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Cold as Hell

Black Badge Series, Book 1

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Cold as Hell

By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
Narrated by: Roger Clark
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About this listen

2022 Audible’s Best in Fantasy

In the West, there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws.

Demons. Monsters. Witches. James Crowley’s sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing, banish them from the mortal realm for good.

He didn’t choose this life. No. He didn’t choose life at all.

Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago, now he’s stuck in purgatory, serving the whims of the White Throne to avoid falling to Hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his penance and fade away.

This time, the White Throne has sent him to investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree, robbing the region for all it’s worth.

In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power, Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts, shapeshifters, and, worse…temptation. But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined.…

The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre.

©2022 by Rhett C. Bruno and Steven Beaulieu (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Thought-Provoking Paranormal

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Critic reviews

“A weird and wild twist on the Old West that mashes gunslingers, divine intervention, and the supernatural into one hell of a story. Highly recommended!” Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Kagen the Damned

“The rich mystical elements feel every bit as authentic to the west as the gunslinging and grit, all of which deftly bring the characters and setting to life.” Shirtaloon, Top 10 Amazon charts bestselling author of He Who Fights with Monsters

“A badass supernatural western…It’s like the Witcher goes to Tombstone.” Larry Correia, New York Times bestselling author of Monster Hunter International

All stars
Most relevant  
loved it !! can't wait for the next one. Roger clarks voice suits the part perfectly.

absolutely brilliant!!!

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A wonderful story and very unique. I enjoyed it from start to finish. The performance by Roger Clark was incredible. As a female it’s great to listen to a male narrator who doesn’t make every female character sound like Minnie Mouse. Realistic and gripping performance, absolutely loved it!

Brilliant story and performance!

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I could not put this book down from start to finish, an absolute must read for anyone who is a fan of westerns or has played Red Dead Redemption 2, the narration by Roger Clark was perfect. I cannot wait for the next part and will be waiting to listen as soon as it is available.

I need more!!!

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Great plot. Compelling. Amazing main character. I can't wait for more! Listening to the second book now.

Awesome!

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I loved it and couldn't stop listening. I was sad that it had to end but hopefully the next book in the series isn't far behind!!

Just bloody brilliant

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So this is the follow on to Dead Acre and it does not disappoint, this weird western carries on the great story of James Crowley a black badge working for the white throne. It brings all the thrills of an old west adventure with bandits and shootouts, with the same weird twist of werewolves, demons that Dead Acre delivered. Roger Clark does an awesome job narrating this audiobook with his gruff voice idea for the western genre. 5 stars all around for this great book and looking forward to more adventures with Mr Crowley.

Brilliant follow on weird western novel

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First off, Roger Clark gives a stella performance. If you want to feel like a real wild west gunslinger is telling you the story, it's perfect.

The main story itself is good, nothing amazing, but it's got some good twists along the way and some solid characters. Listen to Dead Acre first to get some background on Crowley and his task. This book follows on from that well.

However, there are several chapters that feel as if Crowley is completing a side quest, and I found myself wondering if it would have been so bad to omit these. A couple of the earlier ones seem to just be there to have him recover an object that or a companion that could have been easily done in a few sentences or written out all together and at times it's confusing why they're there.

However, if you enjoy supernatural or Western books, then I'd recommend giving this a try. If you like both, then it will be perfect. If you're a red dead fan, it's worth it just to spend a few more hours with Roger Clarks' voice.

Good story, great voicing... to many side quests

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Damn that was a fun wild western fantasy. It was like supernatural meets, Deadwood.
A wild west roller coaster of a read full of outlaws, shootouts, demons, angels, and monsters.

Cold as Ice is the first book in the Black Badge series and is co-written by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle. This book has been on my radar ever since I read the short story "Dead Acre" and "James Crowley" is just one of those characters that sticks with you for a long time.

From the beginning of the book, I was hooked, drawn line and sinker. This story has just about everything I look for in fantasy. It's fast-paced, action-packed, hilarious, and a protagonist that doesn't take shit from anyone.

I love it when two authors can come together and create something special, and Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle have just done that, collaborating their fantastic writing, making relatable characters, and a fantastic plot to make a story that is so hard to put down.

A few years after James Crowley, an outlaw is gunned down by his gang. He finds himself in purgatory, the reason he is not in hell because he serves the White Throne, another name for heaven. A man who can not die and a bounty hunter hunting all sorts of demons and supernatural entities.

His next mission is to find out who is responsible for a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. But the bank hasn't been robbed by ordinary outlaws. An outlaw who is able to conjur ice is possessed by a demon is bringing havoc and robbing the region blind.

Spurred on by his angelic handler Char, James Crowley must hunt down the demon and put an end to the robbing spree before all hell breaks loose.

What an ending, with a fantastic twist. Check out the audible version narrated by Roger Clark. Bringing James Crowley's voice to life. He makes it sound like a movie in your mind. I can't wait to read the second book. I very highly recommend....😁

A Gun Toting Cracker.

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Not the best story ever told but definitely engaging. The performance makes it 10x better and I'll definitely keep with the series.

Felt like listening to Arthur Morgan hunting monsters

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amazing story told perfectly by roger Clark! cant wait to listen to more in the series.

brilliant.

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