Synopsis:
Hell is real. We’re all living it.
Nick Holleran learned that truth the hard way the day he took three bullets to the chest and bled out in an alleyway. Only death didn’t stick, and it’s been five long years working among the ghosts and monsters, demons and fallen angels, hoping that next time he’ll make it to heaven. But things are never that simple, are they?
After a night from Hell, private investigator Nick Holleran finds himself face to face with Diana, the mystery ghost from his office, and a job that he can’t say no to. With unseen evils on his heels, and a dead girl at his side, Nick uncovers horrific truths that put him at odds with the Haven Police Department, and even closer to death than ever before.
Nick will soon realize the Devil isn’t the only one that walks in blood.
Review:
The Devil Walks in Blood has a John Constantine sort of vibe, and I loved that. But in this world, Hell doesn’t occupy a separate plane. Earth is Hell, and humans are condemned from the start—and can only ascend if they prove themselves worthy in life. It was a neat twist on the usual tale that I really enjoyed.
The main character, Nick, is a private investigator. Since he died five years ago (and was subsequently resuscitated), he can see the truth of his world: that it’s Hell, filled with ghosts, demons, and whatever Charon is (more on him later.) Most humans aren’t aware of their situation or the supernatural beings that also inhabit their world, which makes Nick somewhat unique—and allows him to take on cases from living and dead clients alike.
I also loved that the two main sides aren’t as black and white as usual. Since Nick is on Earth (Hell), he doesn’t have any real contact with Heaven or its denizens, but he does run into a few demons. They’re portrayed in a very gray manner, just as the humans are. The supernatural monsters though? I wouldn’t want to come across some of them, the Wendigo especially. If any creature in this book could be considered innately evil, it was the Wendigo, but they seemed to be the exception. I liked that the sides weren’t clear-cut and the real history between Heaven and Hell was potentially different than what the humans had been taught.
But the one character who doesn’t align with a given side and who sparks more questions than answers is Charon. He’s the ferryman of souls, the grim reaper, Death, and he appears to Nick a few times. Charon is an enigma, and it’s alluded to that he’s older than the conflict between Heaven and Hell. He may even be older than the angels and demons involved, and he seems to follow his own agenda. Whatever his purpose is, I think it will probably be uncovered in later books.
On top of all the supernatural stuff, there’s a lot of action, some great mysteries, and really memorable characters. I had a fun time reading this one.
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