In Truth and Claw

Mick Oberon #4

by Ari Marmell

Highly anticipated fourth book in the Mick Oberon urban fantasy series from the critically acclaimed Ari Marmell

Mick Oberon may look like just another 1930s private detective, but beneath the fedora and the overcoat, he's got pointy ears and he's packing a wand. The forth title in this popular series.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, Mystery, Historical, Mythology

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

When Ari Marmell has free time left over between feeding cats and posting on social media, he writes a little bit. His work includes novels, short stories, role-playing games, and video games, all of which he enjoyed in lieu of school work when growing up. He’s the author of the Mick Oberon gangland/urban fantasy series, the Widdershins YA fantasy series, and many others, with publishers such as Del Rey, Titan Books, Pyr Books, Wizards of the Coast, and now Omnium Gatherum.

Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.

Reviews

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mick Oberon series is one of my favorite urban fantasy series ever -- a story involving the Fair Folk and creatures of myth and folklore, but set in the speakeasy days of Chicago and with a Fae private eye who talks like a gumshoe even as he slings magic and slips between worlds. The series is gritty yet spiced with plenty of humor, and Mick is a hardboiled yet very likable character. And while "In Truth and Claw" is a darker volume that seriously puts poor Mick through the wringer, it's still a great entry in said series.

Mick has just learned that one of his worst enemies, the witch Orsola, is still alive when he gets word of something sinister happening in Chicago. Or rather, several sinister somethings -- the changeling daughter of a mob boss starting to come into her powers, a Fae detective proclaiming a sense of impending doom surrounding Mick, and a string of brutal murders that can only be the work of a vampire. And when one of these vampires shows up in Mick's office and demands his help, Mick reluctantly picks up the case. But this is no ordinary case even by the standards of a Fae detective who packs a wand instead of a gun, and his quest to find out who's summoning vampires in the Windy City will test him to his absolute limits... and change his life forever.

Marmell gives us a dank and gritty portrait of 1930s Chicago... but he manages to include plenty of humor, both in Mick's snarky self-narration and in the other characters' actions and comments, to balance things out. Which is much appreciated in this book, as it's a fair bit darker than other books in the series. There are some goofy moments -- vampiric watermelons, anyone? -- but on the whole this book seems to mark a turning point for the series, showing that there's a reckoning of sorts ahead that Mick isn't going to be able to escape.

Mick himself has always been a tough but sympathetic character, cynical and snarky but with an ultimately kind heart beneath his flogger. This book certainly gives him a beating, but at the same time explores new facets of his character and reveals new details about his past. I've enjoyed reading Mick's escapades, but this book really let me feel like I knew him better as a character.

While definitely the darkest book in the series, and with some moments that genuinely wrenched my heart, "In Truth and Claw" is still a great entry in this series, and opens the door to further exploring the world and characters. I look ahead to the next book with both excitement and foreboding...

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every urban fantasy series seems to go through a stage where the go from one off stories and delve into a big meta plot. This book is this series’ attempt at it. Once again, the author has his mythology down pat but I come out of the novel feeling a distinct lacking of something.

I may or may not read the next novel in the series.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!

Another fantastic read in a wonderful and fun series. I can’t wait for the next one, but I guess I must.

[Lori S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me way longer than it should have, but worth the read. My only problem is Marmell's use of certain words (or his assumption of how things were said back in the day), most of which made me roll my eyes before I finally just settled in and enjoyed the story as it is. Poor Mick though, he gets put through the grinder in this story.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was dared to post this.

So I'd been saving the audio of In Truth and Claw for a special occasion... like a weekend road trip. And the time finally came. 6 hours of me and the open road and our favorite Prohibition-era Fae private eye.

Here is my experience while listening to this book:
Hmmm.
Oh dear.
Oh fuck.
Oh shit.
Oh -shit-
Dammit, Ari.
DAMMIT ARI.
Oh. Fuck.

I get home with an hour or so to go. Have to know something. Grab the ebook I bought way back when and, again, decided to save for a rainy day because I've always preferred this series in audio.
Flip to the end.
Me:
Ffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-

We're gonna need the next book real soon now.

(This review is of the Graphic Audio adaptation, and if you haven't heard their version of Ari's books, you're missing out...)

In other words: top-notch urban fantasy, excellent and memorable narrative voice, a plot that doesn't pull any punches, a truly skillful blend of pulp mystery and urban fantasy, and a hell of a cliffhanger that builds on the previous three books. Good stuff.

[Imjussayin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Truth and Claw is best read in the order of the Mick Oberon books, although you can read it as a stand-alone.

Our protagonist Mick is a Fae wand-touting gumshoe (private detective) who is easily imaged in a 1920-30s Chicago speakeasy. In this story, Mick discovers that Orsola the witch is still alive. And she is his enemy. But there are other problems to deal with like a proclamtion that Mick is doomed, a string of brutal vampire inspired murders and his charge ( the daughtger of a mafia boss) coming into her powers.

A gritty exicting series laced with sarcasm and adventure. It's a splended blend of urban fantasy and folklore. And a fun ride. Get on board.

[Chris]

I tried, but I only got a few pages in and realized I wasn't interested in continuing this series.

[Scott Vout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book four in the series. It is a theatre of the mind so there are many people doing different parts for each character. I really enjoy this cast.

I want to give this one a rating of 3.5 but of course GoodReads does not allow for that.

This series takes place in the 20s. It is an old serial like the shadow or Boston Blackey. That kind of story.

It is an ongoing series so you should start with book one or you might be lost in following all the back references.

Quite a few F bombs in this one. More so than the previous books. Not sure it helps with the story but I found it a bit much. I am not a prude by any stretch. I will drop a quality F bomb with no hesitation but the ones in this story didn't always seem appropriate. almost like the author wanted to take it up a level. To seem more adult. I don't think it helped personally.

That aside, it wont stop me from hunting down book four. A wonderful cliffhanger ending in this one. I almost thought the series was over, right up to when it wasn't.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've come to really love the Chicagos described in this series. There isn't much time spent over in Elphame this book, but the structure the fae follow is still interesting in how it mimics our world at the time.

Good mystery, enjoyable interactions between characters new and old, and entertaining way of the narrative, with Mick addressing the reader at times.

In this book we get vampires introduced into the world. Kind of remind me of 30 Days of Night, in description. And some of the mysteries that have been hinted at over the previous 3 novels start to unravel.

If you enjoy fae and noir detective stories, this is a good series to get into. The author puts in a lot of noticeable efforts to get the setting/slang/myths as accurate as possible.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a review right at the beginning of the book saying that this story is starting to become too big. And I agree for the most part. My favorite in the series is the first book, and I do enjoy less complicated plot lines, because. Well. I’m not good at following plot points a lot.
And I was lost a few times in this book, not going to lie.
But shit, this hurt. Fucking? Mick is really fucking up a lot and HE DONT GOT ANYMORE GODDAM FRIENDS NOW AND
im sad
I feel sad
And confused and goddammit I enjoyed every page of this
I’ll never get over how well this is written or how much I enjoy all of This? I can’t use words to my advantage to explain why I like shit but I do
Ah

Dammit
Im tired

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gah! Wait, lemme back up. The story is incredibly well told and immersive as has been the case in this series. It’s just...the ending! Massive cliffhanger! I feel like the rest of the characters in Rocky Horror Picture Show - “I see you shiver with antici-...” “Say it!” .....

...

I’ll be waiting rather impatiently for the next book. I mean, I have Ari’s other books to read while I wait, but...gah!

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better version of the Dresden files. It's chicago wizard detective etc etc except they remember the loop exist and all the monsters etc are from actual interesting folklore...

also...I need to stop reading the fifth book of a series without reading the first four

[Mats Berglund · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent romp.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this series. What a great concept. Really hoping they'll be more, especially after that ending.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the others in the series. However, the ending was very good. The rest of the book felt formulaic.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to find this series very creative and Ari Marmell stays true to the 1930s setting.

[Taldragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mick Oberon may look like just another 1930s private detective, but beneath the fedora and the overcoat, he's got pointy ears and he's packing a wand.

[Raymond Parish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique and wonderful blend of fantasy and mystery, with a 1930s setting and plenty edge of humor for good measure.

[Robert Joslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me a while to work through as I kept getting sidetracked with other books and activities. It took a while for it to catch my attention, not that the beginning wasn't good, I just didn't feel the investment until about half way through. Mick's adventure was an interesting one with many a twist that led me to wonder if I forgot something from previous novels in this story but nevertheless, I wanted to know what happened to Mick and his streak of bad luck. Alas, we do not know, only that something so bad is missing that we must read on in book 5. It really stinks to read that his friendships, nearly all of them are fractured if not broken at this point and I wonder where the road will lead next. If you've read the first three, you need to read this one and the inevitable 5th in the series. Ari Marmell is a masterful writer with his urban fantasy set in the not too distant past. This one gives his genre credence and shows the talent he has as a writer. That, I will not dispute. Who know...maybe the slow start in book four is more on me than the author. I"m sure this will end up in my stack to read again one day.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mick Oberon left Elphame a long time ago, now he is a private detective in 1930s Chicago. Armed with a want and a rapier, he tries to keep the paranormal under control on his side of the divide between Elphame and reality. A powerful call has gone out into the mystic world and a lot of vampires have answered it. The police are stumped by all the deaths of people with their throats torn out. Mick, his friend, Four-Leaf Franky (a leprechaun), and Ramona Webb (a succubus), always seem to be too late to each murder scene. Mick suspects a powerful witch is manipulating the vampires, but it turns out to be much worse than that. My biggest complaint about this series is that the language is a little to much on the nose; did anyone really talk about roscoes and floggers that much? Otherwise, the action is taut and the plot is exciting.

[hesione · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly a five stars except for how serious it got. The ending was not written incredibly well, but it was ok. I'm just happy that everything hit the fan : )

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mick took a beating in this one