I received a copy of Hell’s Detective from Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.
I have to say, this was one HELL of a book! This was a I received a copy of Hell’s Detective from Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.
I have to say, this was one HELL of a book! This was a DAMN fine action/mystery that will keep you enthralled from the beginning to the end! It would be a SIN to miss out on reading this one!
Imagine you are a detective and you are trying to solve a mystery while avoiding seedy characters and nefarious plotting . . . but, you are in Hell – so, every character is seedy and every plot is nefarious.
Michael Logan creates a fantastically interesting and creative depiction of Hell. It is not your typical hellfire and damnation. The lost souls of Hell (who all live in the less than picturesque city of Lost Angeles) get a chance to fulfill their every sinful desire over and over again until the end of time, BUT they also have to relive the sins that brought them to Hell every night as the appropriately named Torments come to pay a visit. Through the eyes of our hard-boiled, badass detective Kat Murphy we get to tour the underbelly trying to not only figure out a mystery that could easily end in total Armageddon but also determine if there is any hope for the souls doomed to roam the metropolis on Route 666.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. Kat will remind you of any classic, hard-boiled detective. Interestingly, in the afterward the author mentions a friend suggesting he do some “gender reassignment” for this novel – having a female gumshoe ends up working out quite well. Also, the people Kat encounters along the way are interesting because they are damned to hell, so, what have they got to lose? How would you act if you knew every day was just another day to stew in your sin juices? How could you approach solving a crime when most crime has no consequence anyway? How do you convince someone to help you at gunpoint when they know if you shoot them, they will just be back to their same, old damned selves in a few minutes? Logan works his way masterfully through all of these questions and it never feels forced, contrived, or like he is leaving plot holes you could drive a car through.
Another great thing about this book is the questions it raises about the afterlife, paying for your sins, religion, etc. But, at no point does it feel like he it is approaching it from any particular standpoint. I feel like this book could be enjoyed by someone of any religion, agnostic, atheist, etc. without any issue. In fact, I think that this might be a great conversation starter for a group of people with lots of different viewpoints (as long as everyone in the group is open to a lively but friendly discussion!)
If you like hard-boiled mysteries with a twist of horror and you are looking for a new setting for a story, why not try Hell? I can guarantee that Hell’s Detective will be happy to give you a thrilling tour you will not be able to put down!...more
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