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Craig Schaefer
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A Plain-Dealing Villain (Daniel Faust Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Craig Schaefer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,230 ratings
It's hard to make a dishonest buck in Sin City, especially when a rogue FBI agent is gunning for your head. Flat broke and one step ahead of the law, Daniel Faust flees Vegas and lands in Chicago, where a risky heist promises to fill his pockets with cash.

There are the risks you can account for, and then there are the risks you never see coming, the ones that leave you blindsided and fighting to survive. Daniel is a stranger in a strange land, out of his element and surrounded by corrupt sorcerers, demons, and worse. Still, with a friend's soul hanging in the balance -- not to mention a pile of stolen cash -- giving up isn't an option.

Before he's done, Daniel will descend into the depths of Chicago's occult netherworld, competing in an underground poker tournament where the winner takes all...and with the infernal Court of Night-Blooming Flowers running the show, "winner takes all" has an entirely new meaning. The Flowers haven't forgotten Daniel's past insults, and if they get their way, he'll never leave the Windy City alive.
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  1. Book 4 of 11
    Daniel Faust
  2. Print length
    305 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 20, 2015
  5. File size
    3.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00S99AFGS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Demimonde Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 20, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 305 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0990339397
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 4 of 11 ‏ : ‎ Daniel Faust
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 1,230 ratings

About the author

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Craig Schaefer

Craig Schaefer

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Craig Schaefer writes about witches, outlaws, and outsiders. Whether they’re weaving tales of an occult-shrouded New York in Ghosts of Gotham or the gritty streets of Boston in the Charlie McCabe series, their protagonists are damaged survivors searching for answers, redemption, or maybe just that one big score.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,230 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this book's pacing, describing it as a super fast rollercoaster, and appreciate its engaging storyline with lots of suspense and twist and turns. The book features a crew of esoteric characters, and customers find it entertaining and thought-provoking.

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21 customers mention "Pacing"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, describing it as a super fast rollercoaster.

"...Craig Schaefer is a skilled writer and a great story teller who exercises a lot of imagination...." Read more

"...of characters, placed them in the infamous Sin City and with impeccable pacing puts them in Do or Die situations...." Read more

"...there right now, and even more surprised that so many of them are so readable...." Read more

"Good read, love the pace of this book, although would love to see our anti-hero Faust get some foothold every once in a while...." Read more

21 customers mention "Storyline"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, praising its interesting plot and suspenseful twists and turns.

"...the background of Las Vegas, which is the perfect venue for nefarious paranormal ventures involving scams...." Read more

"First: while this is the start of a new overall story arc, these books should be read in order so the reader can get the most out of them...." Read more

"...and skillfully drawn; evil, good, love, friendship, death, mystery, suspense. I was quickly enamored of Daniel Faust and his rag tag family...." Read more

"...This series takes the typical Urban Fantasy tropes (which I truly enjoy, don't get me wrong) and gives them a treatment that I put somewhere between..." Read more

17 customers mention "Enjoyment"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, with one customer comparing it to watching an elaborate movie con, while another describes it as a thrilling ride.

"...an important part of each story and a part of what makes for an entertaining read...." Read more

"...It really has the feel of watching an elaborately played out movie con." Read more

"...They're great fun!" Read more

"...likeable and interesting, the action and plot exciting – it's a gripping read. A very hard book to put down. I hope Schaefer keeps on writing them!..." Read more

11 customers mention "Character development"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the introduction of a crew of esoteric characters.

"...Schaefer has put together a great cast of characters, placed them in the infamous Sin City and with impeccable pacing puts them in Do or Die..." Read more

"...I love this series. The characters are likeable and interesting, the action and plot exciting – it's a gripping read. A very hard book to put down...." Read more

"...The series reaches maturation in this book. It has a cast of minor character it can reach into and toss them into the universe, and you care about..." Read more

"...It never misses a beat and introduces us to a crew of esoteric characters. Brilliant. I'm hoping for dozens more in the series." Read more

5 customers mention "Thought provoking"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one customer noting it exercises imagination and keeps readers engaged.

"...Schaefer is a skilled writer and a great story teller who exercises a lot of imagination...." Read more

"...I love this series. The characters are likeable and interesting, the action and plot exciting – it's a gripping read. A very hard book to put down...." Read more

"I really enjoy craigs work. Thought provoking, and intense at times. I enjoyed all the characters, and their interaction...." Read more

"...book, just like all the previous ones it is well written and keeps you wanting more. Please hurry with the next one!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Todd V. Leone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fourth novel in the Daniel Faust series
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    It was a surprise to me when I became a fan of the "urban fantasy" genre, which happened when I started reading a certain series of such novels some years back after a TV adaptation was shown. I branched out, discovering close to a dozen authors who write in the genre that I follow. Craig Schaefer is one of those authors and I very much like the Daniel Faust series. The thing about Daniel Faust, is he's a dark hero, an antihero if you like, in the urban fantasy style of fiction. Daniel has a past which he doesn't admire himself, and he still involves himself in gambits that are questionable. Still, there's much about Faust I like and the work he's doing is very often well more admirable than he himself thinks. Here, Daniel needs bucks and takes a difficult assignment, one that rings alarm bells for him at the get-go, and in the process of executing that assignment, things go sideways in a big way. It's what he does afterwards that's the real story. While you could certainly start with this fourth Daniel Faust novel, I recommend starting with the first one, _The Long Way Down_, and going forward from there. Faust is interesting. He carries a magically imbued deck of cards with him and, as a sorcerer, that deck of cards is, for him, a tool and a weapon, and part and parcel of his profession. He's also a member of an underground magical community that inhabits Las Vegas, which he describes as his "family", and the members of that magical family are an important part of each story and a part of what makes for an entertaining read. Most of his exploits take place against the background of Las Vegas, which is the perfect venue for nefarious paranormal ventures involving scams. Things are, in Daniel Faust's world, so often not what they seem to be, which is, I think, true of the real Las Vegas. In this fourth novel, Daniel Faust ends up in Chicago for most of the action, however, and we readers are made privy to the magical mob in the Windy City. It turns out that both Chicago and Vegas are magically "connected", if you get my meaning. Apparently this novel is the first of a three-novel story arc and, frankly, I can't wait for the next book and the one after. Craig Schaefer is a skilled writer and a great story teller who exercises a lot of imagination. Wonder of wonders, between him and his editor, I wasn't subjected to spelling errors and the incorrect choice of a homophone here and there, which is one of the complaints I have about a lot of the eBooks I read nowadays. I've deliberately withheld plot details in this review, because the best way to learn those is to read the book and be entertained in the process. You'll have fun doing just that and, so you should.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • W. Boyd
    4.0 out of 5 stars Book 4
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    First: while this is the start of a new overall story arc, these books should be read in order so the reader can get the most out of them.
    Faust is a conman and a thief, and while all the books have used that as part of the story, the con in this one's seems to play out the best. It really has the feel of watching an elaborately played out movie con.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Bonnie Lee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magic, Mayhem and Worth Every Cent
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I've had the pleasure of reading all four of the Daniel Faust novels and what a great trip it's been! Schaefer has put together a great cast of characters, placed them in the infamous Sin City and with impeccable pacing puts them in Do or Die situations. I think this is some of the best urban fantasy out there. All the elements are there and skillfully drawn; evil, good, love, friendship, death, mystery, suspense. I was quickly enamored of Daniel Faust and his rag tag family. Faust comes off as extremely dangerous but never over the edge. He battles evil with intelligence, humor and bravery. The characters who surround him are memorable and the stories themselves are the kind you sit down and just have some plain old fun with. Schaefer makes each story an adventure and for me, one I always hated to see end. I think each novel could stand on its own, but as always they are better read in order as the characters evolve within each book. I think fans of Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim novels would find a lot to like in these books. If you're still in doubt I assure you that reading them just to see what Daniel Faust can do with a deck of cards is worth the price of admission.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • offog
    4.0 out of 5 stars and I'm glad to see him move a little farther afield
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I'm rather surprised by the plethora of Urban fantasy series out there right now, and even more surprised that so many of them are so readable. Jacka's Alex Veras, Aaronovich's Peter Grant, of course Butcher's Harry Dresden, even Carey's dormant Felix Castor -and don't forget Kadrey's Sandman Slim, though that seems to be running on fumes. I wondered where Daniel Faust would head after book 3 wrapped up so neatly, and I'm glad to see him move a little farther afield. I felt the ending was a little too pat- I'm not partial to cliffhangers and the frame up is a little too pat and Agent Black a little too much of a cutout - but I'll be sure to read the next volume to see how it turns out. In the mean time, all the Vegas urban fantasy has got me reaching out for Tim Power's Last call, which is going to get a holler back...
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ross Prickett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on March 13, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great
    Report
  • Shazza
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Another fantastic read in the Daniel Faust series. Just when you think there is nothing more he can do and he gets a break when when another disaster hits him and he has to fight for his life and that of his friend for family to survive. This is full of twists and turns from the beginning and keeps you captivated from the get go. I love how even dans enemies end up fighting along side of him to get things done. A great book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
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  • Jack
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A good read of this genre. Nicely paced.
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  • Mr. Peter Dobrovic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Daniel Faust is a hero that evokes a little pathos because he moves in a world where he is forced to make questionable choices. He is easy to relate to and has a good gang of friends who have his back. A great series.
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  • Jon Kaneko-James
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Next Step for the Faust Series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Great way to follow up on the first story arc - press Faust in a new environment and challenges some assumptions without blowing the USPs of the franchise. Possibly readable without having seen the first three, although I had.
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