It’s out! Yes! The third CUNNING MAN book is out!

I co-wrote these books with DJ Butler, and we had a blast researching them, planning them out, and writing them! Now is the time to travel back in time to 1935, to Utah and then on to Mexico. Now is the time!

THE CUNNING MAN #3: THE FAMILIAR SPIRIT

 A new novel in the Cunning Man series from Dragon Award-nominated author D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Cunning man Hiram Woolley and his son Michael carry an itinerant preacher across the border into Mexico. Hiram is haunted by the specter of a bloody-faced man that stalks him in his dreams, but also by doubts about what lies ahead in the Mormon colonies around Nuevo Casas Grandes—this is the country Hiram’s father fled to when he abandoned young Hiram and his mother.

In the colonies, Hiram and Michael are dragged into investigating an impossible murder. They track the killer across a land haunted by robbers, by its history of oppression and revolution, by ancient conflict and modern racial strife, and by the insanity that flows from loneliness and exile. They battle bandits and also an elusive ghostmaster who blights the land with the spirits of the uneasy dead.

But before the killer can be brought to justice, Hiram will learn that the most haunting thing of all is family.

At the publisher’s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Praise for The Jupiter Knife:

“It’s like Jim Butcher crossed with Grapes of Wrath!” —Larry Correia

“Butler and Ritchey return to Depression-era Utah for a second thrilling tale of murder and folk magic (after The Cunning Man). . . . The play between Hiram’s earnest Mormonism and the more secular Michael’s growing unease with folk magic adds depth to the father-son dynamic, and the false leads and eccentric side characters make for a delightful mystery. This well-crafted historical fantasy is sure to please.” —Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Cunning Man:

“An attempt at charity during the Great Depression turns into a protracted fight against supernatural forces in this admirable paranormal mystery. . . . the richly imagined magic system and glimpses of Mormon culture create a fully realized world. Historical fantasy fans will delight in the zigzagging plot of this mystery.” —Publishers Weekly

“An amazing tale that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go! Butler & Ritchey are a literary force to be reckoned with! Hit that download button and grab your copy now! The Cunning Man will never let you go!” —Sherrilyn Kenyon, #1 New York Times Best-selling author

“. . . a brisk and engaging narrative . . . folk and religious based magic . . . for fans of urban or historical fantasy . . . a satisfying read.” —Booklist

ds, and her story will appeal to fantasy readers of all stripes.” —Publishers Weekly