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Dead Cold Mystery #9

Fire From Heaven

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It wasn’t just the twenty years since Danny Brown’s death that made it the hardest case of their careers: it was that the manner of his death was, quite simply, impossible. His body was reduced to ash from his neck to his ankles, in the middle of Soundview Park. His unburned feet were still in his flip-flops. His unburned head was just eighteen inches away, where it had apparently rolled; and his genitals too were unburned. To make matters worse, though it had rained the night before, there were no footprints to be found - anywhere.

Detective Stone keeps an open mind, but his partner, Detective Dehan, is convinced there is a logical, terrestrial explanation for the gruesome murder. The X-Files, after all, exist only in fiction, don’t they? Then they start to hear about the lights in the sky that night, and the threatening visits the FBI paid to the witnesses that saw them – and Detective Dehan starts to wonder: how was Danny Brown killed – and above all, by whom…?

This is a cold case Dehan and Stone might never solve…

156 pages, ebook

Published April 28, 2018

2383 people are currently reading
193 people want to read

About the author

Blake Banner

149 books391 followers
USA TODAY and Amazon #1 bestselling author of the OMEGA and DEAD COLD MYSTERY series. Learn more about Blake Banner at his website: www.blakebanner.com

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5 stars
1,080 (51%)
4 stars
728 (34%)
3 stars
238 (11%)
2 stars
53 (2%)
1 star
14 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
Profile Image for Phrynne.
4,022 reviews2,719 followers
May 26, 2020
I like the way the author is turning out these books. They are all short, sharp and snappy and he publishes them it seems every couple of months. Love it!

Fire From Heaven sees Stone and Dehan attempting to solve a mystery which appears to be murder by aliens. Of course they look for a more common type of criminal and as usual end up in hot water. Their relationship has also taken a giant leap which makes for more (clean) fun.

The book is tight, fast paced and action packed. I can think of a number of mystery writers who could learn a lesson from Mr Banner in how to write an exciting and totally readable book . And I still have so many more to read. Heaven:)
77 reviews
October 3, 2020
For some reason I didn't enjoy this entry in the series. I have read the previous eight and gave each of them five stars and am planning on reading all the remaining. But I had trouble with this one, maybe because of the UFO aspect. I am interested in that subject but it didn't work for me here. I see the romance has progressed some, happy about that, but didn't seem like there was enough dialogue between Stone and Dehan this time. I am sure the next episode will be be back to more of my liking.
Profile Image for Kerry bahr.
8 reviews
May 4, 2018
Book 9 is here, and you really don't want to miss jt!

The Cold Dead Mystery series by Blake Banner is the best mystery series I've found in a while. Fire From Heaven, book 9, is a terrific, and truly exciting book. The characters this series are almost predictable - but in a comfortable, "this is my old friend" kind of way that makes you eager and giddy for the next book. The development of the character's relationships with each other is slow and natural. Please read this book, read the entire series, and keep Mr. Banner's books coming by writing honest reviews. Thank you, Blake Banner, for the great writing
Profile Image for Angela Verdenius.
Author 66 books677 followers
January 8, 2019
An intriguing 'whodunnit' along with the burning question of HOW the crime was committed. A real page-turner.
140 reviews
May 3, 2018
LOVE THIS SERIES

A few proofreading issues, but not enough to distract from the story. As always, good little mystery. This time I knew the why of the cold crime, and the who, but not the how. Still, the twists still surprised me. Excellent writing, just excellent. Two fascinating main characters and WONDERFUL progression of their interaction. Waiting excitedly for the next book. SPOILER ALERT*** Now that Stone has made his move, I need to see a little more of them. Mr. Banner was a little chinsey on their at home moments in this book. But I'll thank him anyway for making my wish come true. Sexy couple - brains, respect for each other, and man has Stone got it bad for his girl. His fear of losing her makes him lose his mind. 🔥🔥HOT 🔥🔥
Profile Image for Beth.
2,894 reviews26 followers
November 9, 2022
Bizarre alien murder? Stone thinks not!

Another bizarre murder, twenty years cold, that seems impossible to have happened and equally impossible to solve. But Stone and Dehan will not be deterred!

When Stone and Dehan decide to take another look at a cold case from twenty years ago they stir up a hornets nest with a strange cast of characters. The trajectory of their investigation is an interesting read and will have you guessing how it happened. I came very close on the how but not the who or the why. It’s a fun and exciting read. I am curious why the original detective never considered some of the aspects that Stone deducts. It seems like the information would have been easy to discover with the type of questions that would have been asked in the immediate aftermath of the murder.

The FBI element made for an interesting possible solution or intriguing red herring. Certainly a strong possibility in a time when we are so suspicious of the government.

I continue to be frustrated by the inaccuracies that lead me to conclude the author is not an American and most definitely not from NY. A good American editor, preferably one from NY since that is where the book is set, could solve all these problems. Perhaps other people don’t notice or don’t care but it’s a pet peeve of mine as it indicates a lack of concern for authenticity and/or a lack of research.
3,198 reviews26 followers
July 29, 2019
A BB Mystery Action Thriller, which deals with one of two subjects: 1) the occult and 2) extra terrestrial events. The two detectives assigned to the cold case are caught between betwixted and between because the two aforementioned types of events must be solved immediately primarily because the witnesses are dead or no longer available. The old man thinks it is plain murder with s twist. The young lady thinks there is a possible serial killer. The story line penned by BB bends with the wind and then whips back at the reader with tremendous impact. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
49 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2020
Out of this world excitement!

Stone and Dehan find themselves on a wild ride as they investigate a twenty year old cold case that has been wrapped in superstitious mystery due to the improbable lack of evidence that points to any human capabilities, at least on the surface. However, the Stone-aged dinosaur proves to be a formidable foe, once again, as he relies on figuring out human motives as old as time. Even though I figured out the culprit early on, I was unable to figure out the method, so it remained intriguing since that was the biggest question all along.
2 reviews1 follower
April 16, 2021
I have read the first 8 books in the Dead Cold series. #9 was hard for me to get into and it took me awhile to finish versus books 1-8. I blame it on the UFO and Alien storyline. I have never been a huge fan of Sci-fi. Regardless, I stuck it out and it ended as I somewhat anticipated. Without spoiling the end, I will say the unraveling of the “who done it and how” continues to impress me.
I have now added to my collection 9-12 and I continue to enjoy Blake Banner and his creative mystery style of writing. Love the main characters!
Profile Image for sara ❥.
147 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2024
★★★☆☆

There’s not much to say about this book but I can say that it is probably my least favourite book in the series. I think it’s also because of all the UFO talk and how it was mostly based around this topic. I had to kind of skim read throughout the parts where the ‘suspects’ would go really into the UFO talk because I honestly couldn’t care less and none of it made sense 🥲

It was pretty fucked up how the recent crimes happened with the gory details on the mutilation, blood and all that. I wasn’t surprised to find out that it were the leaders of this UFO group that started the crimes and made it look like aliens did it but I loved how Stone and Dehan kicked ass on it 🤠

My favourite part of this was seeing Stone and Dehan finally together! Everyone kind of knows about them too and you can so see how happy Dehan is and how smitten Stone is for her. I’m so freaking excited to continue reading the series and seeing more of them physically together 🥹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,477 reviews25 followers
December 24, 2019
Fire From Heaven. Blake Banner

UFO'S. Fact, or fiction. A twenty year old cold case. The handling detectives didn't have clue to go on. Cold case detectives Stone and Dehan are intrigued. Was this a crime scene created by aliens. It appears to be. Stone and Dehan aren't buying that scenario. A classic whodunit. Excellent read.
Profile Image for Cheryl Carmoega.
121 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2020
UFO?? mystery??

Another great adventure with Stone and Dehan. As always well developed story and characters! This one for a little "cuckoo" , I kept trying to figure out how they would prove this one!
Hey, but is Stone & Dehan!! Of course they would!!!
Ready for the next adventure!!!
Profile Image for Mike Harris.
118 reviews2 followers
May 22, 2021
I'm enjoying this series and will continue but this one didn't measure up to the first eight. The story was just a bit too weird and not as believable as the others.

Plus, an editor would be good. One of the characters is named Stewart. Or Stuart, depending on which page you were reading. On at least one page, he was both.

But again, overall, this has been a very enjoyable series.

Profile Image for Jeffrey.
291 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2021
At a time when UFOs are making the news and what the government might know about them....this book seems very.timely.

Detective s Stone and Demand must decide if this was murder by a human or alien. Their interactions are strong as always and great to.see how their relationship is growing as well.

A good story with a bit of a twist at the end, but that is typical of these stories
Profile Image for Habit_of_book_reading.
248 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2022
Wow nice and interesting book with a touch of X-Files. It may seem long but it was a nail biter and a gripping take. As others we can't predict who the killer is. One small suggestion if I have to give is try to show some more activities regarding looking through the pasts of people involved with the case and some more instead of giving to us in the form of Stone's reveal at the end of the case.
Profile Image for Rosemary Dreyer.
1,514 reviews5 followers
October 19, 2022
2 1/2 Stars: Best part of this series is the dynamic between Stone and Dehan. This book was just whacky and unbelievable. What I liked: the characters; the greater involvement of the Inspector; and the imaginative plot. What I didn’t like: the writing (he desperately needs a good editor); the “bad guys;” the ridiculousness of the premise. This was the weakest novel in the series.
Profile Image for Matthew O'Sullivan.
181 reviews8 followers
June 4, 2024
Another stellar entry in the series. I'll admit, this one had me thinking they may actually go with the supernatural explanation, as I was beleaguered in figuring out this mystery and it wasn't revealed until almost the very end of the book.

These bring me back to my Encyclopedia Brown days as a child and I love that about the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Angela.
8,013 reviews118 followers
August 4, 2024
4.5 stars

Fire From Heaven is the ninth book in the Dead Cold Mystery series by Blake Banner.
Great series. Cold Cases. Crime and investigation. Mystery. Suspense. Detectives. Police procedural. Intrigue. Tension. Dramatic developments. X-Files intrigue. Engrossing. Would make a superb TV series.
Full Review to come.
79 reviews1 follower
May 3, 2018
Great plot

I love love this series. I really wonder how the author comes up with these plots. The books never disappoint. I can never put these boOks down until I read the last page
3 reviews
May 3, 2018
A Modern Noir Murder Mystery

It has been a treat following Stone and Dehan thus far. I love following the plot twists and the protagonists' relationship, and seeing it develop along with the very interesting cases they solve. I am looking forward to #10!
5 reviews
May 3, 2018
SUPERB SERIES

All the book plots are ingenious. Each book stands alone it's own worth.The character's are interesting and mostly human and likeable. Theplots are so good that the series is addictive and the best I have ever read!
Profile Image for John.
452 reviews3 followers
May 20, 2018
The Aliens Are Here, Have You Heard?

Would have been a 4, but for the UFO genre which is so overused. However, plot was clever, and even though I had suspicions, wasnt sure until the end. Would like more to the relationship angle, especially from her side.
Profile Image for Tracy.
112 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2018
Worst in the series so far :-(

But of a disappointment this one. Ridiculous plot I thought. Every other one has been so good up till now. Look forward to next one and hoping it's back to better standard.
66 reviews
November 3, 2018
Unknown human actions

Another in a great series of books. This book includes the UFO community. I throughly enjoyed this tale which includes the continuing relationship between Stone & Dehan. I’m looking forward to the next book “To Kill Upon A Kiss”
2,946 reviews
February 10, 2019
(I read this book as a part of a boxed set "Dead Cold Boxed Set #3). I very much enjoyed the banter between Dehan and Stone; the partnership between the two was a pleasure to observe and the plot was unusual. I really enjoy this series and I rate this book 4.8 stars.
34 reviews
March 19, 2019
Fire from Heaven

Of all the books so far in this series I found this one for some reason hard to get into at first,but like all the others really enjoyed it,as always twists and turns to keep you interested.On to the next in the series.
181 reviews2 followers
August 22, 2019
Could Danny have been killed by an alien?

Detectives Stone and Dehan had another old case. A young man found incinerated to ash, his feet and flip flops untouched, his head and genitalia cut off..
Telling more would ruin it for you guys.
Profile Image for Bklynsouth.
101 reviews
Read
July 17, 2020
I have to say this one had me, I thought I had it sorted out, but then Mr. Banner tossed a curve and had me second-guessing. I have to say that I am enjoying these books, even the Jaguar and the Bison Steaks with beer is getting old, but at least the language is true to form, it's all NYC.
Profile Image for Lisa.
117 reviews
December 1, 2020
This is book #9 in the series. I have enjoyed the earlier books but this one was not a favorite.
It dealt with UFO's/ET's and I found the plot to be not believable.

I will continue reading the series but if they start to get ridiculous story lines, I will stop.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews

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