After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as "not Department material," Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can't help hoping he'll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors' number one suspect. Sorry to be vague, but as an objection to the plot, we do find out who killed the witch whose death opens the story, and what specific item they were fighting over, but not the killer's overall or long-term plan for the item. Presumably the two would have had a history of working against each other that culminated in that final battle, but that's glossed over, so makes the character's death feel more random, less planned, less purposeful.

With the power of the plot Grimsby meets Mayflower. He is a weathered older professional who doesn't have that much faith in the world anymore. He's cynical, likes his liquor and is pretty badass in general. His distrust and weariness works well with the personality traits of Grimsby and seeing their relationship develop over the course of the story was pretty cool. Oh and there's this creature called Wudge who I adore.Grimsby was no social expert. He couldn’t read subtle emotions or tells. But he could usually tell when he had pushed somebody until they had snapped. I found the writing to be engaging and very easy to read. I flew through this book, and by the end of every chapter I was dying to read the next - that is all you want from a book like this! In any case, don’t bind yourselves to just one.” He imprinted a rune on the bottom of the Agents’ table between lumps of dried gum. There were no cries of outrage or shouted spells, so he must have been subtle enough. Although when compared to his words and robe, nearly anything would have been subtle. They have agents called Auditors which reminded me of Aurors (Harry Potter) who keep a watch on things. Like any secret government agency there’s internal corruption and the characters don’t know who to trust. On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.

Dead Man’s Hand is splendid, a spectacular debut novel and the best book I’ve read in years. James J. Butcher is an outstanding storyteller and I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.”—Faith Hunter, New York Times bestselling author After flunking out of the Auditor training program, Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch… It can be tough coming in as a prolific authors' son and trying to carve a name for yourself and make yourself relevant. It's almost impossible not to compare the father that came before you. But I am happy to report that James J. Butcher is a good author with a good book!

Clear your schedule. You won’t want to put this down. . . . An entirely enjoyable read that proves once more that snark is indeed a deadly weapon. Read it. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly await the sequel.”—#1 New York Times bestselling authorKim Harrison Grimsby willed forth his Impetus, directing the energy through his right hand and into the glass. He felt power leaking away through his scars, but he didn’t have time to be efficient. Within a second, the glass became transparent, like thawing ice. Within another, he could see a reflection of the room on the other side, though he was not in it.