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Hounds of the Underworld (Path of Ra) Paperback – July 26, 2017

by Dan Rabarts (Author), Lee Murray (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
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On the verge of losing her laboratory, her savings, and all respect for herself, Pandora (Penny) Yee lands her first contract as scientific consult to the police department. And with seventeen murder cases on the go, the surly inspector is happy to leave her to it. Only she's going to need to get around, and that means her slightly unhinged adopted brother, Matiu, will be doing the driving. But something about the case spooks Matiu, something other than the lack of a body in the congealing pool of blood in the locked room or that odd little bowl.
Matiu doesn't like anything about this case, from the voices that screamed at him when he touched that bowl, to the way his hateful imaginary friend Makere has come back to torment him, to the fact that the victim seems to be tied up with a man from Matiu's past, a man who takes pleasure in watching dogs tear each other to pieces for profit and entertainment.
Hounds of the Underworld blends mystery, near-future noir and horror. Set in New Zealand it's the product of a collaboration by two Kiwi authors, one with Chinese heritage and the other Māori. This debut book in The Path of Ra series offers compelling new voices and an exotic perspective on the detective drama.

Winner of the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Path of Ra
  2. Print length
    204 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Raw Dog Screaming Press
  5. Publication date
    July 26, 2017
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.47 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1935738968
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1935738961
  9. See all details
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
70 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book suspenseful with a dash of horror and mystery. They describe it as an engaging read with plenty of surprises and twists. Readers praise the writing style as superb and witty, and they enjoy watching the back-and-forth between the characters. The book has great characters and keeps them hooked from the start.

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SuspensefulReadabilityWriting styleCharacter development
10 customers mention "Suspenseful"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's suspenseful plot with plenty of surprises and twists. They find the story lively and interesting, with a dash of horror and mystery. The plot is described as a steady-paced dark fantasy crime thriller set in New Zealand.

"...The authors found a perfect blend of crime investigation and paranormal/urban fantasy that genuinely had me gripped from cover to cover...." Read more

"...futuristic novel with a great New Zealand flavour and supernatural thrills on the side, excellently written in a noir whodunit style, and just..." Read more

"Set in futuristic Auckland, New Zealand, this story is fresh, imaginative and suspenseful...." Read more

"...The setting, being NZ, added to the story as did the smidge of Maori culture, although it did require me to look up words, typically because I did..." Read more

7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a fun and engaging read, with an interesting back-and-forth between characters. The gripping crime thriller keeps readers hooked from the start.

"One of the best ten books I've read in the past few years...." Read more

"...I enjoyed watching the back and forth as the two authors each steered one character's point of view...." Read more

"This was a fun read, the best eBook I've ever bought!..." Read more

"...I'm so glad I did! This gripping crime thriller had me hooked from the start...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the dialogue witty and clever.

"...Superb writing. I am so looking forward to a sequel." Read more

"...flavour and supernatural thrills on the side, excellently written in a noir whodunit style, and just slightly fewer dogs than the title suggests." Read more

"...The dialogue is at times witty and quite clever...." Read more

"...do an incredible job of bringing the story to life with vivid, punchy writing...." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in the book.

"...The two authors have written two standout characters whose points of view tagteam to tell a story that not only matters to the world, but to each..." Read more

"Great characters in this novel by two co-authors, each writing scenes from the POV of one character each with distinct voices...." Read more

"...Authors Murray and Rabarts do an excellent job of alternating between the characters and stitching the multitude of genres into a very coherent..." Read more

"...This combination crime mystery and horror held my attention and gave me characters that I enjoyed reading about and could root for...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • One Who Reads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer magic!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    One of the best ten books I've read in the past few years. The authors found a perfect blend of crime investigation and paranormal/urban fantasy that genuinely had me gripped from cover to cover. This was a book that kept calling to me when I'd put it down to go to work.

    The two authors have written two standout characters whose points of view tagteam to tell a story that not only matters to the world, but to each other. The family tension is as interesting as the fantasy and crime elements. (In fact, the pair's mother character is so infuriating, you itch to see her killed off, haha).

    Superb writing. I am so looking forward to a sequel.
    One person found this helpful
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  • G. Francis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Kiwi mystery of the future
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A scientist with parent problems and her tough-guy half-brother with a not-so-imaginary friend in the shadows...the perfect team to solve a mystery in which the body is missing. I enjoyed watching the back and forth as the two authors each steered one character's point of view. I'd call this a dark urban fantasy that just barely touches the line into horror. Yes, there are slimy tentacles and lots of blood and gore, but all this tends to be limited to just a few pivotal scenes. For those with more sensitive tastes, there is animal death, but not directly impacting the characters we're given time to love.

    The plot gives plenty of surprises and crash-bang twists and turns. There's a good emphasis on science as the basis for investigations, and the troublesome parents are all too relatable, wishing their daughter would switch careers and marry the smarmy businessman they recommend to her. It is gratifying that she comes into her own when away from their influence, even though they make her feel so helpless and they do not respect her career - when she is out pursuing that career, she finds unexpected strength within herself to do the impossible and survive. Relationship development is also significant as Penny and Matiu grow closer and learn to trust and work with each other. In the beginning they are shown as very different and often not even on the same wavelength, but they are forced into collaboration and can only solve the crime by their combined and maximised effort, taking each to breaking point and beyond where they ever thought they could go.

    There are some vagaries of verb tense that don't quite work for me, but I bet only a language nerd would ever notice. And I would have liked a little more detail in the setting, since my own home town doesn't often feature in a novel. It almost feels a little bit generic except for the ubiquitous Harbour Bridge, and it was only when our intrepid heroes got out in the countryside that it started to feel more like New Zealand. By the same token it was great to see Auckland as the main backdrop for this tale, and perhaps in the future cities do become even more generic than they already are.

    Hounds of the Underworld is a fast-moving futuristic novel with a great New Zealand flavour and supernatural thrills on the side, excellently written in a noir whodunit style, and just slightly fewer dogs than the title suggests.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Bill
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interested to see where this one goes...
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023
    This was an interesting one for me. It clicked and unclicked pretty much the whole way through. The characters were also a bit hit or miss for me. I do wish there were more horror elements but that’s not entirely fair because I always wish that. Overall I thought it had a lot of potential and I am interested to see where it goes from here.
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  • Eileen Mueller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh & Suspenseful
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Set in futuristic Auckland, New Zealand, this story is fresh, imaginative and suspenseful.
    A missing person, an odd bowl, puddles of dog blood, and a room locked from the inside... Penny and Matiu are on the trail of something big. Something sinister. Something with ugly grasping tentacles.
    Penny's a forensic scientist, tasked by the police with collecting evidence. Her adoptive brother, Matiu, is a rehabbed criminal who 'sees things in the shadows' and is tortured by an imaginary friend. Well, Makere is imaginary, isn't he? Or is there something to Matiu's visions? Something dark and ugly.
    With plenty of plot twists, a brother that loves to wind his sister up with cutting banter while staving off the underworld, and a heroine who sees everything in scientific terms, there's plenty to keep you riveted in this speculative whodunit.
    Well done Lee Murray & Dan Rabarts.
    Enjoy it. I did. Already waiting for book 2.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Dion Perry
    4.0 out of 5 stars A steady paced dark fantasy crime thriller which I really liked.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is set in Auckland NZ in the 2040’s when fossil fuels are no longer readily available. Pandora (Penny), is a contracting forensic scientist who is called to a gristly crime scene. Her adopted Maori brother, Matiu, works as a taxi-courier driver and accompanies her. He is possessed by a dark spirit and cannot help getting involved. Together they make an unusual duo, which works quite well as a double point of view story and there’s also the addition of the dog.

    A dark fantasy crime thriller, this book moves along at a steady pace with sufficient action and intrigue to pull the reader through. The setting, being NZ, added to the story as did the smidge of Maori culture, although it did require me to look up words, typically because I didn’t find the glossary until the end. The dialogue is at times witty and quite clever. The descriptions of the scenes, including a dark version of Auckland and the surrounding countryside, really worked for me. Unusually for me, I liked the two lead characters who bring opposite perspectives. Penny the scientific mind; Matiu a more open-minded quasi-spiritual perspective. The only thing the book lacked was a clear-cut villain, which is this books Achilles heel. Not that there weren’t enough problems for our heroes to contend with, there was.

    If you like dark fantasy this is a must. I have already procured the sequel and when I’m done with that I’ll be looking for other titles from Rabarts and Murray.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Bill P.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in Canada on July 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Mix of worlds, street sense, academic sense and supernatural.
    Good plot good characters, worth the read cannot wait for the next pne
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