

In Plain
Sight
#1
Desperate to Catch a MADMAN…
When a magical plague is released in a Depression-era New York soup kitchen, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself in a desperate hunt to catch a madman before he can strike again.
His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre. With the police and New York’s Council of Sorcerers desperate to find the culprit, Alex becomes a suspect himself, thanks to his ties to the priest who ran the soup kitchen.
Now Alex has his book of spells, a pack of matches and four days to find out where the plague came from, or that authorities will hang the crime squarely on him.


In Plain Sight
The First book in the Arcane Casebook Series
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BUY A SIGNED COPY FROM ME!
Miguel –
I loved reading this book. I picked it up on a whim whiled perusing books on Amazon and have not regretted the purchase. You have earned another loyal fan and I will be sure to read the rest of the series. Keep up the good work and keep these awesome stories coming!
Mike –
Very enjoyable! I picked this up (or rather downloaded it) on sort of a whim. The story is rich and the characters real enough, the magic/steampunk/alchemy is unique and refreshing. It manages to balance all three with a healthy measure of real world, making for a fun ride.
Mike –
Very enjoyable read! I picked this up (or rather downloaded it) on sort of a whim. The story is rich and the characters real enough, the magic/steampunk/alchemy is unique and refreshing. It manages to balance all three with a healthy measure of real world, making for a fun ride.
Jude –
Hooked me right from the start.
C.Daly –
An excellent start and a grand thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This first story in the Arcane Casebook series is a revitalization of classic pulp noir detective novels in a fascinating urban fantasy setting. The story builds intriguing characters to fill a tale that delights with twists and turns until the last page. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to start the next one.
Stephen C. Coyle –
I got drawn in and now I can’t escape
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m something of a snob when it comes to escapist literature. If the characters are one-dimensional or the story has plot holes or the characters are inconsistent in their reactions or the writing is just plain lazy, I get annoyed and I just stop reading.
However, this book has relatable characters with believable lives. I really got sucked into the life of Alex Lockerby and now I want to see what happens to him next. Alex is a working class Joe with the same sort of problems that you and I have. Yes, he can work magic by writing runes, but he still has the stress of trying to find clients to earn enough money to pay his bills and other day to day struggles. He uses sarcasm and snarky humor just as my friends and I are prone to do and he deals with difficult people just like I have to deal with.
Sophie Allen –
Really enjoying it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I am really enjoying this! I find the world fascinating and the characters really pull you in. I really love how the world is parallel to our own and made much more exciting with the use of runes, spells, and magic! You find yourself really rooting for the main character and his assistant 😀
Once I’ve finished reading, I’m definitely getting the audiobook!
Kindle Customer –
A delightful alternate history mystery with magic
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really wasn’t expecting a lot when I started this book. After all I got it cheap (or maybe free) through The Fussy Librarian or one of the other book sale services – just something light to read between REAL mysteries. I was delighted to find several real mysteries showing up and a quirky, but likeable detective/runewriter working on solving them. It was the 1930s; the Great War was over and the U.S. was recovering well with the help of sorcerors like John D. Rockafeller and others. It would be too long (and possibly spoilers) to mention here the several mysteries that seemed to intertwine, then fall apart, then…
In Plain Sight is an enjoyable and quick read with lots of magic and a bunch of mystery. Definitely 5 stars.
Guy –
Absolutely loved it – the combination of 30’s pulp detective and magic is really appealing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The setting was atmospheric with a protagonist that I could really get behind and care about.
The short, bold sentence structure leads to the story being fast-paced and flowing. While a great story in its own right, the overall feeling is of scene-setter for a longer story arc (it is volume one after all).
Castle Rose –
Best series I’ve read in a long, long time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book kept appearing on my Facebook feed and those recommendations can always be a bit hit or miss. So I wasn’t expecting much. I was hooked after the first few pages!!! In fact after the first chapter I got straight onto Amazon and ordered the next 5 books in the series. I’d love to say why but to be honest I’d rather you read them and make up your own mind. It always annoys me when a book or author is lauded as my expectations are infrequently met. I can honestly say in this instance they were hugely exceeded. All I will say is that Dan Willis is an excellent author and I really hope that both he and this series gets the recognition they deserve.
J. Michael Stanley –
A cut above the rest!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was hard to choose the right headline for this review. I picked “A cut above the rest!”, but I could just have easily used “Combines two of my favorite genres!”. The former is true because while there is a LOT of lesser quality writing appearing in Amazon these days, this title was a cut above all of those. It’s a different take on magic that I haven’t seen used often. And the writing is quite good. The latter headline is also true because this is well written for both the fantasy and the detective genres. I read this book a while back and then moved on. Recently I found a book recommendation on Amazon for the second of the series. When I looked closer I found 4 or 5 sequels. That means I have some good reading ahead of me before I have to start hunting another new quality book. Thanks Dan Willis!