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Alexander Southerland, P.I. #7
A Specter Raps on My Windowpane: A Noir Urban Fantasy Novel
TAP, TAP, BOOM!
Alexander Southerland knew Cindy Shipper for only the briefest of days, but his memory of the alluring femme fatale has haunted his dreams ever since. Now Cindy’s literal ghost has come rapping on his bedroom window, seeking the reasons behind her brutal demise. The mystery of Cindy’s death seems obvious to Southerland, but the working-class P.I. quickly learns a valuable when it comes to sudden death, nothing is ever simple. To find the answers he seeks, Southerland must penetrate the veil of a deadly conspiracy—before Cindy’s cold, grim specter spirits him away to the land of the dead!
Alexander Southerland knew Cindy Shipper for only the briefest of days, but his memory of the alluring femme fatale has haunted his dreams ever since. Now Cindy’s literal ghost has come rapping on his bedroom window, seeking the reasons behind her brutal demise. The mystery of Cindy’s death seems obvious to Southerland, but the working-class P.I. quickly learns a valuable when it comes to sudden death, nothing is ever simple. To find the answers he seeks, Southerland must penetrate the veil of a deadly conspiracy—before Cindy’s cold, grim specter spirits him away to the land of the dead!
- GenresFantasy
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2024
35 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Lumsden
13 books180 followersMy parents raised me right. Any mistakes I made were my own. Hopefully, I learned from them.
I earned a doctorate in medieval European history at the University of California Santa Barbara. Go Gauchos! I taught world history at a couple of colleges before settling into a private college prep high school in Monterey. After I retired, I began to write an urban fantasy series featuring hardboiled private eye Alexander Southerland as he cruises through the mean streets of Yerba City and interacts with trolls, femme fatales, shape-shifters, witches, and corrupt city officials.
I am happily married to my wife, Rita. The two of us can be found most days pounding the pavement in our running shoes. Rita listens to all of my ideas and reads all of my work. Her advice is beyond value. In return, I make her tea. It's a pretty sweet deal. We have two cats named Cinderella and Prince who are happy to stay indoors. They demand that we tell them how pretty they are.
See my blog at https://douglaslumsden.blogspot.com/
Visit my website at https://douglaslumsdenauthor.com
I earned a doctorate in medieval European history at the University of California Santa Barbara. Go Gauchos! I taught world history at a couple of colleges before settling into a private college prep high school in Monterey. After I retired, I began to write an urban fantasy series featuring hardboiled private eye Alexander Southerland as he cruises through the mean streets of Yerba City and interacts with trolls, femme fatales, shape-shifters, witches, and corrupt city officials.
I am happily married to my wife, Rita. The two of us can be found most days pounding the pavement in our running shoes. Rita listens to all of my ideas and reads all of my work. Her advice is beyond value. In return, I make her tea. It's a pretty sweet deal. We have two cats named Cinderella and Prince who are happy to stay indoors. They demand that we tell them how pretty they are.
See my blog at https://douglaslumsden.blogspot.com/
Visit my website at https://douglaslumsdenauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 5, 2024
A worthy finish to an excellent series!
There are two significant challenges to writing a series... besides, you know, the actual book part. First, there's the unending temptation to constantly ramp everything up with each new book. The first one involved a werewolf? Well, the next one should involve five werewolves, a witch, and at least one insane group of cultists. The third book involved a threat to the city? Well, clearly the next one needs to be a threat to the nation, and then perhaps the multiverse as well. Because more is always better, right?
Maybe in movie franchises. In books, it's all too easy to lose the small bits and personal moments that made the series successful to begin with.
The second and equally pertinent challenge is figuring out how to end that same series. The days of "They all lived happily ever after" have mostly had their day, consigned now more to traditional fantasy and especially romance, but every author still needs to stick the landing for their particular series in a way that builds off/pays off what came before while also providing a satisfying conclusion. It's okay to leave loose threads hanging (God knows I leave far too many in my own books), but the reader both needs to feel like the journey has come to an actual ending (rather than a random stop) and to be comfortable (if perhaps a bit melancholy) with that ending.
I'm happy to say that Lumsden has absolutely nailed both challenges, and done so in a way that feels uniquely fitting for his series, its characters, and the spirit of the noir subgenre itself.
Through seven books (and a novella!) filled with brilliant worldbuilding and a fair bit of necessary personal reflection, Alexander has seen his understanding of the world shift and grow as he becomes enmired in cases that increasingly have their roots in the larger struggles of the world he lives in. Yet he's also managed to stay (intentionally so) on the fringes of that greater conflict, in the grit and the grim where he is comfortable and things makes sense. The metaplot advances throughout, but the stories themselves have managed to remain personal (often deeply so)... a combination of noir mystery and character study set in the shadows of world-changing plots and events. I've never seen or read anything quite like it, but it's masterfully done.
By the end of this book, and indeed the series, Alex has been changed by what he has seen, done, and experienced, but he still remains essentially Alex, hard-nosed, dogged, and focused on the small details and the little people that are so often forgotten in the wake of epic events, brewing revolutions, and dimension-shattering revelations. The genre needs more characters like him and it needs more series like this one too.
There are two significant challenges to writing a series... besides, you know, the actual book part. First, there's the unending temptation to constantly ramp everything up with each new book. The first one involved a werewolf? Well, the next one should involve five werewolves, a witch, and at least one insane group of cultists. The third book involved a threat to the city? Well, clearly the next one needs to be a threat to the nation, and then perhaps the multiverse as well. Because more is always better, right?
Maybe in movie franchises. In books, it's all too easy to lose the small bits and personal moments that made the series successful to begin with.
The second and equally pertinent challenge is figuring out how to end that same series. The days of "They all lived happily ever after" have mostly had their day, consigned now more to traditional fantasy and especially romance, but every author still needs to stick the landing for their particular series in a way that builds off/pays off what came before while also providing a satisfying conclusion. It's okay to leave loose threads hanging (God knows I leave far too many in my own books), but the reader both needs to feel like the journey has come to an actual ending (rather than a random stop) and to be comfortable (if perhaps a bit melancholy) with that ending.
I'm happy to say that Lumsden has absolutely nailed both challenges, and done so in a way that feels uniquely fitting for his series, its characters, and the spirit of the noir subgenre itself.
Through seven books (and a novella!) filled with brilliant worldbuilding and a fair bit of necessary personal reflection, Alexander has seen his understanding of the world shift and grow as he becomes enmired in cases that increasingly have their roots in the larger struggles of the world he lives in. Yet he's also managed to stay (intentionally so) on the fringes of that greater conflict, in the grit and the grim where he is comfortable and things makes sense. The metaplot advances throughout, but the stories themselves have managed to remain personal (often deeply so)... a combination of noir mystery and character study set in the shadows of world-changing plots and events. I've never seen or read anything quite like it, but it's masterfully done.
By the end of this book, and indeed the series, Alex has been changed by what he has seen, done, and experienced, but he still remains essentially Alex, hard-nosed, dogged, and focused on the small details and the little people that are so often forgotten in the wake of epic events, brewing revolutions, and dimension-shattering revelations. The genre needs more characters like him and it needs more series like this one too.
March 18, 2024
4⭐️
Donald Lumsden’s Alex Southerland books are among my favorite fantasy noir titles. I try to read them as soon as they are available, and I’ve liked them all. This world, and the main character, are a joy to read about, as are the many side characters.
The hard boiled P.I. Southerland is a veteran who barely scrapes by and always seems to make powerful enemies. Yet, Alex is more than he seems, and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
I love how the overall plot has been slowly building since the first book, and each case Alex takes draws him, and us, towards an inevitable world shaking showdown.
These are well written books and have been available on Kindle Unlimited. I can’t wait for the next one
Donald Lumsden’s Alex Southerland books are among my favorite fantasy noir titles. I try to read them as soon as they are available, and I’ve liked them all. This world, and the main character, are a joy to read about, as are the many side characters.
The hard boiled P.I. Southerland is a veteran who barely scrapes by and always seems to make powerful enemies. Yet, Alex is more than he seems, and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
I love how the overall plot has been slowly building since the first book, and each case Alex takes draws him, and us, towards an inevitable world shaking showdown.
These are well written books and have been available on Kindle Unlimited. I can’t wait for the next one
December 1, 2024
It's always a bittersweet experience to finish a long series like this one.
Living thr sorrows and joys together with Alexander Southerland was a superb experience, brought me back the feeling of reading Chandler and Hammett, walking with Phillip Marlowe and living the night life of the golden age of Noir novels.
This final installment was an encapsulation of everything that made this series great, the cast of characters made a vibrant story that moved with great pace and purpose, it never felt meandering and the curveballs you thought were coming, were perfectly straight in the Old Noir style.
The mystery was very satisfying and the ending of the series wrapped up with enough energy for us to expect more books in the future.
I want to see more of Stormclaw, Silverblade, Madame Cuapa, Blu, Kalama and especially, more of Alexander Southerland. If I get that everything in the world will be copacetic.
Living thr sorrows and joys together with Alexander Southerland was a superb experience, brought me back the feeling of reading Chandler and Hammett, walking with Phillip Marlowe and living the night life of the golden age of Noir novels.
This final installment was an encapsulation of everything that made this series great, the cast of characters made a vibrant story that moved with great pace and purpose, it never felt meandering and the curveballs you thought were coming, were perfectly straight in the Old Noir style.
The mystery was very satisfying and the ending of the series wrapped up with enough energy for us to expect more books in the future.
I want to see more of Stormclaw, Silverblade, Madame Cuapa, Blu, Kalama and especially, more of Alexander Southerland. If I get that everything in the world will be copacetic.
June 25, 2024
Love the whole series!
I made myself slow down and read this series in short spurts after the first book instead of bulldozing my way through the way I usually do when I find a goldmine like this. Totally worth it! I highly recommend this writer and the series: the character begins stock noir PI, but Lumsden expands the character subtly fm beginning to end. Storylines for each book are refreshingly unique but also linked through various plot threads and characters. Creative worldbuilding that is familiar but new at the same time. You will grow to like the characters and the books close satisfyingly complete. Buy them. Time well spent!
I made myself slow down and read this series in short spurts after the first book instead of bulldozing my way through the way I usually do when I find a goldmine like this. Totally worth it! I highly recommend this writer and the series: the character begins stock noir PI, but Lumsden expands the character subtly fm beginning to end. Storylines for each book are refreshingly unique but also linked through various plot threads and characters. Creative worldbuilding that is familiar but new at the same time. You will grow to like the characters and the books close satisfyingly complete. Buy them. Time well spent!
September 29, 2024
Ah Mr Lumsden you stuck the landing and then some. A wonderful tale with all the ingredients of the series that I’ve loved so much.
Once again Alex Southerland is up to his neck in trouble and quite possibly out of his depth but he doesn’t let that stop him. This a deliciously dark tale that mixes noir and fantasy expertly into a story that sucks you in from start to finish.
This has been one of my favourite series and I’m pleased to see it finish with such style. A full review will come but in the meantime I’d highly recommend the series and the final instalment to anyone that will listen.
Once again Alex Southerland is up to his neck in trouble and quite possibly out of his depth but he doesn’t let that stop him. This a deliciously dark tale that mixes noir and fantasy expertly into a story that sucks you in from start to finish.
This has been one of my favourite series and I’m pleased to see it finish with such style. A full review will come but in the meantime I’d highly recommend the series and the final instalment to anyone that will listen.
July 31, 2024
This series is peak Urban Fantasy. For me, it has all the best parts of Dresden Files but without the frustrating issues. Consistent quality across all seven entries plus one of the best novellas I’ve ever read. Pair that with the phenomenal range of Duffy P. Weber’s narration and you have an experience like no other.
For fans of: The Dresden Files (Jim Butcher); The Dark Profit Trilogy (J. Zachary Pike); Eric Carter (Stephen Blackmoore); The Stranger Times (C.K. McDonnell); The Green Bone Saga (Fonda Lee); Daniel Faust (Craig Schafer); Jack Bloodfist (J.A. Jakins).
For fans of: The Dresden Files (Jim Butcher); The Dark Profit Trilogy (J. Zachary Pike); Eric Carter (Stephen Blackmoore); The Stranger Times (C.K. McDonnell); The Green Bone Saga (Fonda Lee); Daniel Faust (Craig Schafer); Jack Bloodfist (J.A. Jakins).
June 24, 2024
Wow! I like this series a lot! This is a well crafted story. The plot is made up of a complex weave of subplots; like, Southerland must solve a bunch of minor cases to make any progress with his main case, but there's tons of misdirection and lies trying to throw him off track. This book seems particularly twisty, but it hangs together well as it gets untangled. It's an intense series, so if you're looking for an entertaining distraction, this is probably your ticket.
March 19, 2024
Never disappoints
Gritty and engaging; another poignant addition to the series. Excellent character development both believable and consistent throughout all the books.
Gritty and engaging; another poignant addition to the series. Excellent character development both believable and consistent throughout all the books.
March 23, 2024
Damn I love these stories. Great character and world building, twists and turns, dames, jakes, and trolls all make for a great read.
August 16, 2025
3.5 to 4.
further details later. confusing ending?
further details later. confusing ending?
March 20, 2024
last in the series!
I have enjoyed this series of Alexander Southerland PI, and hope that the author continues to write great stories. I am sad, however to see the series end, because I had gotten so wrapped up in all the books. Great stories that anyone can enjoy!
I have enjoyed this series of Alexander Southerland PI, and hope that the author continues to write great stories. I am sad, however to see the series end, because I had gotten so wrapped up in all the books. Great stories that anyone can enjoy!
August 13, 2024
Hope It Isn’t The Last
Hope there’s another Alex Southerland book in the works - life would be dull without it! An enjoyable read to be sure.
Hope there’s another Alex Southerland book in the works - life would be dull without it! An enjoyable read to be sure.
April 22, 2024
Never disappoints read on sitght love how this unique world and story is evolving!
March 7, 2024
This case was personal, and it became more personal every time someone told me to back off.
I was all prepared to write a perfectly maudlin elegy about the fact that Douglas Lumsden was bringing his Alexander Southerland series to a close with the 7th book, namely, "A Specter Raps on My Windowpane." However, now that I've completed yet another masterful chapter in this amazing collection of noir-ish urban fantasy stories, I have to reluctantly agree with the author that it's time to move on to something that - if not new - takes a different look at this incredible world. It is, as they say, jake with me.
The reality is that sometimes justice must be delayed, or forgotten, in order to serve the greater good.
Now before someone stands up and sticks a stubby finger in my face and screams, "Alkwat’s flaming pecker! Th’fuck you trying to pull, Nixon?", please don't misunderstand or misjudge me (I have people in my life for that, thanks anyway). My comments above have nothing to do with any perceived or actual disappointment in this story, none whatsoever. In fact, my reaction is based on just the opposite impression. As usual - and by my count that includes not only the full-sized septet of tomes but also the extremely clever novella "The Demon's Dagger" Lumsden snuck into his portfolio (gosh, I really miss Crawford) - this book was just a fantastic journey that I gobbled up like Chivo - sorry, Lord Cadmael - tucking into a sweaty bowl of yonak. It was all extremely well-written, undeniably tense, and bursting with scenes of action that left me chewing my fingernails (urgh, disgusting habit, I'm glad I'm only using it metaphorically) down to the quick.
It wasn’t so much a plan as an induced clusterfuck.
And - as per usual - I couldn't have guessed the outcome of this book any more INcorrectly if I tried. No, my skills at the whole private gumshoe thing (um, what?) are just not up to snuff. That's always been a part of my enjoyment of Lumsden's tales, that is, attempting to outwit the author himself to the point where I could triumphantly declare at the end "Aha! I knew it! It was the half-manticore butler!" But no, I am running on a streak that sports analysts everywhere call an "Oh-fer", as my weak attempts to guess what was happening weren't even close. Again. Still, with pyrotechnics playing such a big part in this one, you can't blame me for deciding some hours ago that the Dragon himself (herself?) had done it! No? No.
The answers offered by death are no more meaningful than the answers provided by life.
Whereas I'd love to tell new readers out there that you can just jump right in with this book and follow along without interuption, well, again I would have to respond in the negative. Through these 7.5 wildly complex and mysteriously interwoven tales, Lumsden has brought in so many players that appear if not directly then by association with a previous story as to make it nigh impossible to take this journey without having started at step 1! And damn if he didn't just add to the entire mythos that is the kingdoms of the Dragon Lords with all the bits that entails! Which also then means we're following along with were-creatures, elementalists, witches of all ilk, the mafia, dwarves, trolls, gnomes, the andaro and, yes, even those we once called gods: the elves! I'm sure I've missed half a dozen different societies and their representatives in there, but dagnabbit, it sure makes for great reading!
Persistence takes you farther down life’s highway than intelligence.
So is there anything I should critique before I sign out here? Hm, let me think. You know, I still kind of wish we'd have a little more "direct" interaction with the Dragon Lord(s). Sure, that is a recipe for disaster no matter how you slice it (or burn it or tear it to shreds with claws the size of busses or chew to death with giant teeth, etc.) but though they are a force - or maybe THE force - of this world withOUT being seen every moment of every day, it still fascinates me. I'd love to see Lumsden's take on a kind of Smaug-esque face-off with our own favorite non-Hobbit (though his feet may still be that swollen). And yeah, what with all the different players that came and went, I still have a few open questions (ok, what was the deal with the magic troll kid a few books back? And what's he up to now?). But there is just so much, well, deliciousness to sample from in these stories! And I, for one, am glad I've taken the first leg of this journey with everyone and can't wait for the next! See you soon true believers!
I was all prepared to write a perfectly maudlin elegy about the fact that Douglas Lumsden was bringing his Alexander Southerland series to a close with the 7th book, namely, "A Specter Raps on My Windowpane." However, now that I've completed yet another masterful chapter in this amazing collection of noir-ish urban fantasy stories, I have to reluctantly agree with the author that it's time to move on to something that - if not new - takes a different look at this incredible world. It is, as they say, jake with me.
The reality is that sometimes justice must be delayed, or forgotten, in order to serve the greater good.
Now before someone stands up and sticks a stubby finger in my face and screams, "Alkwat’s flaming pecker! Th’fuck you trying to pull, Nixon?", please don't misunderstand or misjudge me (I have people in my life for that, thanks anyway). My comments above have nothing to do with any perceived or actual disappointment in this story, none whatsoever. In fact, my reaction is based on just the opposite impression. As usual - and by my count that includes not only the full-sized septet of tomes but also the extremely clever novella "The Demon's Dagger" Lumsden snuck into his portfolio (gosh, I really miss Crawford) - this book was just a fantastic journey that I gobbled up like Chivo - sorry, Lord Cadmael - tucking into a sweaty bowl of yonak. It was all extremely well-written, undeniably tense, and bursting with scenes of action that left me chewing my fingernails (urgh, disgusting habit, I'm glad I'm only using it metaphorically) down to the quick.
It wasn’t so much a plan as an induced clusterfuck.
And - as per usual - I couldn't have guessed the outcome of this book any more INcorrectly if I tried. No, my skills at the whole private gumshoe thing (um, what?) are just not up to snuff. That's always been a part of my enjoyment of Lumsden's tales, that is, attempting to outwit the author himself to the point where I could triumphantly declare at the end "Aha! I knew it! It was the half-manticore butler!" But no, I am running on a streak that sports analysts everywhere call an "Oh-fer", as my weak attempts to guess what was happening weren't even close. Again. Still, with pyrotechnics playing such a big part in this one, you can't blame me for deciding some hours ago that the Dragon himself (herself?) had done it! No? No.
The answers offered by death are no more meaningful than the answers provided by life.
Whereas I'd love to tell new readers out there that you can just jump right in with this book and follow along without interuption, well, again I would have to respond in the negative. Through these 7.5 wildly complex and mysteriously interwoven tales, Lumsden has brought in so many players that appear if not directly then by association with a previous story as to make it nigh impossible to take this journey without having started at step 1! And damn if he didn't just add to the entire mythos that is the kingdoms of the Dragon Lords with all the bits that entails! Which also then means we're following along with were-creatures, elementalists, witches of all ilk, the mafia, dwarves, trolls, gnomes, the andaro and, yes, even those we once called gods: the elves! I'm sure I've missed half a dozen different societies and their representatives in there, but dagnabbit, it sure makes for great reading!
Persistence takes you farther down life’s highway than intelligence.
So is there anything I should critique before I sign out here? Hm, let me think. You know, I still kind of wish we'd have a little more "direct" interaction with the Dragon Lord(s). Sure, that is a recipe for disaster no matter how you slice it (or burn it or tear it to shreds with claws the size of busses or chew to death with giant teeth, etc.) but though they are a force - or maybe THE force - of this world withOUT being seen every moment of every day, it still fascinates me. I'd love to see Lumsden's take on a kind of Smaug-esque face-off with our own favorite non-Hobbit (though his feet may still be that swollen). And yeah, what with all the different players that came and went, I still have a few open questions (ok, what was the deal with the magic troll kid a few books back? And what's he up to now?). But there is just so much, well, deliciousness to sample from in these stories! And I, for one, am glad I've taken the first leg of this journey with everyone and can't wait for the next! See you soon true believers!
March 6, 2024
I love the urban-fantasy noir-detective blend of this series, and have followed it from the start - it maintained its high quality throughout.
What to Expect
Trigger warning: Alex doesn't get paid for this case. Well, OK, that's not that atypical of gumshoe detectives - but most cases don't start with being 'hired' by the ghost of the deceased. When Alex is woken up by a spectre of an old lover at his window looking for closure, he decides to investigate her death. Poking his nose where it doesn't belong leads Alex to tangle with organised crime and shady government organisations (the distinction somewhat tenuous), professional lawyers and hit-men, and of course various supernatural spirits.
Expect the usual rollicking hard-boiled detective mystery, as if Chandler or Hammett wrote about the occult in an alternate history world.
What I liked
Lumsden's storied do an excellent job of balancing a noir detective with dark themes of human nature, a well thought-out fantasy & occult world, and a rich alternate history culture based on Meso-American culture. I love his shady side characters that aren't your cardboard cutouts, but have their own full and surprising personalities. It's fun to try and guess which of the suspect is guilty, and rooting for the hit-men rather than the lawyers.
What to be aware of
This is book 7 in the series, and refers to events in an over-arching arc that has its root in previous novels. You should definitely start at book 1. The series is written in the first-person, in the style of pulp detectives, which isn't for everyone.
Felix's Review
Felix and Alex get very well together, swapping stories over drinks (as do their authors). Felix had his own case being hired by a ghost, but it wasn't nearly as complicated as this one. He finds the combination of the multi-faceted magic system intriguing, and the old Aztec & Mayan spirits with their direct manifestations captivating. He certainly delves right into each story, wincing in shared pain but never putting the book down until the end.
Summary
Excellent urban fantasy detective series, one of the best out there. Highly recommended, particularly if you like the old noir detective like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
Trigger warning: Alex doesn't get paid for this case. Well, OK, that's not that atypical of gumshoe detectives - but most cases don't start with being 'hired' by the ghost of the deceased. When Alex is woken up by a spectre of an old lover at his window looking for closure, he decides to investigate her death. Poking his nose where it doesn't belong leads Alex to tangle with organised crime and shady government organisations (the distinction somewhat tenuous), professional lawyers and hit-men, and of course various supernatural spirits.
Expect the usual rollicking hard-boiled detective mystery, as if Chandler or Hammett wrote about the occult in an alternate history world.
What I liked
Lumsden's storied do an excellent job of balancing a noir detective with dark themes of human nature, a well thought-out fantasy & occult world, and a rich alternate history culture based on Meso-American culture. I love his shady side characters that aren't your cardboard cutouts, but have their own full and surprising personalities. It's fun to try and guess which of the suspect is guilty, and rooting for the hit-men rather than the lawyers.
What to be aware of
This is book 7 in the series, and refers to events in an over-arching arc that has its root in previous novels. You should definitely start at book 1. The series is written in the first-person, in the style of pulp detectives, which isn't for everyone.
Felix's Review
Felix and Alex get very well together, swapping stories over drinks (as do their authors). Felix had his own case being hired by a ghost, but it wasn't nearly as complicated as this one. He finds the combination of the multi-faceted magic system intriguing, and the old Aztec & Mayan spirits with their direct manifestations captivating. He certainly delves right into each story, wincing in shared pain but never putting the book down until the end.
Summary
Excellent urban fantasy detective series, one of the best out there. Highly recommended, particularly if you like the old noir detective like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
--
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
December 27, 2024
Mea culpa. I actually finished this audio book long ago. I kept putting off a review because I wanted to give it its due. But life intervened and I never got around to it. So, at the risk of being filed under the too-little-too-late category, here goes a hasty, and incomplete review.
It's really, really good.
Okay, a wee bit of elaboration. A Specter Raps on My Windowpane is (purportedly) the LAST book in the wildly inventive and entertaining Alexander Southerland series. Like it's six predecessors, this story is top-notch urban fantasy, although that term is too limiting for what the Alex Southerland series really is. Over the course of these seven books, Douglas Lumsden has managed to do some of the most impressive world-building in contemporary fiction, which helps explain this series' lofty standing as the GOAT of indie series today. Alexander Southerland is your typical hardboiled PI, but in a world full of magic, trolls (in my opinion, the BEST version of trolls in any world that includes them), gnomes, were-rats and stuff like that. Obviously, you don't want to START with this book, you HAVE to go back and read all seven in order. ASAP.
And, I mentioned that went with the audio book for this one. I have a long commute and tend to plow through the audio books. It's very refreshing when indie authors go to the trouble of providing audio books for folks like me. I mean, I don't mind my Stephen King, Christopher Moore or what have you. But I really like the extended opportunities to support the indie writers. Anyway, this and ALL of the Alexander Southerland books are narrated by Duffy Weber, an incredibly talented voice actor who has more voices than Dolly Parton has outfits. And everyone is just as fabulous than the last.
It's really, really good.
Okay, a wee bit of elaboration. A Specter Raps on My Windowpane is (purportedly) the LAST book in the wildly inventive and entertaining Alexander Southerland series. Like it's six predecessors, this story is top-notch urban fantasy, although that term is too limiting for what the Alex Southerland series really is. Over the course of these seven books, Douglas Lumsden has managed to do some of the most impressive world-building in contemporary fiction, which helps explain this series' lofty standing as the GOAT of indie series today. Alexander Southerland is your typical hardboiled PI, but in a world full of magic, trolls (in my opinion, the BEST version of trolls in any world that includes them), gnomes, were-rats and stuff like that. Obviously, you don't want to START with this book, you HAVE to go back and read all seven in order. ASAP.
And, I mentioned that went with the audio book for this one. I have a long commute and tend to plow through the audio books. It's very refreshing when indie authors go to the trouble of providing audio books for folks like me. I mean, I don't mind my Stephen King, Christopher Moore or what have you. But I really like the extended opportunities to support the indie writers. Anyway, this and ALL of the Alexander Southerland books are narrated by Duffy Weber, an incredibly talented voice actor who has more voices than Dolly Parton has outfits. And everyone is just as fabulous than the last.
August 5, 2024
Book# 7 of Alexander Southerland, P.I.: I’m gonna be brief with this review because the entire series is awesome, weird, and entertaining. Start with A Troll Walks into a Bar and binge.
This story involves a ghost chick, a tinfoil knight, a warehouse full of trolls, a walking bbq, a fish, and robocop.
The series may be concluded, but the universe goes on. I’m looking forward to seeing where Douglas goes with his next book.
This story involves a ghost chick, a tinfoil knight, a warehouse full of trolls, a walking bbq, a fish, and robocop.
The series may be concluded, but the universe goes on. I’m looking forward to seeing where Douglas goes with his next book.
February 27, 2025
Crazy Genre Clash
Film Noir detective hired by ghost hunts fown elvish conspiracy. This is probably the craziest clash of genres I've ever read, but very enjoyable. An easy read.
Film Noir detective hired by ghost hunts fown elvish conspiracy. This is probably the craziest clash of genres I've ever read, but very enjoyable. An easy read.
August 25, 2025
Best yet
This one is really the best the series so far. Full of unique mythology with a classic take on some very noir story moves.
This one is really the best the series so far. Full of unique mythology with a classic take on some very noir story moves.
February 12, 2025
Sticking the landing is possibly the litmus test for a series. Sometimes you just have the feeling on how a series is going to end for leads especially given how the author has built things up for the lead character and I admit going into this book, I had a vague anxious build up in my stomach on how things would pan out for Alex, our intrepid PI who has never seen a problem he didn want to tussle with
Given all that, you just have to love what Douglas Lumsden has done to this series and especially the way that he ends it. Series enders typically have that element of bombast to them and a sense of grandeur but for a series rooted in the noir, it just makes sense that Alex would get down and dirty and gritty even as he investigates the murder of an ex-flame who appears as a specter on his windowpane.
Obviously, the larger conflict that has been brewing gets played out in interesting ways and Alex gets yanked a bit even as he goes around the murder investigation. The crime family element also gets played out as Alex finds himself tangling with things way beyond his ken.
I like the way the author has approached this series esp with another on the way - a kind of a groundsup view on how change and revolution might actually work. I also think the arc of the series couldnt have ended any better - Alex is Alex - a cynical, righteous, stubborn, persistent, and a man who loves a drink, woman and an ill-times joke. It is it to him to decide his role in the grand scheme of things no matter who says what or opposes him. It is in a way a fitting end that the author crafts for Alex (but it just might not be what you think it is going to be)
Alex Southerland PI series has been a total joy to read. Rooted in noir, in a world similar but dissimilar to others and a heavy reliance on the lesser known myths of the world, this low stakes but with the potential to explode into something bigger is truly my series of the year
I know the author has seeded the next series in this world and I cant wait to lay hands on it soon enough
Given all that, you just have to love what Douglas Lumsden has done to this series and especially the way that he ends it. Series enders typically have that element of bombast to them and a sense of grandeur but for a series rooted in the noir, it just makes sense that Alex would get down and dirty and gritty even as he investigates the murder of an ex-flame who appears as a specter on his windowpane.
Obviously, the larger conflict that has been brewing gets played out in interesting ways and Alex gets yanked a bit even as he goes around the murder investigation. The crime family element also gets played out as Alex finds himself tangling with things way beyond his ken.
I like the way the author has approached this series esp with another on the way - a kind of a groundsup view on how change and revolution might actually work. I also think the arc of the series couldnt have ended any better - Alex is Alex - a cynical, righteous, stubborn, persistent, and a man who loves a drink, woman and an ill-times joke. It is it to him to decide his role in the grand scheme of things no matter who says what or opposes him. It is in a way a fitting end that the author crafts for Alex (but it just might not be what you think it is going to be)
Alex Southerland PI series has been a total joy to read. Rooted in noir, in a world similar but dissimilar to others and a heavy reliance on the lesser known myths of the world, this low stakes but with the potential to explode into something bigger is truly my series of the year
I know the author has seeded the next series in this world and I cant wait to lay hands on it soon enough
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