The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Archives 1) is the debut novel from Australian actor, Luke Arnold, best known for playing pirate, Long John Silver, in the Starz series Black Sails. Arnold has not only proven himself to be a talented actor, but he can now add talented writer to his lists of talents. The Last Smile in Sunder City is a dark fantasy noir filled with various mythical creatures such as; vampires, werewolves, sirens, elves and many more. Readers follow a drunken former soldier, Fetch Phillips, onto the rough streets of Sunder City on his journey to discovery and redemption. This is the the first book in the Fetch Phillip series and will have you eagerly anticipating the next one.

  In a world formally filled with magic but destroyed by envious humans, the magical creatures and wizards are forced into hiding. The story follows Fetch Phillips, a former soldier who took part in an event known as the Coda, a cataclysmic war that brought about the destruction of the magical world and its creatures. The magical creatures are hated and hunted by humans, and the world that was once home to magic and the creatures who practiced it, has become violent and inhospitable. Phillips wants to atone for his past and also pay the bills, so he does odd jobs as a private investigator for non humans. Fetch is hired by the principle of a cross species school for magical children to locate a four hundred year old vampire. As more vampires come up missing, the mystery surrounding the professor thickens and Fetch realizes that there are more questions than answers. 

  Arnold is a master at world building and creates a unique and vivid world, in which readers are able to transport themselves into the gritty world of Fetch Phillips. Arnold describes the dark brutal world of Sunder City with intense detail, that somewhat reminds you of classic noir films. I look forward to more adventures with Fetch Phillips and a return to the dark world of Sunder City soon.