I love The Last Smile in Sunder City especially Fetch Phillips as the main protagonist in this series. I liked that Fetch's character is either problematic, thoughtful, kind, aggressive and literally out of his mind. His character has so many flaws and struggles which makes him a good protagonist in this series. Fetch seems to be very human in a fictional and magical setting.

Dead Man in a Ditch tackles the deep problem of the loss of magic to the mythical or magical creatures. This situation takes Fetch in deeper secrets looming around Sunder city that he didn't expect.

Luke Arnold tackles more of the societal problems existing between humans and the magical creatures and especially the effects of the loss of magic.

Dead Man in a Ditch has a lot of action than the first book and it is thrilling and fun.

This sequel is a fun and fast-paced read. The Fetch Phillips Archives make me binge urban fantasy.

Dead Man in a Ditch continued the compelling tale of Fetch Phillips and Sunder City, and I welcomed its melancholic embrace.

Ah, Fetch Phillips - could there ever be a main protagonist that make you feel so torn between forgiving, or forsaking him for the utterly devastating mistake that he made in a rush of poorly managed emotions. Maybe there was but I've yet to come across one like him in my reads so far. I, for one, am sympathetic to his plight. How many of us really could lay claim to not having made mistakes that we've regretted? Practically none of us I would think, unless you're inanimate or have absolutely no emotions that could drive your decisions. With Fetch though, he had to live with an egregious error that stares him in his face every waking hour of his life. Ever since the first book, I've found Fetch to a wholly realistic character. He may not be likeable to some readers, but I found authenticity in his, admittedly sometimes selfish, quest for redemption. And his voice is refreshing in a morbidly humourous way. It's like one had to learn to laugh at one's self-inflicted misfortune, or else just go insane.

There's something different about Luke Arnold's take on urban fantasy as well. While it has the usual magical creatures like elves, faes, gnomes, orcs and shapeshifters, it is non-formulaic in that the narrative dealt with magic having disappeared from the face of the earth. At the hands of human, no less. Instead of the typical plot of magic imperiling life on earth, the narrative carried more commentary on the social and ecological impact from humankind. Or at least, that's how it came across to me. There is one particularly controversial topic being addressed in Dead Man in a Ditch, one which resonated keenly with my view. I would prefer not to reveal what it was because it is linked to a mystery that Fetch was working on early in the book.

At first, the story seemed almost episodic as Fetch moved from one investigation to another. It didn't take too long, however, for a cohesive story to emerge. There is a bit more action in this book compared the The Last Smile in Sunder City, but it is still by no means comparable to the usual urban fantasy narratives. I still find the setting bleak and the tone melancholic as Fetch goes about his way as a Man for Hire for non-humans as a means to help the best he could. Honestly, this series could almost be named Down and Out in Sunder City for his life and living conditions are downright miserable. But at the same time, there's just this tiny glimmer of hope dangling invitingly to lure the reader (and our MC) to dare to hold out for something better. Fetch may think himself without friends and that no one cares about him, and it's those little moments where he appeared to be proven wrong that made it all so worthwhile - both for him and my aching heart. Luke Arnold's writing continued to impress me. The gritty, noir elements are delivered with a lyrical ease that just worked and fit Fetch's story.

I expected to enjoy reading Dead Man in a Ditch, and I was not disappointed in the least. What I didn't expect was how much it made me think. In fact, it's an odd coincidence that I was finishing up Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens as I was reading this. There are shared themes here I believe about humankind that was felt more keenly in this sequel. If you've read and liked The Last Smile in Sunder City, I'm quite certain you'll enjoy Dead Man in a Ditch as well. All I can say now is that I will continue to look forward to reading more about Fetch Phillips and Sunder City.

Hot on the heels of his debut The Last Smile in Sunder City, Luke Arnold has delivered a sequel Dead Man in a Ditch. Arnold returns to his post-magical-apocalypse world and Man for Hire Fetch Phillips. Once again Arnold manages to deliver a pitch perfect mix of high fantasy, urban fantasy and noir detective elements that also shines a light on the darker side of human nature.

In the world of Sunder City the magic is six years gone, destroyed by decidedly non-magical humans, helped much to his eternal shame by turncoat Fetch Phillips. That story was told in detail in The Last Smile in Sunder City, including Fetch’s decision to only work for non-humans. While this volume contains more heartbreaking backstory, it is really just providing some additional colour and depth to that tale. It is a dark premise which Arnold plumbs to even darker places as the consequences of the loss of magic on formerly majestic creatures like dragons and unicorns are confronted.

When the book opens, Fetch is doing a protection job for a dwarf who has been promised unicorn horn in what turns out to be a scam. Being a sequel, Arnold does not have to spend time scene setting which allows the early action to rattle along. Before long Phillips has been brought in by the police to help investigate a murder that looks an awful lot like it was committed by magic. Fetch does find a warlock who has found a gruesome way to weaponise some remnant magic, but along the way also uncovers a deeper plot connected to the future of Sunder City and the world.

Fetch Phillips narrates in a world-weary, pessimistic tone familiar to those who also read noirish detective stories in the Marlowe or Hammett tradition. Phillips carries an impossible weight on his shoulders and he has a code but is constantly being challenged to question that code and asked to choose what side of history he is going to be on. But no matter how dark things get, Phillips continues to strive towards some kind of light, or at least his conception of where the light should be.

Arnold’s world, while dark and a little depressing, is unique, underpinned by a unique and inventive deconstruction of fantasy tropes and creatures. The story and setting feels like a cross between Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, with its eclectic mix of fantasy creatures (ogres, elves, vampires, werecats, unicorns etc) and the noir tone and sensibility of Chinatown or The Big Sleep. As with the previous book, the reader, much like Phillips himself, is likely to spend their time hoping that the magic will come back, even while knowing that life is not going to be that easy.

This series shows how modern fantasy is constantly reinventing itself. Using classic sources as a jumping off point to draw in other genres and create original takes on formerly staid strait-jacketed material. All in all Dead Man in a Ditch is another great entry in what is shaping up to be an ongoing and continually intriguing series

This is the sequel to Luke Arnold's brilliant debut novel 'The Last Smile in Sunder City'.

Fetch Phillips is a Man for Hire, if you want someone unafraid to take a punch and willing to poke around the dangerous parts of Sunder City he's your guy. An ex-soldier, desperately trying to cope with the weight of his guilt and the knowledge that everyone else is bearing the consequences of his actions.

The first book delivered back story by way of flashback, this second volume avoids that and instead has Fetch internally reminiscing about the past. It works well, without any need for info-dumps. We meet some new characters, including some Succubae who are Sunder City's answer to plastic surgery and a werecat who sets up in competition with Fetch as a PI.

Humans, always treated with suspicion by Fetch, have a heavier presence in this novel. Seen from Fetch's POV, we view their actions as sinister machinations. But is Fetch a reliable narrator? Is the industrial revolution the humans are introducing a blessing or a curse?

Sunder City continues to hold mysteries, rumours of dragons & unicorns and glimmers of magic where none should exist. Is Fetch the man to bring the magic back?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the continuing series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, this is a brilliant follow-up to 'The Last Smile in Sunder City'.
I felt the first book sometimes spent a long time establishing the world and backstory of Fetch Phillips but having read the second book it was well worth it.
Now, within months, Luke Arnold has provided the second instalment of his Fetch Phillips books which takes his central character and the world he has created and wastes no time in taking a wrecking ball to both of his creations to brilliant effect.
Asked to investigate the apparent magical killing of a businessman in a world where there is no longer any magic due to his actions as a soldier, Fetch in placed in a position where Sunder City is about to be changed for the worse.
Arnold manages to make Sunder City feel claustrophobic and on the few occasions he takes Fetch out of the city you get the impression there is more to the world he has created and the consequences of Fetch's actions during his time in the human army. Additionally, there is a light social commentary on how this new world is treating the once magical creatures where there is no longer any magic.
Highly recommended.

Dead Man in a Ditch is the second Fetch Phillips Archives book and is best read in Australian accent. (In your head of course not out loud, good god imagine?! So offensive to Australians) The writing definitely has an Australian accent; short to the point no nonsense sentences and a drawl. After the events of the first novel Fetch is back doing various little supposedly unrelated Man for Hire jobs needless to say things begin to spiral when someone leaves a human made killing machine anonymously on his desk. Guns who’s stupid idea were those!
I read the first book and was not particularly blown away, it was ok but there was a lot of back story and a lot of info dumping but it was enjoyable enough to give the second book a go.
However Fetch spends a lot of time by himself, this is explained away somewhat in this book as a self imposed exile due to Events but the problem with this is that there is no one for Fetch to bounce off. I have no idea who he is, he has little opportunity to show himself off. This was marginally improved in this book but not enough. I don’t even know what Fetch looks like except that he got his eyebrows burned off and he’s usually dirty. Sometimes he wears and hat. If you’re going to isolate your main character to such an extent he has to be interesting. I have no idea why Amari would be interested in him or why Eliah would bother with him. He is described as their “pet human” and that’s exactly what he comes over as. He’s very much theirs to with as they want and when he rebels the world more or less ends, bad puppy!
The climax of this book is all about Sunder city itself but a great deal of the action takes place outside so I found it difficult to care, like Fetch the city has little personality. It is dark and dirty but uninteresting with it. Why would anyone want to live there?
The world and history is interesting and the plot was engaging enough to stick with and there was a little glimmer of optimism at the end but it’s a sloooooow burn. Hopefully now that Fetch has dealt with two characters that loomed large in his past we can get on with it. And get the magic back. Or not. Whatever.

After enjoying The Last Smile in Sunder City, and having only a few minor problems with it (mostly the unnecessary amount of unnecessarily long of info-dumps) I was excited to see where Luke Arnold took Fetch Phillips next.

There's a lot going on in Dead Man In A Ditch, but it never really feels like a novel with any real depth. For me, that's mostly due to the characters. The villains have a pantomime vibe to them and the good characters just seem a bit two-dimensional. The grey area characters are the most interesting, but even they feel like it's mostly because the author keeps changing his mind on a whim rather than them having actual depth or conflicting emotions.

The story being told was good, but it felt so very long and drawn out. It was often hampered by random decisions that just happened to be correct, character reactions that felt unrealistic and forced and the seemingly invincibility of Fetch Phillips. 

I never really felt like Fetch was in any real danger of struggling, let alone failing in anything he set out to do. Everything just seemed to come far too easily for him and, if an event was beyond his sphere of influence it would just work out well in a way that benefited him. The author made sure that Fetch kept his title of Sunder City's favourite punching bag (he had so many beatings, injuries or just sheer near-death experiences that I don't see how anyone could keep going as he did. Especially on a diet of painkillers and coffee.)

One really good aspect of this book was the complete lack of those short-story length info dumps. This time around, if something like that was needed, it was told through Fetch or one of his experiences that felt relevant. This way was infinitely better than simply stopping the narrative mid-flow to give a ten page history on giants, vampires or dwarfs.

Luke's writing style is a big draw for me with this series. Every page has a very 'gallows humour' feel to it as Fetch steps out onto the streets of Sunder City to face events that could very well bring about his ruin. In my head I see Miller from the Expanse when I think of Fetch. He doesn't have the strength of conviction that Miller has, though. In fact, he doesn't appear to have any conviction at all. I lost count of the amount of times he changed his main aims throughout the novel purely because someone said 'don't do that, it's not nice'.  The author tried to pass it off as deep musings within Fetch, almost like two aspects of his character warring amongst themselves. What it read like was someone who had no idea what they wanted to do next and kept changing their mind because they really hadn't got a feel for what they wanted. It felt indecisive and off-putting to me, but I suppose other readers may have viewed it differently.

The world of Sunder City is making rapid progress from book to book and becoming more and more like our own, be that for good or ill, and it certainly makes for an interesting point to watch. The ongoing plot of trying to get the magic back keeps me interested and partners well with Fetch's constant state of misery and despair. After all, the amount of guilt the man has to live with on a daily basis would keep most people at home in bed.

I feel there's a fair bit that could be improved upon, but it's still a series I'm excited to follow. I could simply be expecting too much and looking too deep. If you enjoy a fun fantasy frollick pitting good, grey and evil characters amongst one another, this is certainly an enjoyable page turner.

There were definite improvements made in this book as far as storytelling is concerned, I just feel that character-wise there were a couple of stalled steps or, indeed, a few steps back. It was mostly Fetch's constant swapping and changing his mind that made me mark this down so much. Just came off a bit weak in the character department. Other than that, it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Oh, this is great. It's Ankh-Morpork noir. It's the Rivers of London if Peter Grant were a hard-boiled private detective in a frozen city that has lost its magic. It's Raymond Chandler if he'd been getting drunk with Tolkein. It's just fab, very inventive, with an air of loss - that still manages to be lots of fun. It's so good that I had to go and buy his first book so I could enjoy that, too.

I am very hopeful that this will be a series. I like Arnold's voice and he's built a great world here. It's a world you can relax and enjoy, without worrying about the scaffolding or noticing the rivets. If Sunder doesn't exist, it ought to.

trigger warning
<spoiler> gun violence, gore, torture, grief, trauma, alcoholism, self harm </spoiler>

Of course there is a corpse. What's new is that in this world post magic, it seems like the victim was killed by a spell. Can it be?

Back in Sunder City! It's been six years since the Coda, when all magic disappeared, leaving beings made of magic ill and disabled, near death, and all magical gadgetry trash.
Our protagonist, Fetch Phillips, hides his hope that it all is going to change behind cynism and self harm in form of alcohol, no real food and lack of sleep. In book one, he aquired the reputation of being the guy who looks into the possibility that magic will make a comeback, which confuses him and his machoism to no end - especially as he is called to a crime scene that looks like magic happened.
It would be at the time to figure out that living at the fringes by choice means that you're dependend on every bit of work that comes your way and you can't chose, but that would mean a bit of growth he is incapable of.

You know the kind of character I am talking about. What makes this bearable is one the interesting setting and my personal hope that he will be able to bring magic back, and two the queer side elements.
There is Baxter, a demon-thing, possibly <i>not</i> made by magic and so outside of general conventions that they use they/them pronouns because the gender binary has no room for them. Me like.
In this one, we meet Succubaes, who at the first glance appear to be lesbian succubi, but then flirt and kiss with everyone willing, implying there can be more. I can't figure out if it's for show or where on the spectrum they fall.
And third, Fetch is totally okay with Baxter, but the Succubaes confuse him to no end, so I am curious about what else might happen. Challenge his heteronormative worldview, please!

Another thing I liked is that the author doesn't hold your hand to recap every single detail of book one. You're getting glimpses and, if you haven't read book one, are left to draw your own conclusions. Sure, this is only the second book and all, but it's really annoying if you re-read a series with more books and have to wade through a recap at the beginning of every single book after the first volume.

What I didn't like is that the medium used to show the high stakes is injuring the protagonist. After some point it doesn't make any sense. He doesn't really eat, drinks so much that he has his signature cocktail and orders it everywhere which will come and bite him in the butt one day, sleeps only when his body collapses - all that while having chronic pain. As a person that has chronic pain themselves, let me tell you that your body can't take that. Even if you're standing, your brain doesn't work properly. ...which might explain some stupid moments.
But if you add constant new injuries on top of that, and only once in a while get them treated... sorry, no. Any more and I will have problems taking it serious, like it happened with the Dresden Files.
I hope that some social developements in this novel mean that there will be different options available for the next book before this goes to far. Do you want a protagonist or a punching bag?

As it stands, I was upset upon finishing this one when I realised that reading arcs means you have to wait for the next book even longer as the one you just closed isn't even published yet.
Will read on.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Review will be posted on publication day.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
I read the first in the series Last Smile in Sunder City back in January. I wasnt overly taken with the protagonist Fetch Phillips and his fellow characters but valued the quality of the writing and premise of the story. I thought at the time I would read others in the series and was grateful for the chance to do so with this second book in the series through Netgalley.
Again,, as with the first one, the story is a long one, Fetch is a liability and others are caracature villains. I did enjoy the allegory of humans destroying the world in persuit of progress and with no thoughts for other creatures. It all became a mush of fights, explosions, fires and killings. I wasnt my favourite book of all time but it was OK. I probably wouldn't read any more in the series, but I would recommend it to those who like a rollocking tale of goodies and baddies, and goodies who are a bit bad too. I sure many folks will love it, and you can imagine it being made into a film or TV series in the future.

Now, I wasn't enamored with the first book in this series - in my review I wrote it was okay. Well, this one blows that out of the water! A fantastic read, with intrigue, great world building, brilliant characters and an ending that left me wanting more. An urban-fantasy with a great cast and I definitely recommend this one.

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

It feels good to be back in Sunder City.

I can’t be the only one who thinks that the concept of time is utterly broken this year. When I was reading Dead Man in a Ditch, the second book in The Fetch Phillips Archives by Luke Arnold, I was surprised to find myself still remembering a lot of details from the first book. Turns out that I read The Last Smile in Sunder City back in January. That is wild to me, I genuinely thought I was reading Arnold’s debut last year instead of this year. On the other hand, it’s pretty cool that Arnold managed to release the sequel to his debut seven months after his debut’s publication date.

“The world had been reset and everything could be rediscovered. For an engineering genius who had already mastered so many disciplines, being able to write the rulebooks from the very beginning was a gift, like forgetting the end of your favorite story so you can read it as if for the first time.”


Magic is still gone, but there’s a man murdered inexplicably, and it seems that the only logical explanation behind the cause of death is the use of magical power. Fetch is hired to solve this mystery, and what he uncovers on his investigation reveals deadly secrets that will affect the citizens of Sunder City. Honestly, if you’ve read and enjoyed The Last Smile in Sunder City, there’s a good chance that you’re going to enjoy Dead Man in a Ditch as much or more. Arnold’s debut was a novel filled with self-contemplation about regrets and redemption, and although I enjoyed it, I understand that readers who want more actions out of their urban fantasy read might crave for more, and that’s what Arnold did here. The flashback sequences were fewer, and the tensions were ramped up further. There were several occasions in this murder-mystery focused novel where the structure of the story felt like a chain of novellas instead of one continuous string of events. However, as I progressed reading, I was delighted to found that every sub-cases that Fetch found himself into were all connected with each other.

“You still think, after everything that happened, that what you do doesn’t matter? That because you take your orders from someone else, that you’re no longer accountable for your actions? Nothing is just a job, Fetch. Especially now. Not at a time like this.”


Almost the entirety of the first book was centered around Fetch Phillips, and I’m glad that there were definitely more important side characters spotlighted here. I loved the distinctive voices that Arnold imbued into Fetch’s narrative. I’ve mentioned this in my review of the first book, but this series is filled with some thought-provoking passages that I thoroughly enjoyed. Redemption is still the key themes of the plot, but additionally, Arnold displays the crucial necessity of focusing on what truly matters instead of being stuck in the past. The path of improvement, rebuilding, and responsibilities might be difficult, but it’s always a better choice than not moving on. Also, there were a few social commentaries that felt incredibly relatable and relevant about the danger of easy accessibility to weapons. One example:

“You’ve touched the pistol. Nobody needs to show you how to hold it or the way to make it work. It is the most elegantly designed piece of evil I have ever seen. From the moment you pick it up, you want to use it, don’t you think? It’s almost impossible not to.”


There seems to a sense of comfort from reading Arnold’s take on urban fantasy. Maybe it’s the melancholic tone of the story that tends to appreciate solitude rather than dismiss it. This doesn’t mean that the moments of loneliness were ever absolute. Fetch does have a small number of companions that he keeps and trusts, but each appreciation towards the benefit of being alone occasionally seems to elevate the preciousness of his relationships with them, and that’s something I can relate to. Grab a tea, coffee, or a beer, pick your elixir, sit down, and let Luke Arnold welcome you back to Sunder City with Dead Man in a Ditch. I’m not sure whether this will be a trilogy or more; I hope there will be more because although this was great, I personally think that urban fantasy is a type of subgenre that starts reaching its stride only after three or four installments are published. And this is definitely an urban fantasy series to keep on your radar.

“We have our long talks and our secrets, years of adventure by each other’s side, but try as we might,” he put his whole hand across my face and squeezed it like he was trying to crack my skull, “we can never break through. I will never get inside your head and you will never really know what is happening in mine. That is our curse, boy. Each and every one of us.” He took his hand away and his eyes glowed bright green. “We are all alone.”


Official release date: 24th September 2020 (UK) and 22nd September 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

I enjoyed the first book but it didn’t entirely hit. This one got closer to the mark. It’s nothing like Harry Dresden or Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, but it’s reminding me of those series in that the world made me want to stay and I liked the characters, but the first couple of books didn’t entirely work for me. I think this might me the same. I can only hope the author has another eight or so books plans to allow me time to properly fall in love with the series. This was what you’d expect after reading book 1, right up until it wasn’t. Delivering what your readers have come to expect need not be devoid of surprises. A neat trick and definitely a great UF world.