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Vegas Fae #1

Return of the High Fae

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Ex-Cop turned Private Investigator Robert Hoskins always enjoyed the stories his grandmother told him as a child, stories of the Dryad that lived in the tree, the Faeries in the garden, and the magical world that was created in his imagination. He always enjoyed them; he just never thought that they were true. Robert's childhood world of magic becomes real when a chance encounter with a local casino mob boss introduces him to the world he was born into, the world that was hidden from him, the world of the Fae. But he's not easily convinced.

From disbelief to acceptance, Robert encounters a variety of mythical beings. From Faeries and Norse legends to the Oracle at Delphi, from Mermaids to Werewolves to everything in between, Robert's world has definitely changed. While his path through that world appears chosen he soon learns that the beings that reside in the world of his grandmother's stories aren't that much different than those of the mortal world. Good and evil still battle one another and it's time to take sides.

What should Robert do when the world around him stops making sense? When he has to find out from a Dwarf that his dog is descended from Fae hunting dogs. When he knows that corporations and even the mob don't run Vegas, it's the Fae. When the prettiest girls he meets are over 3,000 years old and some of them drink blood. And that stripper, is she really a Faery? Let's not even go there. What should Robert do when he learns that strength in his new world is measured in magic, and he doesn't have a clue how to wield it?

Do Demons, Gods, Elves, and Faeries really exist? Are Vampires truly the children of Lilith? Robert didn't believe it at first either.

Also available in audiobook format.

Completely re-edited and remastered to address issues brought up in the earlier edition.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2012

338 people are currently reading
738 people want to read

About the author

Tom Keller

12 books112 followers
Tom Keller is a retired cop and former computer forensics expert and Federal Public Defender investigator. Back in the early days he was a busboy, a cook, and a shoe and real estate salesman. He's taught courses at the local Community College as well as lectured to others in his field on a variety of topics. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. A place he's called home for over 40 years.

He had a website design business back in the days when you still accessed the Internet by modem. He's sold model airplanes and electronics on the web and eBay. He even had his own TV show for a season or two (okay, it was really low budget, better call it no budget, and it was on UHF for those of you that remember those kinds of things. But, hey, it did snag a 2.0 share one episode). He collects toy space guns, lunch boxes, and coffee cups, among other memorabilia. If he had a personal card it’d probably say something like ‘specialist in generalities,’ or as his brother would say, polymath.

Tom is still married to his college sweetheart and spends his free time with his family and spare time writing. He is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Learn more at http://www.tomsbooks.com, or for information on future releases and other book related news, sign up for his mailing list at: http://eepurl.com/cvYWjb



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5 stars
447 (30%)
4 stars
548 (37%)
3 stars
368 (24%)
2 stars
84 (5%)
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30 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
Profile Image for Steve Naylor.
2,437 reviews127 followers
November 14, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars

This one was pretty good. It started off really strong. The story follows Robert, who is a PI working in Las Vegas. He is trying to give a subpoena to what he thought was a mob boss when he sees that persons boss get attacked. Since he used to be a cop in Vegas, his instincts kick in and ends up saving the casino owner. Turns out that in stepping in to help, he was exposed to some magic which will change everything in his life. Robert never new there was anything different about himself until that night. He has had a protection spell on him his whole life and after it was exposed to magic, it has now started to leak. Turns out their are all sorts of magical creatures in the world and Robert is one of them.

This isn't a new story. Someone finding out that they have been special their whole life until something happens and they come into their powers and need to save the world. That is actually a pretty standard storyline. There are few things that make this story stand out a little in my mind though. The first thing is that the main character is 50 years old and has 2 adult children. When is the last time you read a book in this field where the main character is that old? Usually the MC in these type of stories are either teenagers or young adults. The second thing that stands out is the mixture of the Fae with Greek, Norse, and Roman mythology. In this ethos most magical creatures were fae. The ones called high fae are the ones that took on the mantle of gods. So Zeus, Thor, Loki, Apollo, etc. were all high fae destined by Gaea to rule. There was a war a couple of thousand years ago that wiped out all the high fae. At least until Robert was born.

Overall this was a good read. There was one qwerk of the main character that I found annoying after a while. And that is Roberts love affair with coffee and his coffee cups. It almost seemed like there was a contractual obligation to mention coffee every 5 pages. I am not a coffee drinker, so this might just of been annoying to me.

The main thing that kept me from calling this a great story is the lack of information. Robert is brought into this new world and maybe only 20% of his questions were answered. He is expected to go places and fulfill some unknown destiny and yet nobody would tell him anything. There was always something said like " I can't tell you that" or " I will explain everything, but not right now". Robert was expected to make decisions that would affect the entire world and yet he wasn't told the consequences of any of those decision or even who he was dealing with.

However, the good definitely outweigh any of the bad so I will be moving on to the next book.
Profile Image for Lindis.
156 reviews
April 2, 2015
4 stars plus plus - do an edit and it's a 5 star. Plural S does not take the apostrophe.
Profile Image for Li Kim Min.
43 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2018
Although I love this series it's very obviously written by a male author for probably a male audience. I mean... I like for the fact that since the main character has already been married, has grown kids and is now divorced with an amicable relationship with his wife he's pretty open to new relationships but is keeping the romance low. Which to me is a good thing because a lot of urban fantasy these days are basically becoming trashy paranormal romance.

The point I was making however is that the MC is pretty loose and sleeps with a whole bunch of women which the author never addresses on how the possibility of leaving a crap ton of bastard children everywhere might affect the plot. (He's obviously very virile seeing as he already has 2 grown children (koff* ). The author also seems to point out that Fae/Other women are HELLA BEAUTIFUL almost every appearance of a female but never puts much effort in describing any male fae/other characters being anything other than human looking (maybe taller or shorter than human).

After 2 books I still don't know if he's got pointed ears or any of the males do. It's pretty confusing. But the females all seem like they got cookie cuttere'd out of a playboy faerie/elf magazine. = A = Ahhhh. + Oh being a prude is not the norm for the fae culture hence the MC is perfectly free to sleep around all he wants because it's expected oh him. * koff * Yeaaaah.

Not sure I'll pick up the rest of the books if the plot's gonna be the same....for the rest of it.
Profile Image for Julianna.
Author 2 books18 followers
January 20, 2013
I read a lot of urban fantasy, but confess I've never been much of the whole PI/Mickey Spillane type adventure-mystery lover, so when I realized this had a PI as the main character, I thought to myself, "Uh oh."

However, I found I really enjoyed this book.

I do agree with another reviewer that there was a bit of text that could have been edited out here and there. However, I did not find the non-vital prose slowing the story for me (something I cannot stand, and hence would definitely note here if it had impeded my reading enjoyment).

The book is written in the first person POV of the retired copy/PI, so you come to know him quite well, and, as one would hope for a retired policeman, he's a good guy. He's also had a fairly normal life, other than being orphaned as a child, so he's as surprised as any modern human would be when he discovers magic exists, etc.

I thought overall that how the character handled all the new information and finding out more about himself was reasonably realistic and practical - he did not completely freak out like a younger or less experienced person might, and kept his head in all situations (like you'd expect an ex-cop to do). I found this very refreshing, personally, though it did result in some missed opportunities for character stress and tension.

As to tension - something I particularly enjoyed, though not everyone would, is that the tension never hit nail-biting levels. I avoid really violent and intense movies (300 anyone?) because they are so stressful that they become really unpleasant for me. This book, though it certainly had tension in it, did not reach nail-biter status - something I really enjoy in a light, fun-to-read book. However, if you do prefer the seriously high-wire tension of a lot of modern thrillers, you may find this one a bit low-key for your tastes.

Me - I'm really interested in finding out what happens in book 2. :)
Profile Image for C.S. S Bernhardt.
Author 6 books13 followers
January 3, 2013
Retired policeman, Robert Hoskins, now a PI in Las Vegas sets out to do a process serve a simple job or it should be. As he awaits to serve papers a gentleman comes out of the building he's wathcing and is attacked. Robert reverting to his cop days jumps right in to help. The attackers caring lasers, or so it seems, shoot a charge at Robert and hit him. This starts his adventures into a world he never dreamed existed.
I really enjoyed this book. From the very beginning I was hooked. The story is fast, fun, and full of excitement. I love a book where you can buy into the character right away. You know who he is and the kind of person he is. Then he starts finding out about himself secrets that have been hidden from him and he's got to deal with the changes not only in himself but in his physical world.
I'll be waiting for the next book to come out. Mean while I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Daniel Ace.
227 reviews36 followers
August 17, 2013
I really enjoyed this a lot. It is urban fantasy but it flows and moves smoothly. A lot of elements here from elves to fae to Titans but the writing was solid.
Profile Image for Kel.
174 reviews6 followers
August 29, 2013
Return of the High Fae By Tom Keller.

"Do Demons, Gods, Elves, and Faeries really exist? Are Vampires truly the children of Lilith? Robert didn't believe it at first either." This book combined two different elements that I just love; Murder mysteries where the good guy is this rough tough man's man, and the supernatural world where Fae, Faries, Dwarfs and Vampires exist. Tom Keller wrote something so imaginative and highly entertaining.
Robert, a PI and ex cop, winds up in an odd predicament. All he wanted was to serve a subpoena to an old time casino boss, but then he saves that man's boss, his dog stars talking to him, and he finds he's the long lost bastard King of the Fae. What a day...
It warms my heart to read that Tom Keller is currently working on the second book in the Vegas Fae series.
Profile Image for Raquel.
418 reviews9 followers
October 2, 2015
What a fun and fantastic book! The characters are wonderfully interesting, the plot was great, and the overall experience of the read was really great. There was a wonderful tone and rhythm throughout.

I really liked the main character. His outlook and approach to the world were very enjoyable for me. His friends, work, and family were all really interesting dynamics. He just seemed very real.

The story itself was really fun. I liked that the craziness that ensued was happening to a mature character. I'd say the vast majority of "human discovers faeries are real" stories happen to characters in their twenties or teens, sometimes thirties. It was great to experience that kind of story through the eyes of someone whose kids are grown and is on their second career.

Awesome book!!
59 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2015
Modern mythology

For fans of myths and legends this was a quaint introduction via a Vegas PI come high fae lord. A hodgepodge of myths, sometimes abrupt in the introduction of beings, Titans, dwarves, fairies, werewolves, mages, elves. The MC will hopefully develop more in book 2, as well as the relationships. Believability could be an issue for some. The MC has sudden powers and miraculously overcomes a "dark" adversary. The ending felt rushed. I would truly rate 3.5.
Profile Image for Andrew Rose.
337 reviews5 followers
April 3, 2015
This is the first in a new series of Urban fantasy novels starring Robert Hoskins, a P.I. who discovers that there is a little something unexpected about himself when he saves a Vegas Mobster from being killed in the parking lot of his Casino. In a high stakes game of blind man’s bluff he must put the pieces together before the people he thwarted can exact their revenge. A good opening salvo that fans of Butcher and Harrison will enjoy.
Profile Image for Ms. Dreamer Smith.
1,278 reviews
July 10, 2013
WOW!!! Bring on the excitement this book was full of it.
The dog and cat was so serious about their job that they had me laughing out of my seat...
The werewolf wants to be the big man on the block and oracle just wants the good old days.

This is a great read...

Profile Image for Julian Thomas.
11 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2015
great book. I like that it is about an older, more mature character. I love reading urban fantasy, but a lot of it is aimed at a YA audience. many of these are still good, but can be difficult for older readers to relate to.
Profile Image for Shirl Ann.
66 reviews
August 12, 2015
I really enjoyed this book! It was witty and snarky at times, and very well written. I hope that Tom Keller continues to write for I am now a huge fan! Thank you for such a wonderful story that took me to places I can only dream of! I'm off to read the next in the series right now!
Profile Image for Paul Maya.
4 reviews
August 26, 2015
Lots of fun

This book was exciting, funny, and enjoyable to read. The mix of detective mystery and supernatural fantasy adventure is tough to do, yet this author pulls it off nicely. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Lars Klander.
29 reviews
September 29, 2015
Solid freshman effort

Well written. Interesting premise. Quite a few different mythos blended together in ways that are so,times head-scratching. Doesn't explain everything which is good. Looking forward to book #2.
Profile Image for Alysa H..
1,380 reviews74 followers
February 20, 2019
I'd been looking forward to this, but unfortunately didn't dig it. It tries way to hard for that "hard-boiled" feel, with its middle-aged PI main character discovering a hidden magic world, and doesn't quite hit the mark. The dialogue and pacing are not good. I didn't get very far with this.
Profile Image for Adrienne.
11 reviews
January 31, 2013
over all I thought this was a pretty good book! I really enjoyed the story line.

When's the next one coming Tom?
Profile Image for Vicky Leo.
Author 3 books
January 28, 2013
Very entertaining and original. I can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Lori.
4 reviews
February 14, 2014
Enjoyed it enough to consider looking for more books in the series
23 reviews
February 15, 2015
Good read.

Being a James Butcher fan I am looking for the next Harry Dresden. I hope this becomes as good a series as the Dresden files have been. Again, an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Douglas R Dimon.
5 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2015
Entertaining read

Not complex, but a good read.. the storyline and characters are basic but perhaps now that they are established the future stories can have more depth.
Profile Image for Dan Nichols.
18 reviews
May 9, 2015
Interesting Start

Great start to a new series. Keller creates an interesting and varied group of characters, each with their own peculiar issues.
Profile Image for Victor Sanchez.
310 reviews3 followers
February 24, 2019
It was an ok book for the first part but its also profoundly cliche and the characters are emotionally stunted, in the way that they simply act or read what the text said but they don't show it or just change from angry to happy to sad with no connection to the context. I went until the sex scene but my god it was profoundly sexist the entire setting. Which maybe it is normal in the PI supernatural, because both McCool and Dresden files and even works in other fantasy settings suffer from it, but it gets annoying that each woman is lovingly described as assembled parts, they work in brothels or helpers and they constantly need to be saved by the protagonist for the price of sex. Lastly I honestly don't know how to describe the protagonist: he is both computer literary and technologically illiterate, a cop who miss the brutality of the mafia and yet he constantly states that he is in the side of justice, he loves the fantasy yet can't stop complaining that everything is crazy and weird without actually emoting or acting as if he is shocked or weirded out and... is bland. Is profoundly bland.

I couldn't continue it. It was a chore and annoying and how the hell a 5000-year-old immortal doesn't know that the Gods disappeared when is common knowledge for centuries if not millennia, so the protagonist can blindside her, is beyond me.
4,345 reviews56 followers
March 25, 2019
3 1/2 stars. Very often the main characters of urban fantasies are women and of course, in their 20s or earlier. It is nice to see an older male character be the main character for once (though of course he has a 20-something alternate form). The reference to Vegas from 2 or 3 decades--and some even older references--before is also a nice touch.

The MC has not become overwhelmed by his powers yet, either being tied to old ways or become an alpha-asshole. He may have been a little too quick to overturn old decisions though. It worked out well with the Lil but it seems that without knowing a bit more about the circumstances of why the power was taken from the Lil might have been worth looking into.

I hope in future books that the writer addresses why the MC's mother would be willing to become mortal to have a first-born son. So she loved her husband, why couldn't there second or third child have been the boy he wanted? Particularly if it was going to have so many unknown consequences.

Interesting to see how the different creatures, planes and hierarchy will work out. Looking forward to reading another installment.
Profile Image for Mordecai.
148 reviews
March 19, 2019
NEW BOOK SERIES

So first book done ...

Liked the start & the middle but like other similar authors it started to seem rushed when the pace picked up towards the end ...

Don’t get me wrong, it was nowhere near as bad as those other authors, but maybe as it’s the first book I’m jumping to conclusions & it will start to settle down.

Enjoying the storyline anyway so let’s see where this goes ...
Profile Image for Rosalind M.
641 reviews28 followers
September 5, 2016
3.5 stars. This entry had a few problems with uneven pacing (which led to the conflict that started the whole thing getting lost in the background multiple times). Many of the scenes were also missing emotional weight, so many moments blurred by without the sense of importance they deserved. However, the characters are intriguing and I'm interested in seeing where this series decides to go.
Profile Image for Dr NSCA-CPT.
Author 1 book10 followers
May 31, 2017
I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Tom Keller, at a Las Vegas local authors event. "The Return of High Fae is one good book." It contains a very strong plot and great character development. If I had to describe in in two words I would say "Extremely Creative."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews

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