The spirits, sorcerers, and truly desperate in San Francisco’s seedy neighborhoods know Johnny Talon, a private detective who can solve impenetrable cases in a way no one else can. His use of lucid dreams and subconscious insights lead him to the truth.

Talon has his work cut out for him when he’s hired by Eve, a sex worker, to find and free the soul of her deceased wife from a sorcerer who hopes to entrap Eve. The closer he gets to finding the soul of Eve’s wife, the more Talon’s life may be on the line as he learns that there is more to his client than an angry woman. When his investigation leads him into hell, Talon has an epiphany: if he’s going to free Eve’s wife, he has to uncover Eve’s true identity. The things a gumshoe does to pay the rent.

I usually don't click with detective stories, especially when told through a fantasy lense, but this book was surprisingly fun. While a little over the top and unbelievable at times, as long as you don't take it too seriously, you can really have a good time with this one. A nice pallet cleanser to read in between longer, more complex fantasy books:)

This is an urban fantasy detective story. Johnny Talon is a detective who augments normal detecting with "the surreal", meaning that he follows the trail even when it leads to strange places. The idea is ok but the writing is too wordy for my taste.

DNF at 20%. The concept was intriguing, but the writing felt really sloppy, the worldbuilding was weak, and the dialogue felt forced and artificial. Thank you to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having just finished this book, I’m unsure how I really feel about it. Not really in a bad way, just the whole novel wasn’t quite what I was expecting. This is certainly very interesting and unique, and no doubt well-written. The feel of this book is very close to a 50s noir mystery, and at times I forgot this took place in a contemporary setting. Add in a very surreal setting in addition to the noir feeling, the time travel aspects, and the constantly changing car and clothes, you never quite feel you can catch your breath and are trying to figure out what is going on. This is certainly a fun, unique, interesting, engaging book, and even if it isn’t quite my cup of tea, it is certainly worth reading. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.