Fantasy Book Critic: Dig Two Graves by Craig Schaefer (reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

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AUTHOR INFORMATION: Heather Schaefer was born in Chicago and wanted to be a writer since a very young age. Her writing was inspired by Elmore Leonard, Richard Stark, Clive Barker & H. P. Lovecraft. Soon after her 40th birthday, she decided to give in to her passion and since then has released close to thirty novels spread out over seven series. Craig Schaefer is her favoured nom de plume. Heather currently lives in North Carolina and loves visiting museums and libraries for inspiration.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Daniel Faust is back from hell and out for blood. He has a new face and a deadly mission: to find the tiger-queen Naavarasi and his own traitorous brother, and put them both six feet underground.

But when Naavarasi’s shape-shifting minions abduct one of Daniel’s own, it’s time for a desperate rescue. With his demonic lover Caitlin and his precocious apprentice Melanie, he follows a thread of nonexistent airlines, ghostly packages, and urban legends all the way to Springfield, a small town with big secrets.

A small town where everything closes at sundown and people are warned not to go out after dark. A small town where the library offers books written by authors who never existed, and the locals seem to be acting out parts assigned by an invisible director. There’s only one way into Springfield. There’s no easy way out. And as the fabric of reality begins to warp and change all around them, Daniel and company will have to learn a new set of rules if they want to survive and put an end to Naavarasi’s twisted design.

FORMAT/INFO: Dig Two Graves is 326 pages long divided over forty-two chapters, and an afterword. Narration is in the first-person, via Daniel Faust & in third person via a couple of other characters. This is the eleventh volume of the Daniel Faust series.

April 26th, 2024 will mark the North American paperback and e-book publication of Dig Two Graves and it is being self-published by the author. Cover design is by James T. Egan.

CLASSIFICATION: Featuring a cast of anti-heroes and with a magician con-man as the protagonist, the Daniel Faust series is Richard Stark's Parker crossed with The Dresden Files and set in Las Vegas.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Dig Two Graves is a bit of a weird book in the sense that is hotly anticipated after the climatic events of Down Among The Dead Men, but also isn’t a middle book in the fourth arc of the Daniel Faust series. I think the author isn’t quite following the older story arc patterns and so now we are in a bit of a conundrum. The author has recently highlighted that the legendary Enemy-Paladin showdown might be really around the corner. Based on the events of this book and all that has been building up from the past few books, I would say it’s high time for that epic confrontation. Be warned, it gets tougher and tougher to be spoiler free when you are double digits in to a singular series. So my review below will have some spoilers for the previous titles but I’ll do my best to be as circumspect as I can.

We all have heard that quote about seeking revenge and Dig Two Graves is the epic culmination of that very feeling. Since Teddy (Theodore) Faust came back in Daniel’s life in The Neon Boneyard (DF #8), Dan has been uneasy about his own actions in the past. Things however took a horrific turn when Teddy’s true intentions were revealed. That leads us to this book wherein Faust is now itching to get his revenge on the two people he holds responsible for his current physical predicament. Getting Pixie on board, they soon realize that things are a bit weirder than usual (Considering how things have been, this warrants extra attention). Pretty soon they realize that all routes lead to a unique town known as Springfield & when his hand is forced, Faust and gang have to go in the Tiger’s den on a rescue mission.

Phew, I think I’ve managed to be as oblique as possible and not spoil the plot of this book entirely. Again coming off Down Among The Dead Men, Dig Two Graves had a Herculean task to be better than its predecessor. It’s my utmost pleasure to proclaim that Dig Two Graves does exactly that and some more. Starting with its own plot and ending with a homage to serial killer thrillers, while also providing the biggest shocker about the Enemy-Paladin conflict, Dig Two Graves does everything the author wished for.

At this point, it would be counterproductive to talk about how amazing the characterization is. Because if you are this far along in the series, you are an appreciative fan. We all know and enjoy it. DTG checks off that box smoothly. But the best part about this book is the author’s love for the horror movie genre and all of its tropes. How Heather Schaefer combines this aspect into the plot of this book is something which you have to read to find out. But all I can say is that you will be gobsmacked and love it all the same.

Another thing which has been brewing in the background is the identity of the Paladin. We have been getting small tidbits and misdirections all throughout. In The Locust Job, we kinda got to see the strongest presence of the Paladin and in this book, we get to see what really happened in the hospital from a different perspective. This was a huge insight as that was one of my complaints about the ending in that book. Another thing which has also been unclear is Baron Navaarasi’s true goal(s). We possibly get to know them here and they are terrifying and completely understandable from her narcissistic perspective. Whether it is her true (and only) goal is something that remains to be seen. But knowing how intricate her plotting is, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more horrors waiting to be unleashed.

There’s a nice cameo by one of the first story Characters, the cover should provide you with a clue. I’m hoping that’s a premonition for the future. Lastly there’s even a presence of the Network who have been the baddies in the background and they prove here once again that are the ultimate bad guys. Lastly this book sets up the next and hopefully the last, big Enemy-Paladin confrontation which Faust and his allies have been waiting for. I’m all for it and it looks to be something that might outright be more bombastic than Wisdom’s Grave. I don’t know if that will be true but I trust Heather Schaefer & her planning.

CONCLUSION: Dig Two Graves is a story that works on a literal and metaphorical level. I don’t know which arc it fits into of the Daniel Faust series. But hell, it doesn’t even matter, the book is so damn fun and exciting. I finished it in under two days and now I can’t wait to see what comes next. Dig Two Graves is another fantastic thriller from the mind of Heather Schaefer, she completes a decade as a published writer today and we should be counting our lucky stars that she is the stupendous writer which she is.