Devil's Den

by Don Helin

Colonel Zack Kelly escorts Blake Lannigan to Gettysburg, and she disappears on the battlefield. Zack, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from his three tours in Afghanistan, has no memory of what happened although he believes he heard hoofbeats. He becomes the FBI's number one suspect. Zack's search for Blake takes him to Washington D.C. where a member of the Irish Mafia attempts to kill him; to Galway Ireland to determine why there's a contract on his life; then back to Washington to unravel a mysterious Irish connection. In Zack's corner are Irish medium Shelia O'Donnell, and his partner on the President's National Security Advisor's Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Rene Garcia.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2012

About the author

Don Helin had a career in the U.S. Army and he worked as a lobbyist for the chemical industry. He lives outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[David Freas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Helin writes a very good novel.

The plot, complex with many turns, is actually two plots woven so tightly together you won’t suspect there are two until Helin reveals it. One of them has a surprise twist I never expected.

Many characters came on-stage in the opening chapters, which made keeping them straight difficult at first.

I never quite got a good grasp on the relationship between Zach Kelly, the main character, and Blake Lannigan, the woman who vanishes at the beginning of the novel. Some places, it seemed like they were just friends, other places something more.

A few places I had difficulty following the dialog between characters. In some scenes, it seemed like one character, instead of responding to the previous character’s comment, jumped to another topic entirely.

Those minor points aside, this was an engaging story I stormed through in one day.

I hope Helin brings Zack Kelly back for more adventures. I also hope he brings back Sam Thorpe, the star of his first book – Thy Kingdom Come – for more adventures.

If you haven’t read a good thriller lately, pick up either book. You won’t be disappointed.

[George Moore]

A good mystery. I guessed at one of the plot points, but I didn't see the end twist coming. A good read that on a few occasions I was forced to put down because my lunch hour was over.

[Debra Kell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it had just the right amount of suspense and it kept my attention I finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't go into details but if you like murder, military, espionage and women's rights, and police drama this book is for you.

[KimWin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Helin visited San Antonio & did a book signing at my local Barnes & Nobel. He talked with my husband & I about his new book Devil's Den , a military espionage thriller. It was a fun & easy read. Most of my friends know this isn't my usual genre but I found it entertaining.

[George Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Full review coming soon.