Sep 12, 2026
Wow!
This was the first novel I have read by Declan Finn; I have previously read one he cowrote. This one was an excellent read. I now understand why so many people rave about his works. Before reading this, I had also picked up White Ops Book 1, but before I had finished this I picked up the second book in that series and the next three in this series. I have also previously picked up several anthologies that Finn has contributed to, that I have not got around to reading. They as well will be bumped up in my to be read pile. Over the last few years, I have got back into reading mysteries, mainly British Crime Thrillers by Alex Smith, JE Mayhew, KT Galloway and JD Kirk. And I have also read all the Reacher books. This story is like a Catholic version of these stories. And man, what a good story this was. This was a fantastic read. I could hardly put it down. The description of this story is: “My name is Officer Thomas Nolan, and I am a saint. I can smell evil. I show mercy to the lesser criminals - the desperate. Even those I've put behind bars seem to like me. But now there's a serial killer bringing darkness beyond imagination to my city. I can smell his stench a mile away. But how can I prove it? How do you do forensics on a killer possessed by a demon?” Wow! What an incredible story. Spiritual warfare and the war on crime collide. Officer Nolan thought he had his work cut out for him. When a demon takes a personal interest in him things go sideways very quick. Soon he is confronting a darkness like nothing he has ever faced, and it has targeted his city, his friends and even his family. The patron Saint of Detectives is left scrawled in blood at a crime scene. Tommy realizes things are not the normal fight with criminals. Fortunately, he has friends in the clergy who realize what might be happening. He has a loving and supportive wife and even his son realizes the power of prayer and specifically the rosary. And even his Partner comes to accept the new reality they are facing. This story has action. Battles with MS13, an epic fight with an arrested perp who takes out half a police station. Battles with darkness. Miraculous events. And a man of faith living to protect family, friends and his city. This is an excellent read. An amazing story in a series that now has 12 books published or announced. If the others are even nearly as good as this one I am in for some amazing reads this year. I highly recommend this story for mature readers. There are some pretty graphic descriptions of the murdered remains. Comparisons with those and late term abortions. But overall a great read in what should be an amazing series!
