Front Cover
Book Description
Not only does the devil have an only begotten son, but he's currently residing in the rural town of Blackwater in northeast Pennsylvania. Semi-retired from law enforcement, the handsome, if cynical, Nick Englebrecht becomes quickly caught up in a local missing child case that seems mundane on the outside, but when the sheriff requests his help as a psychic detective to help find the missing girl, his off-the-books investigation quickly leads him to some terrible truths about life, love and the universe as we know it. And if that isn't bad enough, the angels have begun an ethnic cleansing of all beings with demonic blood. Of course, Nick is at the top of their to-do list.
My Review
This is an urban fantasy novel based on Nick Englebrecht, son of the Devil. Nick is introduced to us as an ex-cop, who is now working in a magic shop (think Atticus of the Druid novels). He also moonlights as a paranormal investigator and works closely with a cop buddy called Ben.
The story is quite similar to many other urban fantasy novels in that there isn't any specific linear storyline and instead it jumps from one arc to another.
As for the writing, it was sharp and edgy. The sentences flowed crisply and Koehler did a great job in defining Nick. His character was cynical, hard edged - as you'd expect from the son of the Devil - but you also see a softer side to him.
Some problems I had with the book...
After I first read that Nick was the son of the Devil, I imagined he would be a badass that people feared to mess with. Instead what I got was a pretty tamed and limited character that was not infallible to getting his ass kicked.
Which, I suppose is what most readers would like to read, but personally I've grown bored of reading about weak main hero's that triumph over hurdles by sheer luck than any talent of their own.
Which, I suppose is what most readers would like to read, but personally I've grown bored of reading about weak main hero's that triumph over hurdles by sheer luck than any talent of their own.
One other problem I had with the book was that some serious issues was raised like rape and child grooming, but the author seemed to gloss over how grave they were. It was like the topics were brought up in one paragraph and then swept away in the next one.
Started off promisingly but then it gradually lost its lustre and faded away. I can't fault the author's writing and it's just simply a case of not enjoying where the story was going on. I'm pretty sure I won't be reading the sequel. Which is a shame really as I did think I was on to a home run.
Conclusion
Started off promisingly but then it gradually lost its lustre and faded away. I can't fault the author's writing and it's just simply a case of not enjoying where the story was going on. I'm pretty sure I won't be reading the sequel. Which is a shame really as I did think I was on to a home run.
Out of 10 Stars:
6
***
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