Interesting.
December 6, 2019
Burnett fuses the possibility of weird fiction with the solidity of crime noir to create a collection that is both a gritty detective story and a baroque urban fantasy.
Dracoheim is a human city, but abuts the Realms of Nightmare. Ancient treaties and modern laws define the appropriate uses of magic, mysticism, and migration. Mostly it works; however, when it doesn’t someone has to investigate the incomprehensible; someone like Erik Rugar, agent for the Lord Mayor’s Committee for Public Safety. This book collects seven cases of the weird but not wonderful.
Unlike many urban fantasy books dealing with magical policing, Burnett’s protagonist is not a magic user or a metaphysical James Bond laden with arcane gizmos. Instead, he is a slightly crumpled and stained cop with a badge and a gun, relying on grit and smarts. This ‘ordinary working stiff’ trope gives each story a deep sense of both crime noir and reality.
However, Burnett does not skimp on the fantastical; rather he uses this foundation of the extremely recognisable to support the doubly weird: Dracoheim is a city of hospices that legally drain the dying of their humours and craftsmen who reweave reality, ruled by bureaucracy but also by a dragon.
While the grind of police investigation and the strangeness of a city that trades with spirits might sound a harsh contrast, the mysterious artefacts, physics-defying metaphysics, and secret magical cabals echo the McGuffins, soft power, and organised criminals that the hardest of boiled detectives faced in classic noir; thus, the narrative resonates with common human experience without forgoing the fantastical. This is a world where the mean streets might actively seek to harm you, but you kick them in the teeth and get on with it.
In addition, where the presence of magic and other realms does add possibilities beyond the mundane, they are deeply integrated into the society rather than added to a pseudo-modern-Western-world. Therefore, although the commission of a crime or solution to a disaster might be both weird and unexpected, it firmly fits the in-world “technology” and human nature.
This use of different yet consistent appears in the subtle as well as the major: for example, Burnett has replaced high-end casinos with tabletop wargaming clubs but retained wrestling as a sport, painting an image of a world where some drives have expressed with superficial differences but humanity is fundamentally shaped by the same calls to deviousness and brutality.
Rugar is a well-crafted protagonist. He believes in the necessity of law but is not addicted to the form of it, making him—if not an entirely virtuous or pleasant character—a sympathetic one. In addition to the challenge of fighting the reality warping with only cunning and determination, the part of him that is drawn to help people is also the part of him that leaves him open to (sometimes literally) getting suckerpunched.
Burnett’s supporting cast are equally ‘people who are in a magical world’ rather than magical people, each a plausible vision of how individual circumstance can shape character as much as weird traits. This is especially highlighted in the final story which questions what makes a person a person anyway.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. I recommend it to readers seeking gritty urban fantasy or speculative detective fiction.
I purchased this book for full price and was not asked to review it. However, the author did name a minor character after me when I responded to his social media post asking whether any of his fans wanted to be mentioned. As that character’s morals are somewhat less pleasant than my own, it could be argued that the influence—if any—was negative 😉
Dracoheim is a human city, but abuts the Realms of Nightmare. Ancient treaties and modern laws define the appropriate uses of magic, mysticism, and migration. Mostly it works; however, when it doesn’t someone has to investigate the incomprehensible; someone like Erik Rugar, agent for the Lord Mayor’s Committee for Public Safety. This book collects seven cases of the weird but not wonderful.
Unlike many urban fantasy books dealing with magical policing, Burnett’s protagonist is not a magic user or a metaphysical James Bond laden with arcane gizmos. Instead, he is a slightly crumpled and stained cop with a badge and a gun, relying on grit and smarts. This ‘ordinary working stiff’ trope gives each story a deep sense of both crime noir and reality.
However, Burnett does not skimp on the fantastical; rather he uses this foundation of the extremely recognisable to support the doubly weird: Dracoheim is a city of hospices that legally drain the dying of their humours and craftsmen who reweave reality, ruled by bureaucracy but also by a dragon.
While the grind of police investigation and the strangeness of a city that trades with spirits might sound a harsh contrast, the mysterious artefacts, physics-defying metaphysics, and secret magical cabals echo the McGuffins, soft power, and organised criminals that the hardest of boiled detectives faced in classic noir; thus, the narrative resonates with common human experience without forgoing the fantastical. This is a world where the mean streets might actively seek to harm you, but you kick them in the teeth and get on with it.
In addition, where the presence of magic and other realms does add possibilities beyond the mundane, they are deeply integrated into the society rather than added to a pseudo-modern-Western-world. Therefore, although the commission of a crime or solution to a disaster might be both weird and unexpected, it firmly fits the in-world “technology” and human nature.
This use of different yet consistent appears in the subtle as well as the major: for example, Burnett has replaced high-end casinos with tabletop wargaming clubs but retained wrestling as a sport, painting an image of a world where some drives have expressed with superficial differences but humanity is fundamentally shaped by the same calls to deviousness and brutality.
Rugar is a well-crafted protagonist. He believes in the necessity of law but is not addicted to the form of it, making him—if not an entirely virtuous or pleasant character—a sympathetic one. In addition to the challenge of fighting the reality warping with only cunning and determination, the part of him that is drawn to help people is also the part of him that leaves him open to (sometimes literally) getting suckerpunched.
Burnett’s supporting cast are equally ‘people who are in a magical world’ rather than magical people, each a plausible vision of how individual circumstance can shape character as much as weird traits. This is especially highlighted in the final story which questions what makes a person a person anyway.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. I recommend it to readers seeking gritty urban fantasy or speculative detective fiction.
I purchased this book for full price and was not asked to review it. However, the author did name a minor character after me when I responded to his social media post asking whether any of his fans wanted to be mentioned. As that character’s morals are somewhat less pleasant than my own, it could be argued that the influence—if any—was negative 😉
February 22, 2021
Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts by Misha Burnett is what you get when you combine a gritty police procedural with the mad genius of Tim Powers. Detective Erik Rugar is a world weary investigator, but his problems are illicit thaumaturgical substances and unregistered wizards. That in and of itself is a pretty good setup, but then Burnett adds a dose of the routine absurdity of normal life. Or at least what passes for normal for a cop.
Burnett described his intent with Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts to me on Twitter as “Joseph Waumbaugh with demons and wizards“. I haven’t read The New Centurions, Wambaugh’s most famous work, but upon reading a description of it, I feel like I already know it, as it has become a part of our culture. It probably helps that Los Angeles, explicitly the setting of The New Centurions, and implicitly the setting of Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts, is the big American city with which I am most familiar.
However, I almost feel as if Dracoheim, the city of Erik Rugar, has some hints of Atlantic City or Coney Island about it. It isn’t just the many boardwalk scenes, which feel more like the East Coast than the West to me. Dracoheim is just a little too old to be Los Angeles, which while the Pueblo was established in 1781, didn’t really take off until the early twentieth century, when William Mulholland begged, borrowed, or stole every water source within 250 miles to make the city we now know as Los Angeles possible.
We get hints of the history and politics of Dracoheim as we move through this collection of vignettes in the life of Erik Rugar, but that is never the focus here. Erik is just a man doing his job, maybe even a man more than a little obsessed with his job. And what a job it is! Erik is the man who protects Dracoheim from the things that go bump in the night. As we follow Erik, we get to see the grand sweep of his city, from grungy tenements to glittering towers.
I do think my favorite scene was the murder mystery set in the tabletop wargaming club for the rich and famous. I think in some ways, Erik’s world is better than ours. In many ways however, it is simply alike. Erik must deal with strange and unspeakable horrors, but the motives of his opponents are readily recognizable: greed, revenge, lust for power, even boredom. Magic is just a part of the world, and when something goes wrong, Erik Rugar is on-hand to set things right again.
I bought a copy of this book because I was intrigued by the concept, and I was handsomely rewarded. I am pleased with how well executed this book is, and I think it should be better known. Why don’t you pick up a copy and see what it’s all about?
Burnett described his intent with Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts to me on Twitter as “Joseph Waumbaugh with demons and wizards“. I haven’t read The New Centurions, Wambaugh’s most famous work, but upon reading a description of it, I feel like I already know it, as it has become a part of our culture. It probably helps that Los Angeles, explicitly the setting of The New Centurions, and implicitly the setting of Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts, is the big American city with which I am most familiar.
However, I almost feel as if Dracoheim, the city of Erik Rugar, has some hints of Atlantic City or Coney Island about it. It isn’t just the many boardwalk scenes, which feel more like the East Coast than the West to me. Dracoheim is just a little too old to be Los Angeles, which while the Pueblo was established in 1781, didn’t really take off until the early twentieth century, when William Mulholland begged, borrowed, or stole every water source within 250 miles to make the city we now know as Los Angeles possible.
We get hints of the history and politics of Dracoheim as we move through this collection of vignettes in the life of Erik Rugar, but that is never the focus here. Erik is just a man doing his job, maybe even a man more than a little obsessed with his job. And what a job it is! Erik is the man who protects Dracoheim from the things that go bump in the night. As we follow Erik, we get to see the grand sweep of his city, from grungy tenements to glittering towers.
I do think my favorite scene was the murder mystery set in the tabletop wargaming club for the rich and famous. I think in some ways, Erik’s world is better than ours. In many ways however, it is simply alike. Erik must deal with strange and unspeakable horrors, but the motives of his opponents are readily recognizable: greed, revenge, lust for power, even boredom. Magic is just a part of the world, and when something goes wrong, Erik Rugar is on-hand to set things right again.
I bought a copy of this book because I was intrigued by the concept, and I was handsomely rewarded. I am pleased with how well executed this book is, and I think it should be better known. Why don’t you pick up a copy and see what it’s all about?
April 2, 2020
Misha Burnett is quickly becoming one of my favorite indie authors. BDaBH is urban fantasy done right, in my opinion, and the urban fantasy we deserve. Props to Misha Burnett for bringing it to us.
Erik Ruger works for the Department of Public Safety in the city of Dracoheim, and it's his job to protect the city from supernatural and magical threats both inside and outside the city. Erick Ruger is just a regular detective with no magical ability. That said, having the main character be just a regular guy is a stroke of genius; It gives us a chance to experience stories from a guy and makes the magic feel more mysterious and... well, magical.
Since this is a short story anthology, I'll go through each story and write my thoughts on each.
Grand Theft Nightmare -- 4.5/5
A magician's shop has been burglarized and some crazy-dangerous magical compound stolen.. In the wrong hands, this compound could unleash bone-stealing monsters upon the city. It's up to Erik Ruger and friends to track down the chemical and destroy any monsters they come across. This is a great story. The mystery is quickly introduced; it moves quickly and just continues to build to the climax. Erik Ruger is awesome: calm under pressure and competent My only nitpick is the ending felt a tad on the anti-climactic side. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story.
Worth a Candle -- 5/5
Mr. Burnett is very skilled at grabbing the reader from the first page of the story, and, in the short story business, this skill is invaluable. Here, Ruger must investigate a murder at what appears to be a war-gaming club for the creme de la creme of Dracoheim. Of course, since Ruger is here, magic will play a major role in the mystery. The story twists and turns and barrels toward an ending I didn't see coming though it was a very satisfying one. Ruger isn't just competent; he's got some cojones to boot.
The City of Dreadful Joy -- 5/5
If you want a taste of Mr. Burnett's fantastic imagination, then this story should serve as an appetizer. We meet Ruger as he investigates the City of Dreadful Joy, A seedy quasi-legal joint where the dying come to dream. This place is run by creepy norns, skeletal creatures with a penchant for BDSM-like gear. This gear is used to collect secretions from the customers as they dream. The Norn then refine this secretion into an expensive magical chemical. That's just awesome. Mr. Burnett isn't tied down by the conventions of fantasy and manages to create some truly imaginative fantasy. I applaud him for it.
All the Kisses in the World -- 5/5 *SPOILER ALERT*
In this story, the Lord-Mayor himself has Ruger work a case, off the books. This case involves the disappearance of some major figures in Dracoheim and connected to personal friends of the Lord-Mayor. Not to mention, this disappearance could prove--scandalous if certain information were to get out. Let me start off by saying that the Lord-Mayor is a freaking dragon. You know, the kind of lizard with wings that breathes fire? Not to mention, he flies around the city on holidays to remind everyone who's in charge. How crazy-awesome is that? That said, this story shows Mr. Burnett's chops at writing tragedy. Not tragedy in the Shakespearean sense, but just a story with a very bittersweet, if not downright sad ending. It doesn't feel cheap at all. Mr. Burnett really earns this ending and my love for this story.
Cards for Sorrow -- 4/5
A robbery of a very dangerous and magical deck of cards (I'm really shortchanging Burnett here as what they really are is way cooler than I've described) creates massive disturbances throughout the city of Dracoheim. Ruger teams up with a mage named Tingus and a foreigner, one of the Forged Ones, which are basically magical robots. They work together with law enforcement to recover and put a stop to the magic-induced madness. In my opinion, this story may not have been as good as the ones before, but it's still a great story that grabs your attention from the beginning and doesn't let go till the end.
A Pause in the Day's Occupations -- 5/5
The longest story in the collection, and definitely one of the best. Ruger is out on a date with a beautiful woman, an sort of escort-but-also-girlfriend-for-hire. Ruger witnesses a pickpocket in action and intervenes. A hunch and various incongruities in the theft lead Ruger to believe things are not as they appear. Eventually he finds himself in something much bigger with more serious consequences. Another winner from Burnett. I will say that writing tragic/sad relationships is one of Burnett's particular fortes. Ruger's relationship with Svetlana bears tiny hints of this. It's nowhere near the massive tragedy that was Godiva and James's relationship in the Book of Lost Doors, but bears certain resemblances.
To Wound the Autumnal City -- 5/5
Ruger gets called to a part of town "reserved" for the massively wealthy. A magical creature has interrupted a party and wounded one woman. Of course things aren't that simple as this woman seems to be part of something much bigger with consequences for all of Dracoheim. Boy, if you thought "All the Kisses in the World" was sad, well, I've got another story for you to read. This one has it all, mystery, action, and a very tragic but still satisfying ending. I can't say anymore than I've already said, but Erik Ruger is becoming one of my favorite fictional cops.
I love this collection. Everything about it clicked. What I love more than anything else is Burnett's fantasy world. This isn't urban fantasy that takes place in our world. It's a fantasy world that has been dragged into the modern age. Why don't more authors do this? The hints at the bigger world around Dracoheim are all tantalizing. I want more stories set in this world.
This is such a strong collection of stories. There isn't a single dull story in this anthology, and I've read a lot of anthologies to know how rare that is. Misha Burnett is a fantastic short story writer, and, with this collection, he has earned my trust. I'm more than willing to read any collection he puts out. Please, Mr, Burnett, more Erik Ruger stories.
Erik Ruger works for the Department of Public Safety in the city of Dracoheim, and it's his job to protect the city from supernatural and magical threats both inside and outside the city. Erick Ruger is just a regular detective with no magical ability. That said, having the main character be just a regular guy is a stroke of genius; It gives us a chance to experience stories from a guy and makes the magic feel more mysterious and... well, magical.
Since this is a short story anthology, I'll go through each story and write my thoughts on each.
Grand Theft Nightmare -- 4.5/5
A magician's shop has been burglarized and some crazy-dangerous magical compound stolen.. In the wrong hands, this compound could unleash bone-stealing monsters upon the city. It's up to Erik Ruger and friends to track down the chemical and destroy any monsters they come across. This is a great story. The mystery is quickly introduced; it moves quickly and just continues to build to the climax. Erik Ruger is awesome: calm under pressure and competent My only nitpick is the ending felt a tad on the anti-climactic side. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story.
Worth a Candle -- 5/5
Mr. Burnett is very skilled at grabbing the reader from the first page of the story, and, in the short story business, this skill is invaluable. Here, Ruger must investigate a murder at what appears to be a war-gaming club for the creme de la creme of Dracoheim. Of course, since Ruger is here, magic will play a major role in the mystery. The story twists and turns and barrels toward an ending I didn't see coming though it was a very satisfying one. Ruger isn't just competent; he's got some cojones to boot.
The City of Dreadful Joy -- 5/5
If you want a taste of Mr. Burnett's fantastic imagination, then this story should serve as an appetizer. We meet Ruger as he investigates the City of Dreadful Joy, A seedy quasi-legal joint where the dying come to dream. This place is run by creepy norns, skeletal creatures with a penchant for BDSM-like gear. This gear is used to collect secretions from the customers as they dream. The Norn then refine this secretion into an expensive magical chemical. That's just awesome. Mr. Burnett isn't tied down by the conventions of fantasy and manages to create some truly imaginative fantasy. I applaud him for it.
All the Kisses in the World -- 5/5 *SPOILER ALERT*
In this story, the Lord-Mayor himself has Ruger work a case, off the books. This case involves the disappearance of some major figures in Dracoheim and connected to personal friends of the Lord-Mayor. Not to mention, this disappearance could prove--scandalous if certain information were to get out. Let me start off by saying that the Lord-Mayor is a freaking dragon. You know, the kind of lizard with wings that breathes fire? Not to mention, he flies around the city on holidays to remind everyone who's in charge. How crazy-awesome is that? That said, this story shows Mr. Burnett's chops at writing tragedy. Not tragedy in the Shakespearean sense, but just a story with a very bittersweet, if not downright sad ending. It doesn't feel cheap at all. Mr. Burnett really earns this ending and my love for this story.
Cards for Sorrow -- 4/5
A robbery of a very dangerous and magical deck of cards (I'm really shortchanging Burnett here as what they really are is way cooler than I've described) creates massive disturbances throughout the city of Dracoheim. Ruger teams up with a mage named Tingus and a foreigner, one of the Forged Ones, which are basically magical robots. They work together with law enforcement to recover and put a stop to the magic-induced madness. In my opinion, this story may not have been as good as the ones before, but it's still a great story that grabs your attention from the beginning and doesn't let go till the end.
A Pause in the Day's Occupations -- 5/5
The longest story in the collection, and definitely one of the best. Ruger is out on a date with a beautiful woman, an sort of escort-but-also-girlfriend-for-hire. Ruger witnesses a pickpocket in action and intervenes. A hunch and various incongruities in the theft lead Ruger to believe things are not as they appear. Eventually he finds himself in something much bigger with more serious consequences. Another winner from Burnett. I will say that writing tragic/sad relationships is one of Burnett's particular fortes. Ruger's relationship with Svetlana bears tiny hints of this. It's nowhere near the massive tragedy that was Godiva and James's relationship in the Book of Lost Doors, but bears certain resemblances.
To Wound the Autumnal City -- 5/5
Ruger gets called to a part of town "reserved" for the massively wealthy. A magical creature has interrupted a party and wounded one woman. Of course things aren't that simple as this woman seems to be part of something much bigger with consequences for all of Dracoheim. Boy, if you thought "All the Kisses in the World" was sad, well, I've got another story for you to read. This one has it all, mystery, action, and a very tragic but still satisfying ending. I can't say anymore than I've already said, but Erik Ruger is becoming one of my favorite fictional cops.
I love this collection. Everything about it clicked. What I love more than anything else is Burnett's fantasy world. This isn't urban fantasy that takes place in our world. It's a fantasy world that has been dragged into the modern age. Why don't more authors do this? The hints at the bigger world around Dracoheim are all tantalizing. I want more stories set in this world.
This is such a strong collection of stories. There isn't a single dull story in this anthology, and I've read a lot of anthologies to know how rare that is. Misha Burnett is a fantastic short story writer, and, with this collection, he has earned my trust. I'm more than willing to read any collection he puts out. Please, Mr, Burnett, more Erik Ruger stories.
December 27, 2019
Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. Honestly, I wasn't expecting too much - just some romps in an urban fantasy world - but the worldbuilding was genuinely fantastic. Seeing it slowly unfold through each of the short stories within...I'd read a hundred short stories in this world.
The main character was also endearing, though a little derivative of similar works. He's just a do-gooder who wants to help people, and is woefully under-equipped for the task compared to his adversaries. But he's clever, gritty, and his whole thing with Miss Kitten's girls is oddly sweet. I really liked him, which makes the fact that this is probably all we'll get of him that much harder to swallow!
I was also surprised that the stories end up being intertwined, especially at the end. That was clever, and again elevated it above other noir-esque collections.
The one thing I did take off points for was the "All the Kisses" story, which contains something pretty grotesque and perverse. It just struck me as really unnecessary, and unfortunately it's one of the chapters you can't skip, since everything comes back at the end. Really wish the author had taken another route with the means of the magic in this one. But that's entirely down to personal opinion.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, detective short stories, or the noir genre!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. Honestly, I wasn't expecting too much - just some romps in an urban fantasy world - but the worldbuilding was genuinely fantastic. Seeing it slowly unfold through each of the short stories within...I'd read a hundred short stories in this world.
The main character was also endearing, though a little derivative of similar works. He's just a do-gooder who wants to help people, and is woefully under-equipped for the task compared to his adversaries. But he's clever, gritty, and his whole thing with Miss Kitten's girls is oddly sweet. I really liked him, which makes the fact that this is probably all we'll get of him that much harder to swallow!
I was also surprised that the stories end up being intertwined, especially at the end. That was clever, and again elevated it above other noir-esque collections.
The one thing I did take off points for was the "All the Kisses" story, which contains something pretty grotesque and perverse. It just struck me as really unnecessary, and unfortunately it's one of the chapters you can't skip, since everything comes back at the end. Really wish the author had taken another route with the means of the magic in this one. But that's entirely down to personal opinion.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, detective short stories, or the noir genre!
August 2, 2020
The stories all follow Erik Rugar, a detective who investigates magical crimes for the city government. I imagined the setting as 1930s/1940s America (as depicted in a Humphrey Bogart movie), but with magical elements thrown in.
I’ve decided not to comment on the collection story-by-story as I normally do, because I feel I might give too much away or alternatively be too vague, so instead I’ll try to give you the overall feel of the book.
Rugar typically gets called out on a case that would be a normal opening for a detective story: a burglary, missing person, murder, kidnapping, heist, etc.. From those beginnings, the collection alternates between two different types of stories. Every other story has the detective tracking down leads and hunting the perpetrator, but things get complicated because magic was used to commit the crime or cover tracks. The remaining stories lean more towards horror, where the initial crime unleashes something on the unsuspecting city. I’m not talking about doll with a little girl’s voice horror, or ghost behind you in the mirror horror. I’m talking about hide in the closet and point a shotgun at the door horror. I’m talking about wipe the city off the map horror.
If you think you’d enjoy urban fantasy detective tales set almost a century ago, or if you like detective stories bleeding over into horror, then I highly recommend this collection.
I’ve decided not to comment on the collection story-by-story as I normally do, because I feel I might give too much away or alternatively be too vague, so instead I’ll try to give you the overall feel of the book.
Rugar typically gets called out on a case that would be a normal opening for a detective story: a burglary, missing person, murder, kidnapping, heist, etc.. From those beginnings, the collection alternates between two different types of stories. Every other story has the detective tracking down leads and hunting the perpetrator, but things get complicated because magic was used to commit the crime or cover tracks. The remaining stories lean more towards horror, where the initial crime unleashes something on the unsuspecting city. I’m not talking about doll with a little girl’s voice horror, or ghost behind you in the mirror horror. I’m talking about hide in the closet and point a shotgun at the door horror. I’m talking about wipe the city off the map horror.
If you think you’d enjoy urban fantasy detective tales set almost a century ago, or if you like detective stories bleeding over into horror, then I highly recommend this collection.
December 11, 2019
Wow. This series of case files is not as action-packed as JD Robb's Eve Dallas books, but the author has captured the same flavour of the cop's investigations and bullpen. The author has particularly created a character that resonates the same need for justice that Eve's former mentor Captain Feeney exhibits and trained into his notorious protegee. Add in the supernatural elements and we have a fantastic (in both senses of the word) police procedural that fantasy fans and mystery fans would both enjoy.
I received this book from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received this book from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 28, 2019
The Lord Mayor is a dragon?!
This is a bit different then I expected. I still like the book, just found the chapters to be a big long.
The book follows one CPS agent named Erik Rugar and a seven different cases. Each chapter covers one case.
This is a world where magic is regulated by the Lord Mayor's office. There are a lot of unusual characters and this is full of the paranormal.
This book is fine for most ages, there is a bit of violence but I have seen worse in cartoons.
This is a bit different then I expected. I still like the book, just found the chapters to be a big long.
The book follows one CPS agent named Erik Rugar and a seven different cases. Each chapter covers one case.
This is a world where magic is regulated by the Lord Mayor's office. There are a lot of unusual characters and this is full of the paranormal.
This book is fine for most ages, there is a bit of violence but I have seen worse in cartoons.
November 20, 2019
It's been a long time since Misha Burnett published a new book, but it was definitely worth the wait. A series of short stories or cases from a detective in a world with magic. Each story builds on the next and leaves you wanting more. I had honest to good sadness when I'd finished the book.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 3, 2020
I received this book free as an ARC reader for review.
This novel is the memoirs of a cop in a magical world not based on earth. Each chapter tells the tale of one case. Eric Ruger is a lonely man doing the best he can to police a population for more powerful than he is. He attempts to bring justice to cases involving magic when he has none of his own.
I found this novel intriguing and sad.
This novel is the memoirs of a cop in a magical world not based on earth. Each chapter tells the tale of one case. Eric Ruger is a lonely man doing the best he can to police a population for more powerful than he is. He attempts to bring justice to cases involving magic when he has none of his own.
I found this novel intriguing and sad.
November 20, 2022
Very nice urban fantasy take.
Without a spoiler, it's not our world. But this isn't an epic novel, it's a sequence of short blue collar cop stories. Not a series, though they follow one another. Each story can be read alone quite nicely.
Without a spoiler, it's not our world. But this isn't an epic novel, it's a sequence of short blue collar cop stories. Not a series, though they follow one another. Each story can be read alone quite nicely.
October 27, 2019
Outstanding
I hope there are many more books. The world building is interesting, as is the protagonist. The story are good detective fiction with nice twists. I am a fan.
I hope there are many more books. The world building is interesting, as is the protagonist. The story are good detective fiction with nice twists. I am a fan.
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