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Harbinger P.I. #1
Lost Soul
Listening Length: 4 hours and 44 minutes
Alec Harbinger, Preternatural Investigator
I’m the guy you come to when your spouse gets bitten by a werewolf, or your honey is kidnapped by a demon. I’m the guy who knows how to save your ass when an evil sorcerer casts a curse on it.
At least, I was that guy until the Society of Shadows sent me to Dearmont, Maine, a sleepy town that had a zero rating on the supernatural occurrences scale.
My plan was to spend my days sitting in the office with nothing to do except drink coffee and eat apple bakes made by Felicity, my new assistant.
But when a woman hires me to find out if her son has been possessed by a demon at a rich kids’ party, and a young man comes to the office insisting he’s been bitten by a werewolf, Dearmont goes from zero to hero.
Oh, and did I mention that someone in the Society wants me dead?
Time to sharpen the swords and go to work…
Alec Harbinger, Preternatural Investigator
I’m the guy you come to when your spouse gets bitten by a werewolf, or your honey is kidnapped by a demon. I’m the guy who knows how to save your ass when an evil sorcerer casts a curse on it.
At least, I was that guy until the Society of Shadows sent me to Dearmont, Maine, a sleepy town that had a zero rating on the supernatural occurrences scale.
My plan was to spend my days sitting in the office with nothing to do except drink coffee and eat apple bakes made by Felicity, my new assistant.
But when a woman hires me to find out if her son has been possessed by a demon at a rich kids’ party, and a young man comes to the office insisting he’s been bitten by a werewolf, Dearmont goes from zero to hero.
Oh, and did I mention that someone in the Society wants me dead?
Time to sharpen the swords and go to work…
5 pages, Audible Audio
First published February 19, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
March 2, 2018
Lost Soul
Harbinger P.I., Book 1
By: Adam J Wright
Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
I enjoyed this fun fantasy. PI doesn't stand for Private Investigator, it is for Paranormal or something similar. Yep, that is the world this is. Although he is sent to Maine to keep him out of their way, our main guy is super busy with all sorts of strange business besides trying to keep from getting killed. The ones trying to kill him, he believes, maybe from his Main Office! It is a fun book with lots of great characters, twists, humor, and I couldn't wait to get the next book.
The narrator was spot on for this book. The voices, the pace, inflections, all were perfect!
Harbinger P.I., Book 1
By: Adam J Wright
Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
I enjoyed this fun fantasy. PI doesn't stand for Private Investigator, it is for Paranormal or something similar. Yep, that is the world this is. Although he is sent to Maine to keep him out of their way, our main guy is super busy with all sorts of strange business besides trying to keep from getting killed. The ones trying to kill him, he believes, maybe from his Main Office! It is a fun book with lots of great characters, twists, humor, and I couldn't wait to get the next book.
The narrator was spot on for this book. The voices, the pace, inflections, all were perfect!
September 8, 2016
This was really pleasant surprise. I found this while browsing kindle-unlimited section and I was so tired of seeing cover of books showing girls in super dramatic position, this cover looked different.
I can't post more elaborated review as it's pain to type through a tab.
My first day in Dearmont had turned out a hell of a lot different from how I had imagined it this morning. I had a faerie kidnapping case, a possible werewolf victim, and I’d been attacked by ogres.
This was really straight forward criminal investigation. There was romance, no aghast, no over description of what I am wearing, what she was wearing, no nonsense. The chemistry between Alec and Felicity could be as romantic as Sherlock and Watson.
If you really want break from romances and no over description of super natural being, this would be clear choice. I definitely recommend and I guess it's safe to say I have found new favorite!
June 23, 2016
3.5 stars
Alec Harbinger P.I. (that's Preternatural Investigator) is being demoted from Chicago by the Society of Shadows to work at small-quiet-in-the-middle-of-nowhere town of Dearmont, Maine, after an event in Paris, which involves .
In the beginning Alec doesn't think that the small town will give him enough job dealing with preternatural beings. But just on the first day of working, he already gets two cases involving a man who seems to have a personality change overnight and another man who is sure that he's being bitten by werewolf. So Dearmont, Maine, might be flourish with business after all...
.....
I really liked this!! I thought it was a good start of urban fantasy series which I can see myself following. Alec was pretty likeable as a main hero. He didn't sound too sarcastic, or a lone-wolf kind of hero, which often flourished in the genre. Sure, he had a daddy issue, with his father being an important member of the Society, but Alec didn't really being rebellious or harboring deep anger towards him. I was a little worry of Alec being a little too 'naive' in securing deals with witches and faerie though, but maybe he had his reasons.
Anyway, this book also has two secondary characters -- Alec's new assistant Felicity () and his best friend with benefits, Mallory. I hope this will not be some sort of love triangle or something! But so far, I liked both women as well.
It didn't really have intense, life-hanging-on-the-balance situation yet -- Alec was able to get the answer of the mystery regarding the man with personality change, as well as helping the werewolves, but the whole Paris business seemed to be the bigger arc, which would bring more trouble to Alec's life in the next books. And I already bought book two even before I finished this one :)
Alec Harbinger P.I. (that's Preternatural Investigator) is being demoted from Chicago by the Society of Shadows to work at small-quiet-in-the-middle-of-nowhere town of Dearmont, Maine, after an event in Paris, which involves .
In the beginning Alec doesn't think that the small town will give him enough job dealing with preternatural beings. But just on the first day of working, he already gets two cases involving a man who seems to have a personality change overnight and another man who is sure that he's being bitten by werewolf. So Dearmont, Maine, might be flourish with business after all...
.....
I really liked this!! I thought it was a good start of urban fantasy series which I can see myself following. Alec was pretty likeable as a main hero. He didn't sound too sarcastic, or a lone-wolf kind of hero, which often flourished in the genre. Sure, he had a daddy issue, with his father being an important member of the Society, but Alec didn't really being rebellious or harboring deep anger towards him. I was a little worry of Alec being a little too 'naive' in securing deals with witches and faerie though, but maybe he had his reasons.
Anyway, this book also has two secondary characters -- Alec's new assistant Felicity () and his best friend with benefits, Mallory. I hope this will not be some sort of love triangle or something! But so far, I liked both women as well.
It didn't really have intense, life-hanging-on-the-balance situation yet -- Alec was able to get the answer of the mystery regarding the man with personality change, as well as helping the werewolves, but the whole Paris business seemed to be the bigger arc, which would bring more trouble to Alec's life in the next books. And I already bought book two even before I finished this one :)
June 18, 2020
1st book in the Harbinger P.I. Series. Alec is a Preternatural Investigator with The Society of Shadows. Something happened while on a vacation in Paris and the society removed him from his home base in Chicago to sleepy Dearborn, Maine. Dearborn is not as sleepy as he originally thought, in fact it's a hopping paranormal playground.
This is a wonderful start to a paranormal series. It has some of the same storylines of other paranormal/urban fantasy, but I seem to really like the main character. He's not some super alpha-hole, nor is he a whiny scardy cat. He's smart and really kinda normal. There is nothing really extreme about him other than he seems to be a pretty honest guy who is trying to do the best he can in the circumstances he is thrown in. Normally I like my MC's to be snarky, humorous, and kind of a bad ass, not so with this one. I like his respectable ways. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something new to read in this genre.
As a side note, he gets extra points for his "relationship therapy" with his friend Mallory. That is a bit impressive and makes his character even more likable.
This is a wonderful start to a paranormal series. It has some of the same storylines of other paranormal/urban fantasy, but I seem to really like the main character. He's not some super alpha-hole, nor is he a whiny scardy cat. He's smart and really kinda normal. There is nothing really extreme about him other than he seems to be a pretty honest guy who is trying to do the best he can in the circumstances he is thrown in. Normally I like my MC's to be snarky, humorous, and kind of a bad ass, not so with this one. I like his respectable ways. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something new to read in this genre.
As a side note, he gets extra points for his "relationship therapy" with his friend Mallory. That is a bit impressive and makes his character even more likable.
July 21, 2016
An awesome start to the series and if books 2&3 were out on audiobook I'd be listening to them now!
Reminds me of Harry Dresden!
Reminds me of Harry Dresden!
April 15, 2022
Lost Soul introduces Alec Harbinger, who makes his living as a private investigator of paranormal incidents. He’s also a member of a secret society who tries to keep paranormal threats contained, but the society is angry at him and has sent him from Chicago to rural Maine where he expects to find no work at all. Obviously, there would be no series if he was correct in his assessment, so Harbinger quickly discovers that rural Maine is teaming with paranormal activity.
The mystery kept my interest. The book moves along as a pretty good clip. Harbinger and his assistant and his friend who survived a classic “slasher movie” style problem were all good characters. The one thing I was dissatisfied with was that I don’t have a sense of Harbinger’s abilities yet. He clearly has a lot of knowledge and a lot of training. He uses magically empowered items. But it’s unclear to me if he has any magical abilities of his own. Hopefully this will become clear in future novels.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The mystery kept my interest. The book moves along as a pretty good clip. Harbinger and his assistant and his friend who survived a classic “slasher movie” style problem were all good characters. The one thing I was dissatisfied with was that I don’t have a sense of Harbinger’s abilities yet. He clearly has a lot of knowledge and a lot of training. He uses magically empowered items. But it’s unclear to me if he has any magical abilities of his own. Hopefully this will become clear in future novels.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
October 19, 2018
3,5/5
March 5, 2017
If you've got nothing else around this is mildly enjoying. The writing is plain. A few typos. Bland characters and storyline.
September 2, 2019
The first book is always rough around the edges, however there's so much the writer could have done to improve. It has what is required in an urban fantasy but it's the execution that is a big let down. The writing is lackluster and the characters under developed. There is a lot going on but not enough pages to flesh out the whole story. Lots of inconsistencies and it all felt disjointed. It sort of ended on a cliffhanger and even though I do want to find out more about Alec Harbinger I'm not eager to continue the series.
March 11, 2020
A Kindle Unlimited selection that I decided to give it a try because the premise sounded interesting. And I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed it.
This is a fast-paced paranormal urban fantasy. The world building was done well, interspersed nicely throughout without disrupting the flow of the action.
At only 20 chapters, there wasn’t a lot of character development. This was more of an introductory to the world and the characters, but this book set up the characters nicely, providing enough backstory along with introductions to each other to provide a fullness.
I liked that this book didn’t waste a lot of time, but got into the action pretty quickly. The overarching plot will continue into the next book, but the two cases were solved.
Overall, a fun beginning and I look forward to reading the next book.
This is a fast-paced paranormal urban fantasy. The world building was done well, interspersed nicely throughout without disrupting the flow of the action.
At only 20 chapters, there wasn’t a lot of character development. This was more of an introductory to the world and the characters, but this book set up the characters nicely, providing enough backstory along with introductions to each other to provide a fullness.
I liked that this book didn’t waste a lot of time, but got into the action pretty quickly. The overarching plot will continue into the next book, but the two cases were solved.
Overall, a fun beginning and I look forward to reading the next book.
July 28, 2016
This was my first Urban Fantasy novel and I truly enjoyed it. It was a fast easy read and very interesting. I really liked the idea of it being set in a modern today world, but with a twist of these creatures. I also learned some mythology that I had no knowledge of before and that led me to do some research. For a little over 200 pages this book fills big shoes.
July 3, 2017
This just had too many plot issues for me to really like it. The biggest is the secret society that every mundane seems to know about and hire. People don't believe in magic and supernaturals expect that everyone seems to... It just did not work for me.
January 9, 2019
Enjoyable new-to-me series. Good characters and story. Will definitely read more.
September 1, 2019
It's ok. More of a 3.5 stars. I'll continue the with series hoping they'll pick up.
December 29, 2017
Great start to a series by a new-to-me author and, as always, Greg Tremblay rocks the narration. Well-plotted character introductions and setup, as our hero navigates his way through a new environment, unexpected adversity, and hidden enemies.
Sympathetic protagonist and intriguing secondary characters. Page-turning urban fantasy.
Can't wait for the next!
Sympathetic protagonist and intriguing secondary characters. Page-turning urban fantasy.
Can't wait for the next!
September 2, 2021
An interesting and very enjoyable fantasy, this follows a "Preternatural Investigator" as he attempts to make sense of what is happening around him. I will follow up on the next one!
March 21, 2017
Pretty good story, but not really complex. And the protagonist doesn't seem to take some of the story-lines seriously enough, like not investigating the resident witches more.
April 14, 2020
** Edit - 14th April 2020 **
On re-reading/re-listening, I find that the characters aren't so well fleshed out as I originally wrote in the review below. I think last time I wrote this review after finishing a number of books in this series and that coloured my opinion of this story.
The truth of the matter is that this book is just too short to really sell anything very well. Everything hits you hard and fast, which can be a good sometimes, but the book never dwells on anything long enough to let the elements get fully formed.
I'll keep the 4-star review on here because I genuinely don't think it deserves a 3. However, as a stand-alone book, it's not as strong as it could be.
** Original review from 2016 **
Lost Soul by Adam Wright is the first novel in the Harbinger P.I series and the author's debut novel (as far as I am aware). By and large, it's a good book that is well worth a read.
The first thing you might notice about it is that it's not exactly long. I tend to consider this both a positive and a negative. Positive because it kept the story quick and efficient, the fast pace carrying the reader through the novel without getting bogged down by too much back story and side information. It's a negative in that in some areas the book could have done with a bit of fleshing out and I wouldn't have minded spending a bit more time with these characters.
Speaking of the characters, they are definitely the strength of this novel. Though they only have a short time in which to be fleshed out, I found that I liked each of the characters in this novel and I was invested in their stories and their fate. This is something that is genuinely impressive with only a few hundred pages to work with.
For the most part it is a well written story save for one element, descriptions. I listened to this as an audiobook and it may be a case that it would have been a different experience reading it, but I felt that the descriptions in this novel were lacking. I don't have a clear idea of what each character looks like and couldn't even tell you the age, height or hair colour of the protagonist let alone any of the other characters. This was carried over to some of the locations as well. I never really got a sense of the small town this is set in.
However, the strong characters and interesting story made up for this short coming and overall I had a good time reading this book. There's lots of promise for future stories and I am easily invested enough in the characters to be eager for the next book.
Overall it's an easy 4-stars with the potential for even higher ratings in future novels.
On re-reading/re-listening, I find that the characters aren't so well fleshed out as I originally wrote in the review below. I think last time I wrote this review after finishing a number of books in this series and that coloured my opinion of this story.
The truth of the matter is that this book is just too short to really sell anything very well. Everything hits you hard and fast, which can be a good sometimes, but the book never dwells on anything long enough to let the elements get fully formed.
I'll keep the 4-star review on here because I genuinely don't think it deserves a 3. However, as a stand-alone book, it's not as strong as it could be.
** Original review from 2016 **
Lost Soul by Adam Wright is the first novel in the Harbinger P.I series and the author's debut novel (as far as I am aware). By and large, it's a good book that is well worth a read.
The first thing you might notice about it is that it's not exactly long. I tend to consider this both a positive and a negative. Positive because it kept the story quick and efficient, the fast pace carrying the reader through the novel without getting bogged down by too much back story and side information. It's a negative in that in some areas the book could have done with a bit of fleshing out and I wouldn't have minded spending a bit more time with these characters.
Speaking of the characters, they are definitely the strength of this novel. Though they only have a short time in which to be fleshed out, I found that I liked each of the characters in this novel and I was invested in their stories and their fate. This is something that is genuinely impressive with only a few hundred pages to work with.
For the most part it is a well written story save for one element, descriptions. I listened to this as an audiobook and it may be a case that it would have been a different experience reading it, but I felt that the descriptions in this novel were lacking. I don't have a clear idea of what each character looks like and couldn't even tell you the age, height or hair colour of the protagonist let alone any of the other characters. This was carried over to some of the locations as well. I never really got a sense of the small town this is set in.
However, the strong characters and interesting story made up for this short coming and overall I had a good time reading this book. There's lots of promise for future stories and I am easily invested enough in the characters to be eager for the next book.
Overall it's an easy 4-stars with the potential for even higher ratings in future novels.
September 3, 2020
Mon avis en français
My English review
Here’s a new urban fantasy novel with a man as the main character, and I must admit I’m thrilled! It’s not too long, but it doesn’t feel like it at all and I really had a good time!
Alec is a paranormal detective. Until then he was happy to work in Chicago, but one event changed his whole life. A mission in Paris that went very badly and on which I was eager to find out the truth. As a punishment, he finds himself in a city lost in the middle of nowhere and he wonders what he’s going to do there. Yet, and with a lot of surprise, there is much more work to do than he would have thought. He will also meet his new assistant, novice and spy for the Society of Shadows, and we will also discover Mallory, a friend of his. In addition to his work, he will also have to be careful whoever wants to kill him by any means!
As I was saying, I had a really good time with this novel. The characters are fresh, the style is fluid and very pleasant to read and I must admit that I was curious to learn more about the universe and the characters! In fact, I still have several questions that make me want to read more! Only one thing bothered me a little bit, and that’s the therapy scene between Mallorie and Alec. She is traumatized by intimate relationships with men and in the form of therapy she tries to sleep with Alec to finally get over it. It’s true that it made me a little uncomfortable considering her emotional state, her fear, her crying… It’s a rather delicate subject. That aside, I loved discovering this first volume and I’m really curious to get into the next one!
My English review
Here’s a new urban fantasy novel with a man as the main character, and I must admit I’m thrilled! It’s not too long, but it doesn’t feel like it at all and I really had a good time!
Alec is a paranormal detective. Until then he was happy to work in Chicago, but one event changed his whole life. A mission in Paris that went very badly and on which I was eager to find out the truth. As a punishment, he finds himself in a city lost in the middle of nowhere and he wonders what he’s going to do there. Yet, and with a lot of surprise, there is much more work to do than he would have thought. He will also meet his new assistant, novice and spy for the Society of Shadows, and we will also discover Mallory, a friend of his. In addition to his work, he will also have to be careful whoever wants to kill him by any means!
As I was saying, I had a really good time with this novel. The characters are fresh, the style is fluid and very pleasant to read and I must admit that I was curious to learn more about the universe and the characters! In fact, I still have several questions that make me want to read more! Only one thing bothered me a little bit, and that’s the therapy scene between Mallorie and Alec. She is traumatized by intimate relationships with men and in the form of therapy she tries to sleep with Alec to finally get over it. It’s true that it made me a little uncomfortable considering her emotional state, her fear, her crying… It’s a rather delicate subject. That aside, I loved discovering this first volume and I’m really curious to get into the next one!
June 5, 2017
3 1/2 bumped up
I liked this and liked the characters. My main complaint is that it felt like a novella in many ways. It is only 224 pages, yet tries to do so much. We get the ruling magic council, the Society of Shadows and a bit of their rules and regs and shady characters, the fae and some of their politics, the werewolves and some of their issues, then Alec Harbinger and a few of his new and old side kicks and issues. It is a lot to put into 224, in fact too much, so each only gets a cursorily introduction. It had a main plot line, and a secondary that are neatly tied up but he leave some loose ends of a third issue to keep the reader wanting more. Really I dislike this and consider if a cliffy, not quite a cliffhanger because it isn't the main plot. If I am going to continue, it would be for the characters and how well I connected to them as well as the plot and how well it was finished up.
So if you want a quick paranormal investigation that is not totally fleshed out yet (probably will get so in future book) but has a great start with good supporting characters, this will work. I haven't decided whether I will continue or not.
I liked this and liked the characters. My main complaint is that it felt like a novella in many ways. It is only 224 pages, yet tries to do so much. We get the ruling magic council, the Society of Shadows and a bit of their rules and regs and shady characters, the fae and some of their politics, the werewolves and some of their issues, then Alec Harbinger and a few of his new and old side kicks and issues. It is a lot to put into 224, in fact too much, so each only gets a cursorily introduction. It had a main plot line, and a secondary that are neatly tied up but he leave some loose ends of a third issue to keep the reader wanting more. Really I dislike this and consider if a cliffy, not quite a cliffhanger because it isn't the main plot. If I am going to continue, it would be for the characters and how well I connected to them as well as the plot and how well it was finished up.
So if you want a quick paranormal investigation that is not totally fleshed out yet (probably will get so in future book) but has a great start with good supporting characters, this will work. I haven't decided whether I will continue or not.
February 24, 2019
Alec is banished to a small town by his employers to set up a supernatural PI office complete with secretary spying on him for his father. He gets his first couple of cases and starts investigating while trying to avoid supernatural assassins that have been sent to kill him.
There is nothing wrong with this book at all so I feel a bit mean giving it a lower star review like this. It's just that it didn't really grab me in the way that I want a new book to do. It is quite similar to plots I've read before in urban fantasy so maybe it just felt like it was nothing new story wise or something like that. I've seen plots with incompetant PI's who have people trying to kill them while they take on client's cases and I can't say that any of them stood out greatly for great characters or exciting plots. It doesn't seem to be a scenario that I love in the genre so that might explain why I didn't click with this one. It was certainly a case of this being more about me and my tastes rather than issues with the book.
2.5 stars.
There is nothing wrong with this book at all so I feel a bit mean giving it a lower star review like this. It's just that it didn't really grab me in the way that I want a new book to do. It is quite similar to plots I've read before in urban fantasy so maybe it just felt like it was nothing new story wise or something like that. I've seen plots with incompetant PI's who have people trying to kill them while they take on client's cases and I can't say that any of them stood out greatly for great characters or exciting plots. It doesn't seem to be a scenario that I love in the genre so that might explain why I didn't click with this one. It was certainly a case of this being more about me and my tastes rather than issues with the book.
2.5 stars.
May 3, 2019
There was one main storyline, but the author couldn't just let it play out. Two or three other dumb plotlines were thrown in, and forced uncomfortably together.
And I hated how the main character mentally assessed every woman he met, as well as a woman he only saw in a newspaper! He never stopped noticing the way women looked. I also didn't appreciate the "therapy" he had with one damaged character that he considered a friend.
Oh, and information kept being repeated. He'd think about his friend's past, and the next scene, she'd talk about what he'd just been thinking about. Like, one thing or the other, not both. I don't need the exact same information twice.
The writing itself was smooth, and well edited, but it would have been nice if the various storylines didn't feel tacked together.
And I hated how the main character mentally assessed every woman he met, as well as a woman he only saw in a newspaper! He never stopped noticing the way women looked. I also didn't appreciate the "therapy" he had with one damaged character that he considered a friend.
Oh, and information kept being repeated. He'd think about his friend's past, and the next scene, she'd talk about what he'd just been thinking about. Like, one thing or the other, not both. I don't need the exact same information twice.
The writing itself was smooth, and well edited, but it would have been nice if the various storylines didn't feel tacked together.
April 26, 2019
A good start to the series that sets the stage and introduces a number of characters. The MC seems to be a decent guy without being too powerful. Of course there is the mandatory questionable past and some potential love interests. I enjoyed the side characters who were amusing and have potential.
The story line was a little chaotic but that isn't unusual in the first book in a series. It could use another proofreading but it wasn't too bad. Maybe because I have been reading too many women centered urban fantasies I enjoyed a male lead written by a man. I found it a fast and enjoyable read and I'm off to read the next.
The story line was a little chaotic but that isn't unusual in the first book in a series. It could use another proofreading but it wasn't too bad. Maybe because I have been reading too many women centered urban fantasies I enjoyed a male lead written by a man. I found it a fast and enjoyable read and I'm off to read the next.
March 27, 2016
This was a pretty good first book, and I love the cover art. It was also a pretty quick read. I basically marked it down a star because I felt like there could have been more depth/length to the story, and it didn't really feel like Felicity was British to me. But Alec seems like an interesting enough character and I like Mallory too. I'm looking forward to reading the next Alec Harbinger book because I'm curious about this whole mysterious incident in Paris. I would recommend this series to readers who enjoy books like the Dresden Files.
June 4, 2016
This was an okay first book for an urban fantasy; but ultimately is just too thin. A distinct lack of meat made it a quick easy read but didn't leave the reader with anything to be wowed by.
Perfect for an evening when I wanted to read something but was too tired to really put any thought into.
Perfect for an evening when I wanted to read something but was too tired to really put any thought into.
July 2, 2018
Have you ever downloaded a sample of a book, gotten a couple of pages in, and decided to take a pass? Then, months later you give the sample another, dive in, and devour the book? Well, this is what happened to me with Lost Soul by Adam J. Wright. If you’ve seen the book and haven’t decided whether or not you should give it a try, my five cent recommendation is to take a chance and give it a read. If you like urban fantasy featuring a private detective-type main character, or if you are looking for a new series to read, then this book checks a lot of boxes. I’m disappointed this book isn’t available from my local library, but it was certainly worth the withdrawal from this month’s book budget.
The protagonist of Lost Soul is Alec Harbinger, a preternatural investigator banished from Chicago and sent to work in Dearmont, a tiny town in Maine. Alec works for the Society of Shadows, an organization that has its roots in 17th century England. His job is to investigate preternatural threats and solve them. The Society has offices in cities around the world, and though they don’t exactly hide what they do, the majority of the population doesn’t believe in the existence of the supernatural and looks skeptically upon Society investigators. This has the effect of making Alec an outsider, marginalizing him to the fringes of society, and placing him in the long line of protagonists similar to the archetypal hardboiled private eye.
As a character, Alec is fairly ordinary (or at least, that is how he seems right now). He’s not immortal, he doesn’t have any odd idiosyncrasies, he’s not super-flawed or morally grey, he’s not dark and tortured. He’s a likable guy. He’s normal within a world where the paranormal is real. In that way, he’s easy to relate to as a character. What drives him, what he wants most, is to protect unsuspecting people from falling prey to the supernatural creatures walking among them. He wants to do good, and yet he finds himself in opposition to the very Society he works for, which may or may not care about doing what is good and right. Alec resents being stationed in Dearmont and misses Chicago, and as the story begins to unfold, we learn that the reason for his reassignment stems from something that happened while he was in Paris, though it’s a while before the details are revealed (and I won’t spoil them here!). Suffice it to say, this bit of backstory sets up what I expect to become one of the through-lines of the series.
Alec doesn’t expect Dearmont to be a hotbed of supernatural activity, an assumption proven wrong early in the story. How refreshing is it to have a little town in Maine as the primary setting for this series? It’s almost to the point of being a cliche to find urban fantasy series set in New York, Los Angeles, London or even Chicago, and that gets to be imaginatively boring after a while (at least for me it does, and yes, I get that I’m talking about “urban” fantasy). I really appreciate Wright’s decision to set the story in an unconventional location on the map, and I’m hopeful that as the series progresses, the setting will provide a whole gamut of interesting characters and challenges that a big city setting can’t offer. Even though Wright didn’t choose a metropolis for the setting of his story, he is still working in the same tradition of hardboiled detective fiction familiar to readers of the genre, only he takes it down the path that anyone familiar with Stephen King’s work will recognize—a small town that on the outside looks idyllic and wholesome, but underneath the surface lurks the ugly underbelly of humanity.
But of course it’s not just about the protagonist. Overall, it’s a good supporting cast. Each character has potential in his/her own right, but each character also reflects different sides of Alec, showing us who he is and what he cares about. The Society has assigned Felicity Lake to be Alec’s assistant, and while she’s working for him, she can also complete the year of training necessary for her to become a preternatural investigator herself. She’s also there to spy on him for the Society. There’s also Mallory Bronson, who’s been friends with Alec for a few years. Mallory is a “Final Girl” (a term I was not familiar with until reading this book, but then, I don’t watch a lot of horror movies ). As a teenager, she was at a party where everyone was massacred by an assailant called Mister Scary. Now Mallory’s sole mission is to find him and end him, and she puts that mission above everything else in her life. We also meet Leon Smith, a young man Alec encounters as he tries to solve the case his first client in Dearmont brings his way. Leon is new money and good at anything involving computers (yes, he’s your requisite “tech” character). He’s bored and jumps at the chance to help Alec when he needs it. We’ve also got Alec’s absent father, Thomas, who I’m sure will pop up again in future books and seems to be one of the characters with whom Alec will be in conflict as the series continues.
Sheriff John Cantrell also looks to be a conflict character. What is up with the antagonistic law enforcement character that seems to be pervading every urban fantasy series I pick up? I am seeing that trope with greater prevalence these days and I’m bored with it. And yet I understand why this character keeps reappearing. One, it’s a way of adding conflict to the story and another kind of antagonist for the protagonist to have to deal with. This character generally ups the stakes for the protagonist and puts him/her into some sort of peril. Two, it follows in the hardboiled tradition of law enforcement being corrupt and underscores the need for the protagonist to continue doing his job and in doing so, protect the community, sometimes using any means necessary. So while I’m not a fan of this kind of character, I understand the reason for his/her existence, and in this series we’ve got Sheriff John Cantrell.
The more time I spend writing this review, the more I realize how much I liked this book. It marries two of my favorite genres—urban fantasy and hardboiled detective fiction. I definitely recommend reading Lost Soul, especially if you’re like me and have trouble finding new urban fantasy series you can enjoy and don’t feel the same as everything else in the genre.
Have you read Lost Soul? What did you think?
Looking for more book reviews? Visit my book blog at endnotesbookblog.com
The protagonist of Lost Soul is Alec Harbinger, a preternatural investigator banished from Chicago and sent to work in Dearmont, a tiny town in Maine. Alec works for the Society of Shadows, an organization that has its roots in 17th century England. His job is to investigate preternatural threats and solve them. The Society has offices in cities around the world, and though they don’t exactly hide what they do, the majority of the population doesn’t believe in the existence of the supernatural and looks skeptically upon Society investigators. This has the effect of making Alec an outsider, marginalizing him to the fringes of society, and placing him in the long line of protagonists similar to the archetypal hardboiled private eye.
As a character, Alec is fairly ordinary (or at least, that is how he seems right now). He’s not immortal, he doesn’t have any odd idiosyncrasies, he’s not super-flawed or morally grey, he’s not dark and tortured. He’s a likable guy. He’s normal within a world where the paranormal is real. In that way, he’s easy to relate to as a character. What drives him, what he wants most, is to protect unsuspecting people from falling prey to the supernatural creatures walking among them. He wants to do good, and yet he finds himself in opposition to the very Society he works for, which may or may not care about doing what is good and right. Alec resents being stationed in Dearmont and misses Chicago, and as the story begins to unfold, we learn that the reason for his reassignment stems from something that happened while he was in Paris, though it’s a while before the details are revealed (and I won’t spoil them here!). Suffice it to say, this bit of backstory sets up what I expect to become one of the through-lines of the series.
Alec doesn’t expect Dearmont to be a hotbed of supernatural activity, an assumption proven wrong early in the story. How refreshing is it to have a little town in Maine as the primary setting for this series? It’s almost to the point of being a cliche to find urban fantasy series set in New York, Los Angeles, London or even Chicago, and that gets to be imaginatively boring after a while (at least for me it does, and yes, I get that I’m talking about “urban” fantasy). I really appreciate Wright’s decision to set the story in an unconventional location on the map, and I’m hopeful that as the series progresses, the setting will provide a whole gamut of interesting characters and challenges that a big city setting can’t offer. Even though Wright didn’t choose a metropolis for the setting of his story, he is still working in the same tradition of hardboiled detective fiction familiar to readers of the genre, only he takes it down the path that anyone familiar with Stephen King’s work will recognize—a small town that on the outside looks idyllic and wholesome, but underneath the surface lurks the ugly underbelly of humanity.
But of course it’s not just about the protagonist. Overall, it’s a good supporting cast. Each character has potential in his/her own right, but each character also reflects different sides of Alec, showing us who he is and what he cares about. The Society has assigned Felicity Lake to be Alec’s assistant, and while she’s working for him, she can also complete the year of training necessary for her to become a preternatural investigator herself. She’s also there to spy on him for the Society. There’s also Mallory Bronson, who’s been friends with Alec for a few years. Mallory is a “Final Girl” (a term I was not familiar with until reading this book, but then, I don’t watch a lot of horror movies ). As a teenager, she was at a party where everyone was massacred by an assailant called Mister Scary. Now Mallory’s sole mission is to find him and end him, and she puts that mission above everything else in her life. We also meet Leon Smith, a young man Alec encounters as he tries to solve the case his first client in Dearmont brings his way. Leon is new money and good at anything involving computers (yes, he’s your requisite “tech” character). He’s bored and jumps at the chance to help Alec when he needs it. We’ve also got Alec’s absent father, Thomas, who I’m sure will pop up again in future books and seems to be one of the characters with whom Alec will be in conflict as the series continues.
Sheriff John Cantrell also looks to be a conflict character. What is up with the antagonistic law enforcement character that seems to be pervading every urban fantasy series I pick up? I am seeing that trope with greater prevalence these days and I’m bored with it. And yet I understand why this character keeps reappearing. One, it’s a way of adding conflict to the story and another kind of antagonist for the protagonist to have to deal with. This character generally ups the stakes for the protagonist and puts him/her into some sort of peril. Two, it follows in the hardboiled tradition of law enforcement being corrupt and underscores the need for the protagonist to continue doing his job and in doing so, protect the community, sometimes using any means necessary. So while I’m not a fan of this kind of character, I understand the reason for his/her existence, and in this series we’ve got Sheriff John Cantrell.
The more time I spend writing this review, the more I realize how much I liked this book. It marries two of my favorite genres—urban fantasy and hardboiled detective fiction. I definitely recommend reading Lost Soul, especially if you’re like me and have trouble finding new urban fantasy series you can enjoy and don’t feel the same as everything else in the genre.
Have you read Lost Soul? What did you think?
Looking for more book reviews? Visit my book blog at endnotesbookblog.com
January 14, 2017
Ok
This was an ok book...it had an interesting concept but not really enough action for me...the MC was alright but nothing about him really stood out...I did read this book in one setting tho...the plot did flow nice...like I said not a bad book just ok...
This was an ok book...it had an interesting concept but not really enough action for me...the MC was alright but nothing about him really stood out...I did read this book in one setting tho...the plot did flow nice...like I said not a bad book just ok...
April 3, 2025
This is a series I really wanted to enjoy, to fill my UF urges, but never really felt much push to read the next ones, unless I forced myself (and they're pretty short, too)...
EDIT: Giving it a second chance after cheap Audible sale on the later books...
EDIT: Giving it a second chance after cheap Audible sale on the later books...
April 17, 2018
Actual rating - 2 and three-quarter stars.
A Private Investigating franchise with branches all over the globe that everyone is familiar with - yet everyone is ignorant of, or doesn't believe (in the preternatural) ... um... contradictory much. Not the best premise to start off with. But this debut of the Harbinger P.I. series promises supernatural goodness with a wisecracking gumshoe.
The protagonist, and only detective assigned to backwater town of Dearmont, Maine: Alec feels like some old fashioned sexist sleuth. I chose to read this with some irony to keep it fun, like a satire of old Dick Tracey cartoons... even breaking out an overzealous accent at times when reading dialogue. Whaddya talkin' bout? See?
He seem to objectify all the women he met - who just happened to be skinny and drop dead gorgeous. Weren't there any normal women in this novel? And of course the assistant, Felicity Lake, did everything for him, all the menial tasks while Alec went about posturing, ogling and flexing his brain. It was hilariously awful. I can’t decide if this was badly written characters or camp overload. But it was oddly compelling despite these drawbacks.
Alec brokers a lot of deals for later favours. A little too convenient the way he makes friends/builds a team. Everyone seemed very amenable without having to go through the process of building up a friendship - and Alec did not seem nervous or too wary about it. It was all a bit contrived. It was easy to spot the hands of the author pushing the plot in a certain direction, and lost its organic feel.
When going to investigate a forest by the lake for a case, Alec states he want to go in the morning to avoid stumbling around in the dark... and when he gets there, has to wait until dark to get his enchanted statue-compass-thingy to work. Doh! Chalk up another one in the column of inconsistencies.
Why weren't these glaringly obvious mistakes picked up by a content editor or beta reader before publishing? The writing and plot felt a bit… well messy and amateur.
It didn’t help things that I identified a few grammatical errors too.
But enough of the negative critiquing - the action scenes were great. I was gripped, but there were small moments that were dropped that had me wondering if -'d missed something.
The ending was a little trite, some things tied up neatly that sent me into an eye-rolling frenzy, and other elements were set up well to lead into the next book in the series.
‘Lost Soul’ is interesting. But short on world building. I still have no clue as to why the world in ‘Lost Soul’ is the way it is. There was a lot going on, plenty to keep my interest, so I wasn't bored. Adam Wright's writing style is a little dry, a touch sparse... and very... male. But it worked for that condescending tone of an old fashioned private detective that this story was channelling. If you don't take this seriously, it is fun. But if you’re a stickler for plot, grammar, and context, and not one to laugh at those B-Grade horror movies, ‘Lost Soul’ will feel like torture. This is written to a very certain demographic/niche.
I don't know what inspired me to but this - it is certainly well out of my wheelhouse of regular reads. And an interesting journey. Maybe it was the gorgeous cover promising a dark paranormal mystery - massive battles against dark forces. Instead, it is more of a campy detective novel set in a world of witches, werewolves, fairies, demons and vampires.
I'm interested to see where the sequels will take us.
A Private Investigating franchise with branches all over the globe that everyone is familiar with - yet everyone is ignorant of, or doesn't believe (in the preternatural) ... um... contradictory much. Not the best premise to start off with. But this debut of the Harbinger P.I. series promises supernatural goodness with a wisecracking gumshoe.
The protagonist, and only detective assigned to backwater town of Dearmont, Maine: Alec feels like some old fashioned sexist sleuth. I chose to read this with some irony to keep it fun, like a satire of old Dick Tracey cartoons... even breaking out an overzealous accent at times when reading dialogue. Whaddya talkin' bout? See?
He seem to objectify all the women he met - who just happened to be skinny and drop dead gorgeous. Weren't there any normal women in this novel? And of course the assistant, Felicity Lake, did everything for him, all the menial tasks while Alec went about posturing, ogling and flexing his brain. It was hilariously awful. I can’t decide if this was badly written characters or camp overload. But it was oddly compelling despite these drawbacks.
Alec brokers a lot of deals for later favours. A little too convenient the way he makes friends/builds a team. Everyone seemed very amenable without having to go through the process of building up a friendship - and Alec did not seem nervous or too wary about it. It was all a bit contrived. It was easy to spot the hands of the author pushing the plot in a certain direction, and lost its organic feel.
When going to investigate a forest by the lake for a case, Alec states he want to go in the morning to avoid stumbling around in the dark... and when he gets there, has to wait until dark to get his enchanted statue-compass-thingy to work. Doh! Chalk up another one in the column of inconsistencies.
Why weren't these glaringly obvious mistakes picked up by a content editor or beta reader before publishing? The writing and plot felt a bit… well messy and amateur.
It didn’t help things that I identified a few grammatical errors too.
But enough of the negative critiquing - the action scenes were great. I was gripped, but there were small moments that were dropped that had me wondering if -'d missed something.
The ending was a little trite, some things tied up neatly that sent me into an eye-rolling frenzy, and other elements were set up well to lead into the next book in the series.
‘Lost Soul’ is interesting. But short on world building. I still have no clue as to why the world in ‘Lost Soul’ is the way it is. There was a lot going on, plenty to keep my interest, so I wasn't bored. Adam Wright's writing style is a little dry, a touch sparse... and very... male. But it worked for that condescending tone of an old fashioned private detective that this story was channelling. If you don't take this seriously, it is fun. But if you’re a stickler for plot, grammar, and context, and not one to laugh at those B-Grade horror movies, ‘Lost Soul’ will feel like torture. This is written to a very certain demographic/niche.
I don't know what inspired me to but this - it is certainly well out of my wheelhouse of regular reads. And an interesting journey. Maybe it was the gorgeous cover promising a dark paranormal mystery - massive battles against dark forces. Instead, it is more of a campy detective novel set in a world of witches, werewolves, fairies, demons and vampires.
I'm interested to see where the sequels will take us.
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