Broken Souls

Written by Stephen Blackmoore

Narrated by Rudy Sanda

Sister murdered, best friend dead, married to the patron saint of death, Santa Muerte. Necromancer Eric Carter's return to Los Angeles hasn't gone well, and it's about to get even worse.



His link to the Aztec death goddess is changing his powers, changing him, and he's not sure how far it will go. He's starting to question his own sanity, wonder if he's losing his mind. No mean feat for a guy who talks to the dead on a regular basis.



While searching for a way to break Santa Muerte's hold over him, Carter finds himself the target of a psychopath who can steal anyone's form, powers, and memories. Identity theft is one thing, but this guy does it by killing his victims and wearing their skins like a suit. He can be anyone. He can be anywhere.



Now Carter has to change the game—go from hunted to hunter. All he has for help is a Skid Row bruja and a ghost who's either his dead friend Alex or the manifestation of Carter's own guilt-fueled psychotic break.



Everything is trying to kill him. Nothing is as it seems. If all his plans go perfectly, he might survive the week.



He's hoping that's a good thing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798765051146

Stephen Blackmoore

Stephen Blackmoore is the Los Angeles-based author of the noir/urban fantasy Eric Carter series, including Dead Things, Broken Souls, Hungry Ghosts, Fire Season, Ghost Money, Bottle Demon, and the stand-alone City Of The Lost. He has written tie-in novels for the role-playing game Spirit of The Century (Khan of Mars), the video-game Wasteland 2 (All Bad Things) and the television series Heroes Reborn (Dirty Deeds), as well as part of the Gods and Monster series (Mythbreaker). His short stories can be found at Fireside Fiction, Plots With Guns, and in anthologies such as Urban Allies, Deadly Treats, Don't Read this Book, Uncage Me and many others.

Reviews for Broken Souls

[yarmando_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When an obsidian knife is used to kill and skin someone, the wielder can become the victim's doppelganger (with memories and powers). Oh, and it can kill gods, like Santa Muerte.

[glennis.leblanc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So Eric now has to find a way to get out of his bargain with Santa Muerte and stay a step ahead a magic user that wants to skin him alive and use the power that Eric now has from his bargain that he doesn’t want. When you don’t know if the person in front of you is someone you know, or a skin being worn by a magical killer life can be rough. Eric does make a deal with another god to try and get out of his current situation. Why would anyone think a second deal with a deity is a good way to deal with the first deity, but it does move the story along. The audio version of this is just as good as the first book and I’ll be picking up the next one.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Broken Souls
(Eric Carter #2)
by Stephen Blackmoore
After book one, I didn't think it could get better but I was wrong! Oh my! What a wild ride! Best friend dead and avatar for a god? Check!
Married to a death god? Check!
How to deal with the death god's husband god? Ummmm...
Lots of fun!!!

[ralphd00d-325171 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm really loving this series! Wish there was more at hand when I finish one!

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

FYI for those of you who haven‘t read the first one. It’s best to do so.

***Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned***

It amazes me how much Eric Carter can take. It makes sense now, because of his new found powers and his recent unsteady alliance with Santa Muerte. But in the last book? He was thrown about like a rag doll and still managed to do the dirty deed with the lady friend. (I’d rather plop down and sleep for an eternity and lick my wounds but everyone’s different right?.)

Like the first one, there’s lots of action in the book. It’s one thing after another with moments of insanity in between. I really thought Eric was losing his mind there. You probably would after seeing all the stuff he’s seen in a lifetime. He’s still a jerk and isn’t apologetic about it and his character does not develop much - although physical aspects to his character changes quite a bit thanks to the manipulation of the Gods.

Which brings me to the main plot. Eric is caught in between two Gods who are pretty much using him to their advantage and manipulating him into getting the ball rolling. I enjoyed this part of the book. It until the last third of the book where one finds out to what extent the manipulation goes to. Then Eric is ready to go out for more blood. Oh yes. Bring me book number three!!! (A notable scene which sticks with me is when Eric is stuck with two demons in a room. Loved that fighting scene. Perfectly written, demons were grotesque, and one just happened to take the guise of a child.)

We also have the addition of la Bruja (Gabriela) who I really enjoyed reading. She’s tough, with a heart of gold, isn’t afraid of telling Eric he’s an a-hole, and has a following willing to fight with her. I loved reading about her. She’s a tough cookie and does help Eric out, even though there’s trust issues (understandably so). I think Eric found a great ally here with Gabriela.

This was just as enjoyable to read as the first one. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Eric the next time. I hope this series continues! It’s got so much potential to keep as an ongoing series.

[ptom3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stephen Blackmoore
BROKEN SOULS
Daw Books, 2014
264 pages
Fantasy / Crime

In the Second Eric Carter novel, BROKEN SOULS, by Stephen Blackmoore, six months have passed since the events that occurred in DEAD THINGS. Things are twice as hectic, and detrimental as last time!

Forced into a marriage with the Queen of the Dead, Eric is desperate to find a way to annul the binding vows. Aside from a wedding band he can't remove from his finger, Eric's eyes have become like pitch black marbles. No iris, no whites. He knows he'd made a rash decision in getting married, but there has to be a way out of the mess.

Eric Carter's life is in shambles. His sister was brutally murdered, his best friend is dead, and his ex-girlfriend hates him. He learns he is now King of the Dead, thanks to his marriage. Only adding to the shambles, the Queen's ex might not be dead.

With the death of mob boss, Jean Boudreau, there is a clawing match for power over the territory. A front runner is Russian Sergei Gusarov, and his demented sister Katya. Eric find himself hunting down the two wannabes. They have a obsidian dagger, and skin people in order to wear the pelts. Magic is afoot. The dangers are close to home. And Eric is the center of the mobster's attention. In short -- Eric is being hunted by the psychopaths!

Eric teams up with Gabriela Cortez, a Bruja (witch), who is a do-gooder, giving shelter to vampires in a self-run hotel. She knows all about the dagger. It was hers. She wants it back. And like-minded, has no love for the Queen of the Dead. The plan is simple, just three steps. 1) Get the dagger, 2) Stop the Russians, and 3) Kill the Queen of the Dead.

Warnings come from everywhere, and soon Eric has no idea who he can trust, making their simple plan becomes a whole lot more complicated. The Russians seem to know Eric and Gabriela's every move before the moves are made . . . and for this they walk into trap after trap!

Stephen Blackmoore has a gift. His gritty noir writing style is smooth, and easy to follow. The storyline is complex, and compelling. The characters are amazingly well crafted, and the world created is defined and imaginative. BROKEN SOULS is as good as DEAD THINGS. If you are a fan of Harry Dresden, you are going to love Eric Carter!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

[pardamustang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

**I purchased a copy of this book for my own enjoyment, with no expectation of a review**

Broken Souls is the second in Blackmoore's Eric Carter series. Sarcastic trouble-magnet Carter is still working to find a way free of Santa Muerte's influence. A meeting with a mage named Kettleman turns sour when the man tries to kill Carter. Kettleman’s solution to freeing Eric is a bit more permanent than our erstwhile necromancer would like. Except it isn't really Kettleman, but a man wearing a Kettleman skin suit (ew), and he’s keen on adding a Eric suit to his collection.

In the middle of trying to find the man hell-bent on wearing his skin, and working to free himself from Santa Muerte's influence, Eric is left to wonder if he’s losing his mind when he begins seeing his dead friend Alex, who appears occasionally to provide assistance. Now, Eric’s used to seeing the dead, but to him, Alex doesn't feel like a ghost, or other form of the dead. Nothing could prepare him for the truth behind Alex’s presence in his life.

I love this urban fantasy series! Nothing like a wise-cracking, sarcastic anti-hero to make for interesting reading. I appreciate the weaving in of Aztec/Toltec myth and legend. Too often, when books use mythological aspects, it is of a Greco-Roman flavour, or occasionally Celtic or Norse myth. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against those mythic traditions, but sometimes different can be very good, and prompt the reader to do more investigation on their own into the culture and mythology. There were unexpected revelations at the end that turned everything upside down. I can't wait to read the next Eric Carter book!

????? Highly recommended, especially for fans of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series.

[joshuaatkins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great Blackmoore book. My only complaint is that it was too damn short. Also not enough swearing.

[ladycato · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, is this a fast read. It zooms by. Blackmoore has a twisted, wicked mind--I like it! He's completely ruthless on his not-so-noble protagonist, necromancer Eric Carter. Eric wants to break his unholy matrimony with Santa Muerte and instead finds he's even deeper in her web than he realized. There's backstabbing upon backstabbing upon backstabbing, yet everything flows and makes sense. Blackmoore's Los Angeles is beautiful and dingy and honest.