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Hank Mossberg, Private Ogre #2
Death in the Hallows
Four Stars: "...a solid sequel... I enjoyed the first book, and this didn't disappoint." -Goodreads Review
Four Stars: "Loved it... I think this one was even better than the first one" -Amazon Review
Five Stars: " Jamie hit this one out of the park." -Amazon Review
Hank Mossberg, the world's first ogre private eye is back in action. Hank is throwing a bachelor party for his best friend and deputy-dwarf Butch O'Shea, when he gets a phone call from an old friend, a wood-elf journalist named Flick Hunter. Flick begs Hank to meet him in the seedy undercity neighborhood known as the Hallows. Hank agrees and travels to the undercity -the magical home of thousands of fae creatures hidden in a cavern underneath San Francisco- and arrives just in time to find Flick murdered. Hank finds the magical sword known as Excalibur driven through Flick’s chest and into the stone beneath him.
The undercity's chief detective warns Hank to stay off the case and out of the way, but for Hank, it’s personal this time. Hank promises Flick’s widow that he’ll bring the killer to justice but little does he know that while he’s investigating the illegal black market of enchanted weapons, the undercity’s most powerful citizens are looking to end Hank’s investigation permanently. Crooked cops, power mad elites, and goblin gangsters are just the beginning of Hank’s troubles. He’ll stop at nothing to expose the killer, unless the killer finds him first.
Four Stars: "Loved it... I think this one was even better than the first one" -Amazon Review
Five Stars: " Jamie hit this one out of the park." -Amazon Review
Hank Mossberg, the world's first ogre private eye is back in action. Hank is throwing a bachelor party for his best friend and deputy-dwarf Butch O'Shea, when he gets a phone call from an old friend, a wood-elf journalist named Flick Hunter. Flick begs Hank to meet him in the seedy undercity neighborhood known as the Hallows. Hank agrees and travels to the undercity -the magical home of thousands of fae creatures hidden in a cavern underneath San Francisco- and arrives just in time to find Flick murdered. Hank finds the magical sword known as Excalibur driven through Flick’s chest and into the stone beneath him.
The undercity's chief detective warns Hank to stay off the case and out of the way, but for Hank, it’s personal this time. Hank promises Flick’s widow that he’ll bring the killer to justice but little does he know that while he’s investigating the illegal black market of enchanted weapons, the undercity’s most powerful citizens are looking to end Hank’s investigation permanently. Crooked cops, power mad elites, and goblin gangsters are just the beginning of Hank’s troubles. He’ll stop at nothing to expose the killer, unless the killer finds him first.
258 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2012
41 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Sedgwick
27 books105 followersJeramy Gates is the author of numerous Amazon lists bestsellers in the categories of Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction and Fantasy (as Jamie Sedgwick). Jeramy spent his childhood on a ranch in the Montana Rockies, but now lives among the grapevines and redwood groves of northern California with his wife and three children. When traveling, you may encounter Jeramy with his family and their three dingoes, camping in their fifth wheel trailer.
For more info, visit www.jeramygates.com
For more info, visit www.jeramygates.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2012
See this review at: http://readtomyhearts.blogspot.com/20...
Imagine if you will, Dick Tracey, Indiana Jones, and Shrek (okay not Shrek but that fills in the Ogre part) combined into one person.
Enter Hank Mossberg, the last known Ogre living in San Francisco who happens to be the Steward for the magical beings in the world too. You ask what is a steward? Well if you read the book you will get the idea but basically like a peacekeeper for Mother Nature.
Hank is a very lovable character who always tries to look out for his loved ones and friends, to the point of danger for him. Hank isn't a very complex guy but I think that is the appeal of him. He is a simple ogre with a lot of heart that is pretty lonely.
He always tries to keep the magical creatures in line and usually finds himself in the middle of murder investigations continuously. Unfortunately this time it hits close to home.
There is a "whodunnit" theme running around in the story for the murder case and another mystery involving the adorable dwarf, Butch and his bride. For the life of me, I could not figure out who the culprit was until Hank figured it out. That is very refreshing to be in the dark , second guessing yourself with the protagonist until the end.
There is a little bit of a love interest for Hank, even though it is physically impossible for him to snuggle up to any magical creatures because his one and only power zaps all their energy out. That is great for defending yourself but not so good when you want to get freaky-deaky. Annie is not my favorite person in this book. Honestly, I can't stand her. I just feel like Hank deserves someone very special.
There is a new character introduced that I fell in love with, although she is a little scary and a tad bit evil. Siva is a sexy dark elf who definitely has something up her sleeves. She brings something mysterious to the table that is creepy yet seductive.
Death in the Hallows could be read as a stand alone but come on guys you know it's more fun to read them in order.
Mr. Sedgwick takes all the creatures you would find in a fairy tale and plops them down in modern day San Francisco creating an urban fantasy that is comical, sinister and just out of this world. He takes our redeeming and not so redeeming qualities and works them into the magical creatures' personalities. What we get is something quite unique and strangely entertaining.
Imagine if you will, Dick Tracey, Indiana Jones, and Shrek (okay not Shrek but that fills in the Ogre part) combined into one person.
Enter Hank Mossberg, the last known Ogre living in San Francisco who happens to be the Steward for the magical beings in the world too. You ask what is a steward? Well if you read the book you will get the idea but basically like a peacekeeper for Mother Nature.
Hank is a very lovable character who always tries to look out for his loved ones and friends, to the point of danger for him. Hank isn't a very complex guy but I think that is the appeal of him. He is a simple ogre with a lot of heart that is pretty lonely.
He always tries to keep the magical creatures in line and usually finds himself in the middle of murder investigations continuously. Unfortunately this time it hits close to home.
There is a "whodunnit" theme running around in the story for the murder case and another mystery involving the adorable dwarf, Butch and his bride. For the life of me, I could not figure out who the culprit was until Hank figured it out. That is very refreshing to be in the dark , second guessing yourself with the protagonist until the end.
There is a little bit of a love interest for Hank, even though it is physically impossible for him to snuggle up to any magical creatures because his one and only power zaps all their energy out. That is great for defending yourself but not so good when you want to get freaky-deaky. Annie is not my favorite person in this book. Honestly, I can't stand her. I just feel like Hank deserves someone very special.
There is a new character introduced that I fell in love with, although she is a little scary and a tad bit evil. Siva is a sexy dark elf who definitely has something up her sleeves. She brings something mysterious to the table that is creepy yet seductive.
Death in the Hallows could be read as a stand alone but come on guys you know it's more fun to read them in order.
Mr. Sedgwick takes all the creatures you would find in a fairy tale and plops them down in modern day San Francisco creating an urban fantasy that is comical, sinister and just out of this world. He takes our redeeming and not so redeeming qualities and works them into the magical creatures' personalities. What we get is something quite unique and strangely entertaining.
July 27, 2012
This was a solid sequel in the continuing adventures of Hank, the ogre private eye. I enjoyed the first book, and this didn't disappoint. I'll try not to spoil too much of how the first book turned out.
Hank has two more cases to contend with, each one hitting closer to home than in the previous book. First, an old friend is murdered down at the shoreline. His death is wrapped up in illegal enchanted weapon trafficking, and it seems that people in high places are involved as well.
Butch, Hank's dwarf deputy, is getting married. Right at the alter all hell breaks loose and the wife-to-be falls under a sleeping curse. For this section Hank traveled to the seedier underbelly of the Fae community. I thought seeing both sides of
Once again, suspect everyone, as nothing is as it seems.
We also get to see Hank's relationship troubles; being the steward is a tough, busy job, never mind that he can't even hold his girlfriend or risk draining her magic energy. This plot thread is left dangling a bit at the end, so we'll see if it's developed a bit more in the future.
I did notice some typos. Those issues seemed to get ironed out towards the end of the book, or at least they stopped being noticeable. This was a good, quick read if you're in the mood for a detective story with a magic touch. The ending was nicely concluded and left enough dangling to entice me back for the threequel.
Full disclosure: I was given a copy to review by the author.
Hank has two more cases to contend with, each one hitting closer to home than in the previous book. First, an old friend is murdered down at the shoreline. His death is wrapped up in illegal enchanted weapon trafficking, and it seems that people in high places are involved as well.
Butch, Hank's dwarf deputy, is getting married. Right at the alter all hell breaks loose and the wife-to-be falls under a sleeping curse. For this section Hank traveled to the seedier underbelly of the Fae community. I thought seeing both sides of
Once again, suspect everyone, as nothing is as it seems.
We also get to see Hank's relationship troubles; being the steward is a tough, busy job, never mind that he can't even hold his girlfriend or risk draining her magic energy. This plot thread is left dangling a bit at the end, so we'll see if it's developed a bit more in the future.
I did notice some typos. Those issues seemed to get ironed out towards the end of the book, or at least they stopped being noticeable. This was a good, quick read if you're in the mood for a detective story with a magic touch. The ending was nicely concluded and left enough dangling to entice me back for the threequel.
Full disclosure: I was given a copy to review by the author.
December 28, 2014
The story reads like a good private investigator story, but Hank, the ogre, is more of a marshall or enforcer for the fae world that lives in conjunction with the human world. Although there is not much development to most of the characters, it is is more a matter of lack of time than lack of quality writing. This book makes me want to get to know some of the characters better and makes me care about Hank. I do not think you would have to be a fan of paranormal books to enjoy this one, but the elements of the fae world do add a twist to the story.
When a drug dealer from a big time mob family is killed in a council meeting, even Hank and the highest fairies on council are suspect. While Hank digs his way through a long list of suspects, he is given another case that needs to be solved quickly, the kidnapping of a human child. Running into blank walls, fists and bullets as he works through the investigations, Hanks discovers a surprising twist to both cases.
I have to admit, although I enjoyed the fae elements, I thought of the characters as people rather than whatever species the represented. I think that issue falls with me rather than the writing.
July 7, 2012
I do have to admit I was given this book through Goodreads, but I really did like it. I left it sitting on my shelf of to-read books and kept looking at it guiltily knowing I owed it to them to give it a bash. I finally did the other day and was very pleasantly suprised.
It's a good old dectective pulp, with a fantasy twist. With the main character being the last of the Ogres, with the magical ability of being non-magical, and his trusty side-kick/deputy a dwarf who's dating an elf. It's got some predictable plot-lines, but did suprise me with a few twists and turns that made it worth while.
It was very obviously setting the scene for a series at the end, but I do admit to being eager for the next book. So if you're keen for a nice quick read, that wraps up all (well almost all) the pertinent questions you want answered, then this is the book for you.
It's a good old dectective pulp, with a fantasy twist. With the main character being the last of the Ogres, with the magical ability of being non-magical, and his trusty side-kick/deputy a dwarf who's dating an elf. It's got some predictable plot-lines, but did suprise me with a few twists and turns that made it worth while.
It was very obviously setting the scene for a series at the end, but I do admit to being eager for the next book. So if you're keen for a nice quick read, that wraps up all (well almost all) the pertinent questions you want answered, then this is the book for you.
July 21, 2012
This was a great sequel in the Hank Mossberg detective books. Hank is still the same reliable, witty, detective he was in the first book. This time around he's got a couple of more mysteries to figure out. I liked this book a lot because we got to learn even more about the fae world and how their world interacts with the human world. There were plenty of twists just like a good mystery to always keep me guessing who the culprit was. The different crimes intertwined well without getting mixed up or complicated. I gotta say the policeman, Malone, I absolutely hated him. Not the way he was written, just the character, he was such a snide jerk! I liked learning more about the other characters mentioned in the first book, like Butch. I would have liked to see a little more relationship development between Hank and Annie but all in due time! Loved this sequel!
October 16, 2012
Won a copy through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked the way it mixed reality with the supernatural. It kind of reminded me of the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series, but thankfully minus the vampires and stuff. I liked Hank, the main character. I also liked the author's writing style. Pleasure to read this one and I am very glad I won it.
Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked the way it mixed reality with the supernatural. It kind of reminded me of the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series, but thankfully minus the vampires and stuff. I liked Hank, the main character. I also liked the author's writing style. Pleasure to read this one and I am very glad I won it.
June 1, 2012
This book was very engaging. I finished it in less than 24 hours. An interesting mystery that kept me guessing, and I loved having the fantasy element as well. A pleasure to read!
September 22, 2018
The basics of each book in this series is described elsewhere and so I am reviewing the series in whole. Each individual book gets a five.
That said, I review books based on the writing, not the editing as some people do. Because of this, I will state up front that the books would not get a five if editing was factored in. A good editor is definitely needed, but I've seen worse. There were a few minor discrepancies from book to book and out of order words that slowed things a few times. From my standpoint, small things compared to the enjoyment I received from reading this treasure.
Although there may be similar books out there of which I am unaware, I found this writing and storyline to be unique and refreshing. The main characters, strange as they were, became real and cared for.
This author definitely has a way with words and his own special way of using them. This book had some humor but it was not a humorous book. It was actually a very violent series. There was sex but not graphic. There was satire and innuendoes. I do not remember any foul language.
The books can each be read standalone on their own merits, but I would recommend reading them in order. The last, Book 6, was the shortest but probably my favorite. It wouldn't have been if read alone because you really need tthe history to appreciate it.
My main complaint with this series was the length of the books. They were way too short. In my opinion, with a little more work, this could have been made an epic in the line of an adult Harry Potter but starring Hank Mossberg and friends. Jamie Sedgwick, this writing was genius, but I don't think you realized it. Get back to work (please).
That said, I review books based on the writing, not the editing as some people do. Because of this, I will state up front that the books would not get a five if editing was factored in. A good editor is definitely needed, but I've seen worse. There were a few minor discrepancies from book to book and out of order words that slowed things a few times. From my standpoint, small things compared to the enjoyment I received from reading this treasure.
Although there may be similar books out there of which I am unaware, I found this writing and storyline to be unique and refreshing. The main characters, strange as they were, became real and cared for.
This author definitely has a way with words and his own special way of using them. This book had some humor but it was not a humorous book. It was actually a very violent series. There was sex but not graphic. There was satire and innuendoes. I do not remember any foul language.
The books can each be read standalone on their own merits, but I would recommend reading them in order. The last, Book 6, was the shortest but probably my favorite. It wouldn't have been if read alone because you really need tthe history to appreciate it.
My main complaint with this series was the length of the books. They were way too short. In my opinion, with a little more work, this could have been made an epic in the line of an adult Harry Potter but starring Hank Mossberg and friends. Jamie Sedgwick, this writing was genius, but I don't think you realized it. Get back to work (please).
July 19, 2017
If I loved the first book, than I really, really, really loved the second book!!!!
This book picks up with (SPOILER ALERT!!) Butch getting married, along with Hank being his best man and all the lovely duties that entails, Hank must also solve the murder of a friend of his that was murdered with the famed Excalibur. When calamity strikes at the actual wedding ceremony, Hank must solve two mysteries at the same time while trying to juggle a new relationship, a tuxedo for someone his size and keep the evidence from continually disappearing in his murder investigation.
These are such great reads....if you are a lover of fantasy or urban fantasy these books are right up your alley!
This book picks up with (SPOILER ALERT!!) Butch getting married, along with Hank being his best man and all the lovely duties that entails, Hank must also solve the murder of a friend of his that was murdered with the famed Excalibur. When calamity strikes at the actual wedding ceremony, Hank must solve two mysteries at the same time while trying to juggle a new relationship, a tuxedo for someone his size and keep the evidence from continually disappearing in his murder investigation.
These are such great reads....if you are a lover of fantasy or urban fantasy these books are right up your alley!
April 23, 2025
Very good. I like the characters.
August 28, 2019
I had fun reading this, what a great series this is going to be!
February 17, 2015
I loved this book and as with the other two in the series, I had trouble putting this one down! Hank Mossberg is an ogre you won't forget.
Hank Mossberg is a 6 foot six ogre and the last of his kind. He is also a steward or detective in San Francisco both topside and in the under city where the majority of the fae, goblins and the like live.
In this third installment Hank receives a call from Flick, a journalist, but by the time he met up with him, Flick was murdered with the legendary sword, Excalibur. Or was it King Arthur's sword? How did his friend end up with it? Who murdered him and why?
As if these questions weren't enough on Mossberg's plate, his only deputy 'lost' his new wife to a spell - induced coma at their own wedding. Who is the guilty party that put her in this coma? What needs to be done to break the spell or is that even possible? Well, leave it to Hank and his deputy, Butch, to get to the bottom of these two horrendous acts.
Hank Mossberg is a 6 foot six ogre and the last of his kind. He is also a steward or detective in San Francisco both topside and in the under city where the majority of the fae, goblins and the like live.
In this third installment Hank receives a call from Flick, a journalist, but by the time he met up with him, Flick was murdered with the legendary sword, Excalibur. Or was it King Arthur's sword? How did his friend end up with it? Who murdered him and why?
As if these questions weren't enough on Mossberg's plate, his only deputy 'lost' his new wife to a spell - induced coma at their own wedding. Who is the guilty party that put her in this coma? What needs to be done to break the spell or is that even possible? Well, leave it to Hank and his deputy, Butch, to get to the bottom of these two horrendous acts.
June 15, 2012
It was an interesting twist on a murder mystery. I just did not ever get really drawn into the book. It was an easy read but I felt that there were too many plots going on at the same time. Because they had so many plots, it was hard to really get pulled into one. I received this book for free through Firstreads.
October 21, 2015
This was a decent read. The world was fun and multi-faceted and the plot was fast moving. My only critique would be that it was hard to envision some of the settings.
May 28, 2016
Good sequel to first book. This series has an interesting premise that I enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews