Customer Reviews

Dead Man's Rain: The Markhat Files, book 2

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The synopsis for this novella really does not reliably indicate what kind of story it is and spends a lot of time talking about stuff that isn't even mentioned in the actual book. I was expecting something akin to an urban fantasy thriller. It's not that at all.

Frank Tuttle has done something really different and interesting in Dead Man's Rain. The story is told in the first person and in many ways reads like a traditional mystery novel. It has a lot of the same style and pacing. At the same exact time it also reads a lot like historical fiction set in the class-conscious England of bygone days. And yet, the setting is actually a fictional fantasy world in which magic, ogres, trolls, and half-elves exist. (Though as it is just a novella, they're all only mentioned in passing.) To top it all off, near the end the story turns into something of a gothic haunted mansion tale.

Normally all of that would make for a disaster of a story that ends up not working well on any of those levels. Yet somehow Tuttle has managed to weave all those different styles and elements together into one seamless, believable whole. At no time did anything seem out of place nor was the flow of the story stunted.

I don't want to say anything about the plot or characters because it's short and doing so would ruin all the fun. The only reason I didn't give this story 5 stars is because it would have been more fun if the whodunit aspect had been a bit more mysterious.

Dead Man's Rain is very different, I really liked it, and I'm thrilled I was able to read it while it was available for free. I will definitely be looking for other work from Frank Tuttle and happily paying for it.

Kindle Note: Either I was too absorbed in the story to notice or there are no glaring formatting problems. So far Samhain Publishing seems to be doing a fine job on their Kindle ebooks.

If Terry Pratchett's Samuel Vimes and Dashiel Hammett's Sam Spade ever had a love child, he would be finder Markhat. Sardonic, embittered, suspicious, but at heart a gentleman and an honorable ex-soldier, he expects the worst from everyone and brings out the best in many.

Tuttle's world is very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork. Very reminiscent - to the point where it bothered me quite a bit. Not only is there the same mix of fantasy and urban reality, you have Trolls playing a very large part in the story - and they're identical to Pratchett's trolls. Even the opening reminds one of the start of 'Guards, Guards'. The character names are very similar, as are the details of shops and the city and the river. Not identical, mind you, just a bit too close an imitation at times. As 'Dead Man's Rain, progresses, however, it finds its own unique voice and setting, and I stopped thinking this was Pratchett noir.

'Dead Man's Rain' is a horror story and a narrative about venal instincts, greed and guilt. The set up is a little Maltese Falconish, and Markhat's weary cynicism is pure Spade as he deals with the snobby Widow Merlat and a incredible tales of ghosts and hauntings. But then, just as Tuttle sets you up thinking the plot will be resolved one way, he takes you down another. We learn more about Merlat's family, and her, and her servants, and Markhat reveals the qualities that kept him alive through a bitter and destructive war, in order to save the good and punish the wicked. This is not a romance - there's no pairing in this at all - and that's how it should be for our tarnished hero.

Tuttle's writing is delightful, and even if he's borrowed some settings a little too heavily, Markhat's his own memorable creation, as are the plots and the dialogue. He's funny, in a very Bogartian sort of way, but like Pratchett, there's a deeper thread to his narrative than simple humour, with many a wry observation on human and non-human behaviour, populating his stories with vivid characters who continually surprise the reader.

Really, there's nothing not to like here, if you like this genre, and aren't put off by the lack of romance. Finder Markhat is someone I want to read more about, and I hope Mr Tuttle revisits him.

This was a lot shorter than I expected but it was good. Too bad Amazon doesn't allow one-half stars because this was better than three stars but not quite a four star book.

Goodman Markhat is a finder. The Widow Merlat wants him to find her deceased husband and put him to rest. It seems Ebed Merlat has been rising from his grave and appearing at her window. Several people have seen him and most of her servants have quit on the spot. Rumor has it that the dead walk again because they have a grudge to settle. Nobody wants to be there when he collects. The Widow insists her husband died of a nasty fever and couldn't possibly have a grudge against anybody. Even though Markhat has never seen an animated corpse, he accepts the widow's money because it's too good to pass up. He believes there are human hands responsible for the so called walking dead. When he meets her three good for nothing children, he believes he has found the responsible parties. The widow is very rich and holds the purse strings.

Worse things have been done for the love of money.

Dead Man's Rain was very atmospheric and tightly written. No words were wasted or characters introduced who didn't further the storyline. If you don't mind the low page count, I recommend this to all who love a little supernatural with their mysteries.

Oh, wow. This is why I got a Kindle, to find fun new authors who write new and original stories. Dead Man's Rain is set in a gritty world where magic happens, but it's not common, where ogres live alongside humans and the occasional elf, where rich vampires hunt the night with the permission of the local authorities, and where finder Markhat has unwanted assistance in getting cases from his neighbor, the card reader Mama Hog. And then you get to the case itself . . . .

Along with creating fascinating characters, the author gives a lot of little details that make the story come alive.

One note, though: as other reviewers have mentioned, this is a short story/novella and not a novel.

Would I reread this book? I already have.

Would I spend money on this book? I would, and I did. In fact, I ended up buying all of his books, even Wistril Compleat, which is very different in tone and content.

Kindle info

Formatting: Very well formatted.

Length: 1452 locations (1453-1611 contain the About the Author and an excerpt from 7% and Rising)

The good stuff:

The writing here was very good. It was concise and to the point at all times, with almost no extraneous text.

Editing was excellent. I found very few errors in the text and none that marred the reading experience.

The plot was well-thought out and thorough.

The bad stuff:

The text was too concise. I felt as though I had dropped in the middle of something. There wasn't enough explanation of setting and characters. I'm still not certain if Markhat is human or not or what exactly a "Finder" does since chasing ghosts doesn't seem to be his main occupation. I gathered that he was a sort of private detective, but I am still not certain.

It's always possible, of course, that I missed something. However, if I did, it means that others can, too.

Summation:

This author has a fertile imagination. He needs to let it flow a little more into his work with details that show his created lands.

This is the sort of (I hate to use the word short) story, you could read on a flight and not once be thinking "where are those dang peanuts". A rip snorting whodunit murder mystery with a twist of lemon.

Frank Tuttle has gone and developed a character for whom you would happily be called side-kick. Cool, but with a side of dag. Dag you say? Yes dag. But cool, with a weird name. I liked him a lot. You will too.

Our enigmatic hero, Markhat (told you it was a weird name), is a character that was begging to be written. If you can imagine the canniness of Sam Vimes (Discworld), the moral character of Roland of Gilead (Dark Tower), and the sauciness of Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly), then you are dancing round the edges of what I imagine Markhat to be like. You may imagine him differently, but regardless, he is definitely a character worth getting to know.

The story is a real page turner (or Kindle clicker), with a bit of everything for everyone. Since its a short(ish) story, I wouldn't want to spoil it by giving away too much of the plot. The product description sums it up short and sweet and without spoiling all the fun parts.

I think this will be a fantastic series featuring our finder (you know what that is...you've just read the product description), having said that, the product description does not do it justice, and neither does this, my review. Dead Man's Rain for me was just an introduction, a teaser if you will, an entrée to whet your appetite for more.

If you like your fantasy/action/adventure a little left of centre, with delightfully developed characters, sassy dialogue and a setting teetering on the obscure, this is one you just might like to try.

Only four stars, because this particular story was just a bit too short(ish), but I do expect to see much more of Frank Tuttle parked on my Kindle in the future.

This is a short tale that doesn't feel like just another short story. It's a fantasy. It's a horror. It's a fairy tale. It's a detective novel. This novella actually crosses many different genres and styles and makes for an entertaining afternoon's read.

The society and social structure of the town or Rannit is hinted at but not explored in any detail. Religions, curfews and trolls are presented as if they are common knowledge - and that makes them intriguing. I'm glad there are other books set in this world as I want to get to know it better.

Tuttle's writing style is tight and entertaining. My first thought when I finished reading was it felt like reading some Poe only the lighter, more amusing version. I really like that I didn't know where the story was going as well as not knowing who would live and who would die. It's a lot like Neil Gaiman in that respect.

I got this because it was a free teaser for Kindle. You know the kind, give you a free sample of an author and hope you come back for more. Usually I find that the free-bees are not to my taste, but this one was fabulous. The only complaint I have is that I wish it had been longer. The storyline was creative and fresh. Fantasy meets detective style. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

This author has a way with words. I was so disappointed to discover the fact that this is really only a short (very)story. I like the humor, I like the deviancy, I like the slant, I like it, period. I hope there's more to come.

KINDLE version: No format errors (something I've been seeing too much of lately), a clean Kindle version.

Alas, I did not get in when this was free, but paid for it - although it was very worthwhile. It's a good who-done-it style ghost story mystery. Great main character, a nice glimpse of his world. Good atmosphere, good plotting.

A little on the short and straightforward side, but the great thing is that even though it's straightforward, it's also nicely ambiguous. Is all the spooky stuff really Mama's doing, or something about Markhat himself? Maybe, maybe not. Hopefully there will be a sequel, we'll see another adventure, peel another layer back for Markhat's time in the Army on the Troll Patrol and maybe explain why Markhat is called a finder.

The bundling of a romance novel snippet in the back is ... odd. Couldn't we have seen another Tuttle-written snippet?