A Hell Within: A Griffin & Price Novel

by James A. Moore, Charles R. Rutledge

Something dark is looming in Brennert County, Georgia.Sheriff Carl Price and ex-mercenary-turned P.I. Wade Griffin know well the other-worldly undercurrent that runs through the small town of Wellman, but with the Blackbournes trying to rebuild their strength, it seems they can breathe a little easier, Just a little.Griffin starts working a case when he stumbles across a massacre at a drug lab, and when Price is called to the scene of a brutal triple homicide, it has all the markings of Blackbourne retribution.Before the blood is dry, two more people are torn apart.As the body count rises, Griffin and Price find themselves in the middle of a turf war where bullets and black magic are the weapons of choice. Caught between the worlds of monsters and men, Griffin and Price enlist the help of associate Carter Decamp to put an end to to the brewing battle.But the gates of Hell have been opened and the beasts won't be denied their chance to feast.

Genres: Horror

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.

Reviews

[Charles Prepolec · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a real pleasure to return to Wellman, GA for another fast-paced, action-packed supernatural adventure with Sheriff Carl Price and private investigator Wade Griffin! To say nothing of Charon, Carter Decamp and the ever interesting, dimension-hopping Blackbournes. This time out our heroes must find and stop a hapless would-be demon summoner and joyrider, with an ever increasing taste for power, from wreaking havoc in Brennert County. When six young kids go missing, after the murder of their minders, it becomes a race against the clock to keep the duke of hell, Asmodeus, from manifesting on Earth. At the same time, just to complicate matters, a criminal power struggle erupts as a Texas mafia boss starts to move into the Blackbourne's territory.

As with the previous two Griffin & Price books - Blind Shadows and Congregations of the Dead - Jim Moore and Charles Rutledge weave a great tale that combines tropes from the traditional 'occult investigator/psychic detective' sub-genre (think Manly Wade Wellman's John Thunstone and Silver John stories in particular) with a modern hard-boiled crime thriller sensibility and lean narrative style (think Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Hawk) to great effect. While theoretically it sounds like a bit of an odd combination, the writing is tight, clean, breathlessly fast-paced and highly effective in evoking both supernatural dread and conveying kick-ass action scenes. The only complaint I have is not knowing when the next one will be along!

If you enjoy occult investigator stories, with a heavy dose of action, do yourself a favour and check out this excellent series today. Great stuff that I can't recommend highly enough!

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small-town wannabe sorcerer is summoning demonic entities and committing crimes vicariously through them. Horrific crimes. Enter Sheriff Carl Price and his best friend, private investigator Wade Griffin, along with Charon, owner of a small occult bookstore, and Professor Carter Decamp, whose scholarship includes historic weaponry as well as the occult. This the third novel in the Griffin & Price series, but it works well as a stand-alone novel. I wish these novels were a television series. Think “Hap and Leonard” but with supernatural villains as well as real-life criminals. Lots of fast-paced action as well as a fascinating storyline. Highly recommended!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need another book in this series...

[Paul McNamee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A HELL WITHIN returns us to Wellman, GA where the veil between our world and strange other worldly horrors hangs thin and shredded. Sheriff Carl Price and private detective Wade Griffin again find themselves up against the supernatural. This time, a serial killer is on the loose--and his weapon of choice are summoned demons. You see, these demons allow him to enjoy the crime vicariously--safely keeping the killer away from the crime scene.

Further complications arise when the local organized crime erupts in a gang war over territory. Can the stalwart duo and their occult allies keep their heads down and catch the killer?

A HELL WITHIN is described best as horror-action or horror-crime-action and that is exactly what you get. Moore & Rutledge stay on target, delivering chills & thrills, gunfire, and hellfire. The action scenes are explosive. Characters pop off the page. The story clips along. I read this book in two or three sittings.

If you're a fan of the earlier books, BLIND SHADOWS and CONGREGATIONS OF THE DEAD, you'll want to return to A HELL WITHIN. If you haven't experienced Griffin & Price before, grab any of the three. You're in for a hellacious treat!

[Chuck Gatlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multiple Threats and Thrills

Another occult action adventure, with a serial killer summoning demonic forces while crime bosses and the sinister and only somewhat human Blackbourne family clash in rural Georgia. Once again authors James A. Moore and Charles R. Rutledge have written a great story combining action, the occult, and crime elements in a contemporary Southern setting.

[Veronik Durocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Good series, good characters, I would love to read more of their adventures. If you read the previous ones, you'll love it!