Hell Cop 2 contains three stories by three different authors about the life of officers of the Parmas City Police Department, Metropolitan Demonic Unit, the crimes that confront them, and mysteries to be solved. The members of the Demonic Unit are commonly known as “Hell Cops” and all are sorcerers or telepaths with differing powers and power levels. The criminals include a wide variety of demons, refugees from different planets and, of course, Earth’s homegrown sorcerers, mystic creatures gone bad and human criminal element.

Trust Me by Astrid Amara - 5 Tombstones
Rookie Officer, Brian Day, is called out to assist in containing a group of “surgers” illegally called up by sorcerer Arun Volpe. Brian is a rare osmotic sorcerer, which allows him to siphon off and use the powers and strength of demons and other sorcerers. This puts him on the front line in often violent and bloody confrontations, and this one proves to be no different. Volpe is arrested, Brian is given his first chance to interrogate the prisoner, and it all goes wrong.

Brian’s lover, Detective Jay Yervant, is worried that Brian’s power is growing erratic and dangerous. His fear may be justified when Brian is arrested for the murder of Arun Volpe and Paul, Jay’s homophobic cousin. Both were drained to death, and Brian is the only one known to have the power to do it. And then Jay’s brother is attacked, and it becomes clear that Brian is being framed for murder, but is it Brian or Jay that has the secret enemy?

“Trust Me” is an outstanding, clever, twist-and-turn mystery where family secrets are the impetus for murder and revenge. The author has brought to life a fascinating place, with fascinating full-bodied characters. The imagery is magnificent: “She deftly avoided two parked vehicles and a fourteen-feet-tall, delicately haired street-cleaning spider.” “Summer months seemed to attract the worst kind of petty criminals in Parmas City, and the room seethed with prostitutes, drug dealers, carjackers, thieves, illegal demons, impersonators, and amorphous gas clouds from the Cold Hells whose inability to communicate was becoming a plague in Parmas.”

Dark Waters by Nicole Kimberling - 4.5 Tombstones
Professor Michael Gold and his lover, Argent (actually Lieutenant Dion Argent, Hell Cop) are traveling to Iron Springs on the outskirts of Parmas City. Michael has been invited to attend a Half Moon Ceremony in honor of one of his faun students and intends to combine research with pleasure. Dion was along just to spend some time with Michael and enjoy a bit of a vacation. Although Michael greatly cares for Argent, as a member of the Demonic Peace and Justice Society, he finds Argent’s profession as a Hell Cop disturbing. This trip will be a chance for them to either grow closer or go separate ways.

When Michael and Argent arrive at the Iron Springs Mobile Estates where the ceremony will be held, they are surprised to discover that half of it is underwater, which has neatly divided the community into Fauns who live on dry land and Baramans who live in the water, with a small group of humans between them. Fortunately, Michael is driving his rock father’s old tour bus, “The Hell Machine”, and it’s amphibious. As Michael and Argent settle in, they soon discover that things aren’t quite what they seem and there is a bit of a civil war between the Faun and the Baraman. The ceremony might prove deadly to one of the populations.

“Dark Waters” is a rollicking, fast-moving story of the conflicts between lovers and species. While humorous in many ways, it rips away the curtain and shines a light on the biases that separate cultures and couples. This is a story that both entertains and enlightens with complex, solid characters and wonderful imagination.

Such Heights by Ginn Hale - 4.5 Tombstones
James Sparks is a freelance investigative reporter who regularly seems to find himself in dangerous and damaging places. His lover, Detective Ben Moran, has issued an ultimatum to James: either take less chances or break up. In order to give himself some space and time to think, James takes a “safe” assignment as part of a team creating a documentary on the only known group of phoenixes left in existence. The birds roost in the Storm Cloud, the last of the great floating cities which is privately owned. However, James and “safe” just don’t seem to go together; he witnesses someone falling off from Storm Cloud and no one there believes him.

Ben is assigned a homicide case when the battered body of a man is discovered with a mysterious bird resting on his chest. The bird is still alive and identified as a phoenix. The man, however, proves to be the greater mystery, and it appears he had been living under a false identity for years. Ben is assigned to go undercover on Storm Cloud and find out what’s going on. The first thing he discovers is that James is there and in the thick of it.

“Such Heights” is a mystery in the best of mystery tradition. The story was atmospheric and the Storm Cloud culture was intricate, mysterious and fascinating.

Hell Cop 2 was a GREAT read! The reader is getting three excellent books in one grouping. Each story was lightly but beautifully tied to each other so there was a sense of continuity without repetition. Each author brought her own special touch, so with each story, the reader was better informed about the world, given a richer understanding of Hell Cops and more enmeshed in Parmas City. The mysteries were wonderfully convoluted and surprising, the love scenes were touching, the passion was scorching and the characters came alive right before the reader’s eyes. Hell Cop 2 is most definitely a “sit back, hang on and enjoy the ride” book!

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Loose Id
• Book Length: Novella
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-59632-948-5

To purchase an eBook copy of Hell Cop 2 click here.

Books in this series in the order they should be read:
Hell Cop
Hell Cop 2

If you enjoyed this post, please rate it and spread the word using one of the services below:

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...