Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing a VERY long overdue ARC, All Souls Lost by Dan Moren. It’s so long overdue that I decided to borrow the audiobook for my Amazon music monthly pick to give the book/author a little extra support and help me get it reviewed ASAP. So, I’ll be reviewing the audiobook rather than the eARC I received via NetGalley. I honestly don’t even remember why I requested this title, but I enjoy paranormal/urban fantasy mysteries and was excited to finally pick this one up.
Say hello to Mike Lucifer, Spiritual Consultant. He’s back in town to take care of business. Unfortunately, when business is good, things must be very, very bad.
After two years trying to run away from his past, Mike Lucifer’s back in his office less than ten minutes when a persistent young woman shows up asking for her boyfriend’s been possessed by a demon.
That’s exactly the kind of mess that drove him from his hometown of Boston to a sunny beach—and the bottom of a bottle—in the first place. But there are some problems that even booze can’t drown, and while Lucifer may be no hero, his dwindling bank account provides a thousand reasons to take the case.
No sooner is he back in the game then the complications and corpses start to add up. The boyfriend’s not possessed—he’s dead. The tech company where he worked is looking shadier by the second. And Lucifer’s client definitely knows more than she should…about everything. The deeper Lucifer digs, the more he wonders if whatever sinister entity lurks behind this case wants him to be the last to die…
***Thank you to JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc. for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience with the final version of the audiobook borrowed through Amazon Music.***
All Souls Lost is one of the rare times that I don’t have a ton of thoughts to share. The story did a good job of doing what it needed to do. The plot and pace kept me engaged. The characters felt gritty, witty, and relatable despite the extraordinary circumstances.
All that being said, All Souls Lost wasn’t very fresh. It was clearly an homage to other novels in this genre, maybe too much so. If you are looking for familiar tropes and character archetypes, though, this book delivers pretty much all of them. The story did touch on some interesting themes, too, with its focus on grief and the paralyzing nature of self-blame. The inclusion of the potentially sinister tech company provided ample ground for timely commentary, as well. However, I wish the author had dug even deeper.
As for the audiobook narration of All Souls Lost, I have mixed feelings about it. The narrator did a good job of bringing the main character to life. I had no problem believing that he was voicing this weary PI who just wanted to go back to the beach. My main problem was the flashbacks. There were a ton of them in this book, and I had so much trouble determining when they started while listening. The whole experience was really jarring, and it quickly got on my nerves.
Overall, All Souls Lost was a fun, quick listen. The mystery was engaging, and everything about the book felt familiar because it did a good job with the genre conventions. I just wish there’d been a bit more depth and originality. Therefore, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My long overdue thoughts on All Souls Lost by Dan Moren. Does this sound like something you’d enjoy? Let me know down in the comments!