Sunday, December 7, 2025
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The Devil Pulls the Strings Podcast Series

Do you like when time travel, twisted history, and secret societies collide?

The Devil Pulls the Strings, described as The Librarians meet The Magicians, is an epic fantasy adventure set in modern-day Wentzville, MO, New York City, and 1813 Genoa, Italy, weaves bromance, Slavic mythology, secret societies, Paganini’s music and time travel.

Boone Daniels (22) has problems, debilitating panic attack, gut-wrenching guilt, an evil spirit wendigo haunting him since age six, and now he almost killed his best friend in a joust. But when he fills in for his injured friend at a New York City gig, he ends up meeting the gig’s contact, Professor Stone, at his NYC brownstone where his body falls from the balcony and the place explodes with gun fire.

Boone barely escapes but uncovers a sinister plot to perform a rare Paganini piece that summons the Devil to trap Baba Yaga and destroy modern-day New York City and finds himself on a race through time to capture the cursed melody. Along the way, a crazed immortal, steampunk vampires and Baba Yaga set the stage for war, and Boone shall have to risk death for redemption. Because all Boone wants is to keep a promise to a friend. The same friend, he almost killed last Sunday during a joust.

Can a small-town Missouri musician outplay the supernatural and save NYC’s soul?

The Devil Pulls the Strings is the pulse-pounding first tale in the Archivist series. If you like when tortured heroes, epic battles, time travel, twisted history and secret societies collide, then you’ll love J. W. Zarek’s spectacular page-turner.

This audiobook is narrated by award-winning, professionally trained multi-media performer & audiobook narrator, Curt Bonnem. And for music lovers, includes music by world-renowned musicians Oleg Bezuglov, Natalia Bezuglova, and Vladimir Gapontsev.

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com. Chapters released weekly on this podcast.

The Devil Pulls the Strings Podcast Series

49 Episodes Available
Episode 19

ACT TWO Chapter Seventeen – ROOF PARTY

5.48 min Sep 5, 2025

Oh-oh. Sinti’s men enter Stone’s brownstone, and the only escape for Boone and Sapphire – The roof. 

LitRPG and the way of kings collide in this fast paced steampunk action novel.

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 18

ACT TWO Chapter Sixteen – MAGIC MUSIC STUDY

10.69 min Sep 5, 2025

Boone and Sapphire sneak into Stone’s study to search for Paganini’s missing Le Streghe sheet music.

A steampunk fantasy book in audio

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 17

ACT TWO Chapter Fifteen – STONE’S SAFE

7.82 min Sep 5, 2025

Outside Stone’s brownstone, Boone and Sapphire encounter Detective Rizos investigating Stone’s murder. 

Page turning story in audio, a funny urban fiction

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 16

ACT TWO Chapter Fourteen – STAGE FRIGHT

13.39 min Sep 5, 2025

A nightmare wakes Boone. Upon his lips the name Rumsey Playfield. The words spill out of his mouth. Sweat covers his body, and his stomach’s a flip-flopping mess, and the sense something is wrong. And then his head fills – images of injured people. Lots of injured people. People full of drea...

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Episode 15

ACT TWO Chapter Thirteen – FROSTBITTEN DIPLOMACY

4.42 min Sep 5, 2025

Boone and Sapphire have a run-in with the French Ambassador’s Executive Assistance, Miss Page (27), who’s not happy to see Sapphire and is the bearer of bad news.

Hell and devil, sword and sorcery

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 14

ACT TWO Chapter Twelve – NY BLACK TOP TAXI

12.79 min Sep 5, 2025

Boone and Sapphire take a NY Black Top Taxi back to the French Embassy. 

Time travel books fiction

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 13

ACT TWO Chapter Eleven - PROFESSOR WICKHAMBY

16.75 min Sep 5, 2025

Sapphire tells Wickhamby they need to speak in private, so she can tell him Professor Stone is dead, and Wickhamby shares critical information with Boone and Sapphire.

Contemporary humor for teens and young adults

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Episode 12

ACT TWO Chapter Ten – PLAY ME PAGANINI

17.34 min Sep 5, 2025

Sapphire suggests Boone and she hide from Sinti’s men in her class and Paganini competition.

Music and magic in a steampunk fantasy.

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com.

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Episode 11

ACT TWO Chapter Nine – SPACE 879A

10.73 min Sep 5, 2025

Sapphire shows Boone Space 879A, a place to hide from Sinti’s men.
But after the door shuts behind them, they are in for more terrifying trouble.
Boone knows the wendigo comes when he is in the dark or tight spaces.

Folklore magic and gothic horror.

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Episode 10

ACT TWO Chapter Eight - STEINHARDT BUILDING

18.37 min Sep 5, 2025

Sapphire and Boone go to Professor Stone’s Office in the Steinhardt Building to call the police and find Paganini’s sheet music. They find an unpleasant surprise on a copy machine. A commotion inside Stone’s office draws their attention. Can they escape the gunfire?

Game of Thrones dark fanta...

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