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Black Badge #0.5
Dead Acre
The smash-hit #1 Audible Bestseller with 5000+ 5 Star Ratings is available on Kindle for the first time!
Life isn't simple for a Demon Hunter.
James Crowley met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire. Now, he finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away.
His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm.
This time, the White Throne has sent him to the middle of a western town called Dead Acre with a saloon, a moldy church, and little else worth talking about. There isn't even a sheriff. But the local cobbler has gone missing at the same time as a number of graves were desecrated.
Crowley must follow the clues, all while dealing with a cutthroat gang which treats Dead Acre like they own it, an extraordinary woman who makes it hard to focus, and locals not keen on strangers.
Life isn't simple for a Hand of God.
The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this Supernatural Fantasy Western by USA Today Bestseller Rhett C. Bruno and Audie Nominated author Jaime Castle. Experience the story that started it all with Book 0.5 of the Black Badge Series!
————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Praise for Black
• "A badass supernatural western...It's like the Witcher goes to Tombstone."—Larry Correia, New York Times bestselling author of Monster Hunter International
• "Mashes gunslingers, divine intervention, and the supernatural into one hell of a story."—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars
• "An imaginative, fun, and exciting novel!"—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of House Atreides
Life isn't simple for a Demon Hunter.
James Crowley met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire. Now, he finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away.
His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm.
This time, the White Throne has sent him to the middle of a western town called Dead Acre with a saloon, a moldy church, and little else worth talking about. There isn't even a sheriff. But the local cobbler has gone missing at the same time as a number of graves were desecrated.
Crowley must follow the clues, all while dealing with a cutthroat gang which treats Dead Acre like they own it, an extraordinary woman who makes it hard to focus, and locals not keen on strangers.
Life isn't simple for a Hand of God.
The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this Supernatural Fantasy Western by USA Today Bestseller Rhett C. Bruno and Audie Nominated author Jaime Castle. Experience the story that started it all with Book 0.5 of the Black Badge Series!
————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Praise for Black
• "A badass supernatural western...It's like the Witcher goes to Tombstone."—Larry Correia, New York Times bestselling author of Monster Hunter International
• "Mashes gunslingers, divine intervention, and the supernatural into one hell of a story."—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars
• "An imaginative, fun, and exciting novel!"—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of House Atreides
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2020
128 people are currently reading
514 people want to read
About the author
Rhett C. Bruno
70 books648 followersRhett is happy to hear from his fans and can be reached at rcbruno44@outlook.com. Please subscribe to his newsletter for exclusive access to updates about his work and the opportunity to receive limited content and ARCs.
http://rhettbruno.com/newsletter/. Or join his facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rhett...
Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude.
He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his parents. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write the “Isinda Trilogy”. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.
While studying architecture Rhett continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Adult Science Fiction Series.
Since then Rhett has been hired by an Architecture firm in Mount Kisco, NY. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on “The Circuit” and all of the other stories bouncing around in his head. He is also currently studying at the New School to earn a Certificate in Screenwriting in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.
http://rhettbruno.com/newsletter/. Or join his facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rhett...
Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude.
He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his parents. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write the “Isinda Trilogy”. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.
While studying architecture Rhett continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Adult Science Fiction Series.
Since then Rhett has been hired by an Architecture firm in Mount Kisco, NY. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on “The Circuit” and all of the other stories bouncing around in his head. He is also currently studying at the New School to earn a Certificate in Screenwriting in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
November 26, 2020
Dead Acre
By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
This was a freebie from the author's newsletter! Both the book and the Audible book was free!(Audible was free with my Audible plus)
I really loved this wild west fantasy with an undead main character that died doing right, although he was an outlaw. Now working for the White Throne (Heaven), he goes to handle supernatural crimes where his handler tells him to.
He ends up in a town called Dead Acres, lots of action happens here! Love the main character and the whole premise of the book! I hope this is just the prequel of many more books to come!
The narrator in the Audible version was great!
By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
This was a freebie from the author's newsletter! Both the book and the Audible book was free!(Audible was free with my Audible plus)
I really loved this wild west fantasy with an undead main character that died doing right, although he was an outlaw. Now working for the White Throne (Heaven), he goes to handle supernatural crimes where his handler tells him to.
He ends up in a town called Dead Acres, lots of action happens here! Love the main character and the whole premise of the book! I hope this is just the prequel of many more books to come!
The narrator in the Audible version was great!
December 14, 2020
Ghost Rider meets Dresden Files (or some other MC of the kind), and this voice in narration! Loved it!
September 12, 2024
Nice opening novella to this series. Some interesting ideas. I am curious to see where the series goes. Recommended
March 3, 2024
My brother and I now have a booktube called The Brothers Gwynne. Check it out! The Brothers Gwynne
Roger Clark narrating this just made me miss Arthur Morgan 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
But seriously this is a cool fantasy-western with a cool MC with cool one-liners and I loved it. Arthur's - I mean Roger's narration was perfect and this is a brilliant palette cleanser if you're between listens or fancy a changeup.
Roger Clark narrating this just made me miss Arthur Morgan 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
But seriously this is a cool fantasy-western with a cool MC with cool one-liners and I loved it. Arthur's - I mean Roger's narration was perfect and this is a brilliant palette cleanser if you're between listens or fancy a changeup.
December 28, 2020
This has to be one of the best audible performances I've listened so far. I loved it.
The story is awesome too. What's not to love about a former criminal who is kind of dead and is hunting for monsters. He is drawn fo Dead Acres and as soon as arrives, he knows something is not right. A man is missing and he decides to find him.
Whatever he thought about the mystery, what he found was not what he expected. The resolution has a couple of layers.
The story is awesome too. What's not to love about a former criminal who is kind of dead and is hunting for monsters. He is drawn fo Dead Acres and as soon as arrives, he knows something is not right. A man is missing and he decides to find him.
Whatever he thought about the mystery, what he found was not what he expected. The resolution has a couple of layers.
December 2, 2020
Now that's a weird western. Great introduction to a new world that I hope to see more of.
March 7, 2022
I just finished listening to this one yesterday, and I'm disappointed there wasn't more!
Dead Acre is a short listen (around 3:45:00, give or take), but it was incredibly enjoyable. It reminded me a great deal of Deadwood, Red Dead Redemption, and every other Western I've loved over my years as a reader, but with one cool twist: the MC is an "undead" sent back by Heaven to hunt down demons and monsters.
It's not as dark as you'd expect from a story like this, but has plenty of humor, an incredibly relatable main character, and the dusty-town flavor that makes for a fun Western.
I was dying to know more about the Heaven/Hell/angels/demons dynamic and the "Black Badge" that marks him, and the fact that it was so short means I didn't get enough of the "fantastical" aspects of it. But it was immediately engaging and has me dying to get my hands on the next book.
Dead Acre is a short listen (around 3:45:00, give or take), but it was incredibly enjoyable. It reminded me a great deal of Deadwood, Red Dead Redemption, and every other Western I've loved over my years as a reader, but with one cool twist: the MC is an "undead" sent back by Heaven to hunt down demons and monsters.
It's not as dark as you'd expect from a story like this, but has plenty of humor, an incredibly relatable main character, and the dusty-town flavor that makes for a fun Western.
I was dying to know more about the Heaven/Hell/angels/demons dynamic and the "Black Badge" that marks him, and the fact that it was so short means I didn't get enough of the "fantastical" aspects of it. But it was immediately engaging and has me dying to get my hands on the next book.
December 2, 2020
This is a highly enjoyable short listen. It is read by Roger Clark, who has one of the best “gravelly western cowboy” voices.
The book reminds me a lot of the Dresden Files. Instead of a modern urban setting, you get the old West. Instead of a whiny young man, the protagonist is a tough-as-nails gunslinger, who is sort of undead. But also kind of not. (The book explains that.) other than that, it is a similar style. The story is narrated by the protagonist with whimsy and sarcasm. The enemies are supernatural beasties. Much of the action is framed around a mystery which needs to be solved.
If you like the Dresden books and Westerns, this will pretty much be the perfect book for you. If you can’t stand either of them, skip it. There’s plenty of other great stuff out there to read.
The book reminds me a lot of the Dresden Files. Instead of a modern urban setting, you get the old West. Instead of a whiny young man, the protagonist is a tough-as-nails gunslinger, who is sort of undead. But also kind of not. (The book explains that.) other than that, it is a similar style. The story is narrated by the protagonist with whimsy and sarcasm. The enemies are supernatural beasties. Much of the action is framed around a mystery which needs to be solved.
If you like the Dresden books and Westerns, this will pretty much be the perfect book for you. If you can’t stand either of them, skip it. There’s plenty of other great stuff out there to read.
February 19, 2021
7.0/10
Really solid story full of monstrous creatures in a Wild West setting. Fantastic audio production.
Really solid story full of monstrous creatures in a Wild West setting. Fantastic audio production.
December 5, 2020
Brilliantly written and beautifully performed.
Great pacing.
Good world-building without any info dumping.
Strong voice and metaphors that made sense for the character.
Definitely recommend.
Great pacing.
Good world-building without any info dumping.
Strong voice and metaphors that made sense for the character.
Definitely recommend.
January 24, 2021
Wow I loved it! So atmospheric and I loved the narrator's voice! The cover is incredible. :) God I wish it was a series!
October 20, 2025
How are you going to start a world like this and then leave me hanging! The end was settled but I wanted to find out there were more books in the series, but I don’t see anything that hints at them continuing. *sad* There’s another series that they both write and I’ll check that out in the mean time.
I listened to this again and still highly recommend. The narrator Roger Clark is great! Plus, there are more books in the series now! Yay!
I listened to this again and still highly recommend. The narrator Roger Clark is great! Plus, there are more books in the series now! Yay!
March 28, 2025
A Dash of Dresden Files Meets Jonah Hex
Rhett Bruno and Jaime Castle’s Dead Acre is a "weird western" novella that merges supernatural intrigue with the gritty ambiance of the Wild West. The story centers on James Crowley, a former outlaw resurrected as a "Hand of God," tasked with battling demonic forces infiltrating the mortal world. Serving the White Throne, Crowley’s mission to hunt evil becomes a penance to avoid eternal damnation.
While the premise shows promise and the Wild West setting adds flair, the “weird” factor leaves much to be desired. Crowley himself, though positioned as undead, comes across more as just an overpowered human —a being who feels no pain but can still be knocked unconscious—undermining the supernatural edge. Additionally, instead of embracing a role as an avenging angel, much of his arc resembles that of a detective. The central mystery—centered on the disappearance of a husband—lacks the compelling intrigue necessary to anchor the story. But we did get werewolves....so there's that.
Rhett Bruno and Jaime Castle’s Dead Acre is a "weird western" novella that merges supernatural intrigue with the gritty ambiance of the Wild West. The story centers on James Crowley, a former outlaw resurrected as a "Hand of God," tasked with battling demonic forces infiltrating the mortal world. Serving the White Throne, Crowley’s mission to hunt evil becomes a penance to avoid eternal damnation.
While the premise shows promise and the Wild West setting adds flair, the “weird” factor leaves much to be desired. Crowley himself, though positioned as undead, comes across more as just an overpowered human —a being who feels no pain but can still be knocked unconscious—undermining the supernatural edge. Additionally, instead of embracing a role as an avenging angel, much of his arc resembles that of a detective. The central mystery—centered on the disappearance of a husband—lacks the compelling intrigue necessary to anchor the story. But we did get werewolves....so there's that.
January 21, 2021
The voice of the reader is gorgeous and the plot of the story is intriguing. The only thing I am sorry about is that the MC excluded Rose from the potential villains without even noticing that (ok, he's a simple man, analyzing is not exactly his strong point). The reader makes the story into a full-bloodied western with his voice.
September 4, 2022
The story is ok for what it is, but the constant exposition drove me absolutely nuts. We are constantly hammered over the head that the main character works for god, that he is supernatural, that he talks to angels, etc. etc. and on and on.
If you were to strip out all of the endless instances of reminding us of the basic plot then this would have been half as long.
If you were to strip out all of the endless instances of reminding us of the basic plot then this would have been half as long.
June 10, 2022
The narration on this was incredible.
James Crowley is an undead outlaw. Not undead as in zombie, just dead, but also not quite. And also not really an outlaw anymore, he died in a hail of bullets, doing the right thing perhaps for the only time in he's live. Now he's in service to the White Throne, send from town to town to deal with the supernatural bad guys.
Sort of Ghost Rider, just more bad-ass.
James Crowley is an undead outlaw. Not undead as in zombie, just dead, but also not quite. And also not really an outlaw anymore, he died in a hail of bullets, doing the right thing perhaps for the only time in he's live. Now he's in service to the White Throne, send from town to town to deal with the supernatural bad guys.
Sort of Ghost Rider, just more bad-ass.
October 3, 2025
The audiobook is excellent. An undead cowboy has to fight demons and save a town. I really enjoyed it.
December 5, 2020
This is a Novella, and because of that, and because it is just so good, you sit down, and find that you just get lost in it in a single reading, you can’t put it down, as it is totally captivating, action packed, and full of that gritty story telling, laced with humour that we have come to expect from Bruno and Castle.
The story is set back in the old days of the west, when land was being sold off to people out west, but you had to race out their and claim it if you wanted it, settle a claim, and try and keep it from other folks, bandits etc. Peace Officers tried to keep things under control, but there just wasn’t enough of them, and small towns began to look after after themselves, or hired a Sherrif to do it.
Into this, we have James Crowley, our main character, bit rough around the edges, running with a gang of outlaws. However, the gang has gone and crossed a line, and there are some lines that Crowley just won’t cross, and as a result, he was killed by his own gang, But Crowley does something that sets him apart, he actually dies defending the weak, and innocent.
As a result, he is given the chance to come back as a “Hand of God”. He is given missions from ‘The White Throne’, sent to an area in which he has to work out what has happened and the solve the issue.
There are elements in this book of the recent ‘Bar at the End of the World’ series by Tom Abrahams, and in some aspects, there was also a feel of the old series Quantum Leap, in that he has to kind of work out things himself, but he sometimes gets a bit of help from a rather fun character, a Seraph.
There are all sorts of elements to this book, with some mild religious overtones (he is a ‘Hand of God’ after all), but unlike a lot of books that seem to go down this path, the religion is very subtle, at no time is it pushed on you.
It is used in a very creative manner, giving Crowley some additional depth, and adding to the World Building, as opposed to some books, in which you get blugeoned with it whether you want to or not.
Bruno and Castle have created yet another masterful character driven story, Crowley’s character is one of pure genius, and easily stands with the incredible array of characters they have created this year (Although for me Torsten Unger from The Buried Goddes Saga is still my favourite). Crowley’s easy going charisma, ability to talk, and understand a situation, read a room, but also the grim acceptance of the situation that life has handed him, make him a character that is easy to like. It doesn’t hurt that he also has a wicked sense of humour (Something that we have come to expect from most of Bruno and Castle’s characters now).
In this short story, we learn that Dead Acre is the name of a town out the back of nowhere, and they can’t even afford a Lawman. However, Crowley has been sent there because something isn’t right, and the moment he walks into the bar, and sees the young woman crying, with no one paying attention to her, he kind of figures out who is mark is, and the story builds from there (No Spoilers)
The great thing about this adventure is that it covers a wide range of genre’s, from fantasy, to a bit of western, romance, and all the relevant sub-genre’s. I’m sure you could do Sci-Fi as well. It makes you wonder just what is going to happen as the story unfolds, but it is most definitely worth it, regardless of what you read, you are going to love this, once you start, you will not be able to put it down.
One of the things that really makes this story a standout, is the world building. For a short story, that has so much already, the world building is just exceptional, with so much detail, and depth, giving not just the main character, but each of the other characters as well, this gritty realism that also extends to their surroundings, so that as you read (or listen), you can just totally immerse yourself into this world.
This is an outstanding piece of writing, Bruno and Castle are showing that they are true Masters of anything that they put their minds to, any genre they write in, and any Characters that they create. One can only hope, that we see more tales of ‘The Hand of God’ in the future, because this particular story was Epic, it is one of those stories that you just have to read (or listen to). It would be Blasphemy not to!!
The story is set back in the old days of the west, when land was being sold off to people out west, but you had to race out their and claim it if you wanted it, settle a claim, and try and keep it from other folks, bandits etc. Peace Officers tried to keep things under control, but there just wasn’t enough of them, and small towns began to look after after themselves, or hired a Sherrif to do it.
Into this, we have James Crowley, our main character, bit rough around the edges, running with a gang of outlaws. However, the gang has gone and crossed a line, and there are some lines that Crowley just won’t cross, and as a result, he was killed by his own gang, But Crowley does something that sets him apart, he actually dies defending the weak, and innocent.
As a result, he is given the chance to come back as a “Hand of God”. He is given missions from ‘The White Throne’, sent to an area in which he has to work out what has happened and the solve the issue.
There are elements in this book of the recent ‘Bar at the End of the World’ series by Tom Abrahams, and in some aspects, there was also a feel of the old series Quantum Leap, in that he has to kind of work out things himself, but he sometimes gets a bit of help from a rather fun character, a Seraph.
There are all sorts of elements to this book, with some mild religious overtones (he is a ‘Hand of God’ after all), but unlike a lot of books that seem to go down this path, the religion is very subtle, at no time is it pushed on you.
It is used in a very creative manner, giving Crowley some additional depth, and adding to the World Building, as opposed to some books, in which you get blugeoned with it whether you want to or not.
Bruno and Castle have created yet another masterful character driven story, Crowley’s character is one of pure genius, and easily stands with the incredible array of characters they have created this year (Although for me Torsten Unger from The Buried Goddes Saga is still my favourite). Crowley’s easy going charisma, ability to talk, and understand a situation, read a room, but also the grim acceptance of the situation that life has handed him, make him a character that is easy to like. It doesn’t hurt that he also has a wicked sense of humour (Something that we have come to expect from most of Bruno and Castle’s characters now).
In this short story, we learn that Dead Acre is the name of a town out the back of nowhere, and they can’t even afford a Lawman. However, Crowley has been sent there because something isn’t right, and the moment he walks into the bar, and sees the young woman crying, with no one paying attention to her, he kind of figures out who is mark is, and the story builds from there (No Spoilers)
The great thing about this adventure is that it covers a wide range of genre’s, from fantasy, to a bit of western, romance, and all the relevant sub-genre’s. I’m sure you could do Sci-Fi as well. It makes you wonder just what is going to happen as the story unfolds, but it is most definitely worth it, regardless of what you read, you are going to love this, once you start, you will not be able to put it down.
One of the things that really makes this story a standout, is the world building. For a short story, that has so much already, the world building is just exceptional, with so much detail, and depth, giving not just the main character, but each of the other characters as well, this gritty realism that also extends to their surroundings, so that as you read (or listen), you can just totally immerse yourself into this world.
This is an outstanding piece of writing, Bruno and Castle are showing that they are true Masters of anything that they put their minds to, any genre they write in, and any Characters that they create. One can only hope, that we see more tales of ‘The Hand of God’ in the future, because this particular story was Epic, it is one of those stories that you just have to read (or listen to). It would be Blasphemy not to!!
June 16, 2021
DEAD ACRE is an audiobook is written by Rhett Bruno (The Roach) and Jaime Castle (Sidekick) while narrated by Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan, Red Dead Redemption). It's an exceptional pedigree as I love the work of all three individuals. It's a short work of about only three hours long but it's also free with my Audible subscription so I'm hardly going to complain about its length vs. price.
The premise is a outlaw gunslinger is gunned down after turning on his gang due to what's implied to be their habit of being a bunch of murderous rapists. A better reason than most betrayals in Westerns, I suppose. Raised by God as a undead bounty hunter, James Crowley goes from town to town to kill the supernatural while working off his debt. If he's successful, he won't go to Hell but he probably won't be allowed into Heaven, which is a really bad deal from a religious perspective.
This is the kind of premise that would be at home in a Deadlands game and even has some similarities with Crowley being somewhat similar to a Harrowed. It's more likely both were inspired by Clint Eastwood films PALE RIDER and HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, though. Two very different movies that deal with cowboys sent by supernatural forces to unleash the wrath of God (or the Devil). Given I'm a fan of both movies as well as Red Dead Redemption, this is something I found quite interesting and would be interested in a whole series from the man's perspective.
Crowley has the biggest benefit of a 1st person urban fantasy (albeit Weird West 19th century) protagonist in that he is immensely likeable. He's not laden down by a desire to do pop culture quips nor is he aping the overused film noir detective. Instead, the adjustment of a classic Western plotline, "hero rides into town to solve the problem" to supernatural forces is one that breathes life into a tired genre. I also appreciated that Crowley is, uh, incapable of returning affection as a revenant so that precludes any sort of sexual tension.
The actual storyline is simple and to the point: our hero has been drawn to the town of Dead Acres where there's been some evil afoot and a man has gone missing. There's also been some bodies that have been disturbed. Our hero eventually figures out the mystery and does some business with the big iron on his hip (thank you, Fallout: New Vegas). Telling you anymore would probably spoil the story and the investigation is entertaining throughout. The final confrontation with the baddie is lacking something, sadly, because their personality does a complete 180 but that's a small flaw in an otherwise excellent book.
Roger Clark is someone that any fans of the aforementioned RD2 will know is a fantastic voice actor. Crowley has a lot of Arthur Morgan-esque qualities and a cynical detachment from life as well as fatalism due to, you know, being a damned soul given only a quasi-reprieve. I'd say his acting is leagues above most among narrators and what really brings the book to life. Still, it feels a bit like a taste rather than full-course meal and I hope they do more of these. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel and is more like a pilot for an hour-long episodic television show. It's just a show I would have watched.
The premise is a outlaw gunslinger is gunned down after turning on his gang due to what's implied to be their habit of being a bunch of murderous rapists. A better reason than most betrayals in Westerns, I suppose. Raised by God as a undead bounty hunter, James Crowley goes from town to town to kill the supernatural while working off his debt. If he's successful, he won't go to Hell but he probably won't be allowed into Heaven, which is a really bad deal from a religious perspective.
This is the kind of premise that would be at home in a Deadlands game and even has some similarities with Crowley being somewhat similar to a Harrowed. It's more likely both were inspired by Clint Eastwood films PALE RIDER and HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, though. Two very different movies that deal with cowboys sent by supernatural forces to unleash the wrath of God (or the Devil). Given I'm a fan of both movies as well as Red Dead Redemption, this is something I found quite interesting and would be interested in a whole series from the man's perspective.
Crowley has the biggest benefit of a 1st person urban fantasy (albeit Weird West 19th century) protagonist in that he is immensely likeable. He's not laden down by a desire to do pop culture quips nor is he aping the overused film noir detective. Instead, the adjustment of a classic Western plotline, "hero rides into town to solve the problem" to supernatural forces is one that breathes life into a tired genre. I also appreciated that Crowley is, uh, incapable of returning affection as a revenant so that precludes any sort of sexual tension.
The actual storyline is simple and to the point: our hero has been drawn to the town of Dead Acres where there's been some evil afoot and a man has gone missing. There's also been some bodies that have been disturbed. Our hero eventually figures out the mystery and does some business with the big iron on his hip (thank you, Fallout: New Vegas). Telling you anymore would probably spoil the story and the investigation is entertaining throughout. The final confrontation with the baddie is lacking something, sadly, because their personality does a complete 180 but that's a small flaw in an otherwise excellent book.
Roger Clark is someone that any fans of the aforementioned RD2 will know is a fantastic voice actor. Crowley has a lot of Arthur Morgan-esque qualities and a cynical detachment from life as well as fatalism due to, you know, being a damned soul given only a quasi-reprieve. I'd say his acting is leagues above most among narrators and what really brings the book to life. Still, it feels a bit like a taste rather than full-course meal and I hope they do more of these. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel and is more like a pilot for an hour-long episodic television show. It's just a show I would have watched.
January 25, 2023
This is the prequel launching the Black Badge series. Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle are new-to-me authors and this is a genre that I’m still pretty new at – but I truly enjoyed this story.
Despite being only 3.5 hours, they offered a nicely developed world and characters. I love how Crowley is just dropped into a town and has to figure out why he’s there. The listener gets to discover the town and mystery right along with him. Investigating a missing person and finding the culprit leads to interactions with lycanthrope, necromancers, and annoying town folks.
Great listen and I’m looking forward to Cold as Hell which releases next week.
Narration:
Roger Clark is also new to me. (Well, sort of. I knew I recognized his voice from somewhere and I couldn’t figure it out. Finally played a bit of Dead Acre for my older teen and he immediately said, “That’s Morgan from Red Dead Redemption.” Mystery solved!) Clark was perfect for the not-exactly-undead Crowley and wild west setting. Entertaining listen.
Despite being only 3.5 hours, they offered a nicely developed world and characters. I love how Crowley is just dropped into a town and has to figure out why he’s there. The listener gets to discover the town and mystery right along with him. Investigating a missing person and finding the culprit leads to interactions with lycanthrope, necromancers, and annoying town folks.
Great listen and I’m looking forward to Cold as Hell which releases next week.
Narration:
Roger Clark is also new to me. (Well, sort of. I knew I recognized his voice from somewhere and I couldn’t figure it out. Finally played a bit of Dead Acre for my older teen and he immediately said, “That’s Morgan from Red Dead Redemption.” Mystery solved!) Clark was perfect for the not-exactly-undead Crowley and wild west setting. Entertaining listen.
April 15, 2021
The real question is "Are there more stories with James Crowley?"
James Crowley is so bad ass! I kinda wanted the next chapter. What happens when he goes to that town 1 mile south? What other supernatural creatures does he encounter and how do they all react when they realize he isn't mortal. And what happens to Rosa.
I wanted more! But it was short and I liked it.
4 stars
James Crowley is so bad ass! I kinda wanted the next chapter. What happens when he goes to that town 1 mile south? What other supernatural creatures does he encounter and how do they all react when they realize he isn't mortal. And what happens to Rosa.
I wanted more! But it was short and I liked it.
4 stars
December 19, 2020
Roger Clark makes this supernatural old west outlaw come to life. Great performance!
Short western story of an outlaw stuck in purgatory, taking missions to clean up the old west of really nasty bad guys.
Or in this case, the bad guys also includes about every supernatural creature you can think of. It's a quick listen and entertaining.
Short western story of an outlaw stuck in purgatory, taking missions to clean up the old west of really nasty bad guys.
Or in this case, the bad guys also includes about every supernatural creature you can think of. It's a quick listen and entertaining.
May 3, 2023
May 2023
Audiobook edition
2hr 38m (1.3x speed)
This was a pretty short one and one of the audible plus borrows. It was because it was short that I gave it a go. Not really up for taking a gamble on an 8hr book. The other reason is…supernatural gun slinger.
I started this this morning on the journey to work and ended it on the way home from work. The morning part I enjoyed. The way home not as much. Maybe I should’ve waited until tomorrow morning. Something to think about.
I liked the narrator, the western gunslinger drawl and the devil may care attitude, despite being a hand of god. It was an interesting story, although mentions of Winchester and Crowley kept making my brain pipe up with Supernatural, which usually links to Dean and pudding— it’s a whole linky game thing. Anyway, it pulled me out of the story.
The way Crowley was so charmed by Rosa, I thought she’d end up being some sort of seducing supernatural. Nope, she’s just pretty and distracting to every male going, and it’s werewolf bandits and a necromancer.
I didn’t realise about the priest’s name until I was conked over the head with it. I also immediately thought Char was going to be going to the dark side after so many times being looked over. Since this is a series opener, it’s possible. When it comes to hellmouth and demons, I assume everyone is possessed.
Phelps was a let down as a bad guy. Overpowered, lovestruck and delusional. Really, there was nothing in it for Crowley. He’s doing a thankless job that will likely lead to him being smited at the end. I am curious about where this one will go.
Saying that, the novelty wore off and it felt like a standard supernatural mystery hunt. But that’s probably because I was thinking food then bed. I’ll take my time on the main books. 3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2021
4.5/ This was really cool!! It really felt like if The Witcher was set in the west and Mr Crowley was Geralt. I loved the whole western, supernatural elements and the narrator had the perfect voice for each character and just the overall vibe for the story. I would really love it if this got more books out of it because I would love to explore more of Crowleys character and the supernatural creatures he encounters as well as the overall world building too.
June 23, 2025
I selected this because I wanted something short and not in a series as a break from some of my other in-progress and longer series. Not until I was well into it did I notice it was itself the prequel to a series. At first I didn't like the narrator's fake cowboy accent. However, as usually happens, I became used to his way of speaking. Besides, I observed that strings of curse words sounded really good in that heavy old West drawl and that was fun to hear. The premise is good, i.e., dead outlaw brought back to life to be the hand of a vengeful God and fight evil on the frontier. But I was disappointed by the author's choice to associate witchcraft, a modern nature-based religion, with evil doers. You could say most mass media make this mistake, or that it would have been that way in the time the book was set, or any number of excuses. Still, most people wouldn't approve of the mention of covens of evil Christians, etc. This double standard doesn't play well in the 21st century and I think it's time writers left the witches alone.
I don't know if I will continue the series or not.
I don't know if I will continue the series or not.
December 1, 2020
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
A+ for Excellent Narration by Roger Clark
3 Stars for Story - I always end up liking the concepts for the Bruno stories more than the way they are actually told or formulated. This one was okay but not as good as it could have been. A solid popcorn read and great narration to pull it off.
Currently on Audible Plus
A+ for Excellent Narration by Roger Clark
3 Stars for Story - I always end up liking the concepts for the Bruno stories more than the way they are actually told or formulated. This one was okay but not as good as it could have been. A solid popcorn read and great narration to pull it off.
February 5, 2023
Un audiolibro que me ha gustado bastante, es un western sobrenatural al uso y el personaje principal está bastante guay. Hay partes que me recuerdan a Supernatural y por poner una comparación con una serie de libros con los de Harry Dresden de Jim Butcher. Es una escucha ligera apenas 3 horas y 24 minutos con un perfecto Roger Clark cómo narrador y el libro gana muchísimo, la verdad 🙌🏻
January 13, 2021
A Dresden/Supernatural/mystery type story with a warning for language, though I found it entertaining and the story and characters had much more depth than I expected for being as short as it was.
March 1, 2021
A nice take on the undead savior.
March 6, 2021
I hope to see this character develop into a series. The main character is captivating. The Actor brought his character to life.!
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