Blessed by Fire

Special Investigations #1

by P.W. Hillard

The detectives of the secretive Special Investigations Department work tirelessly. They are the first and only line protecting mankind from the supernatural, and the supernatural from mankind. Detective Constables Jess Holden and Mark Curren head to the small Welsh town of Pontypridd. Their task, to investigate a haunted house, and exorcise it if needed.

Something else sinister lurks in that town, nestled between picturesque valleys. It whispers in Claire’s mind. It knows her secrets, her dark twisted desires. It can help her fulfil them, to complete her horrifying wish. All she needs to do, is let it in.

Caught between two supernatural foes, Mark and Jess turn to help from the unlikeliest places. Can the detectives trust their allies? Can they stop growing threat before it threatens reality itself?

A compulsive thrilling horror novel, Blessed by Fire is a terrifying debut.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Audiobook

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2019

About the author

Currently living in South Wales with his beautiful wife and two cats, P.W Hillard is a writer of horror and dark urban fantasy. His major influences are Stephen King, Clive Barker and especially the works of John Carpenter. As well as horror, he reads fantasy and science fiction, and is a voracious consumer of novels.

Outside of fiction, his other obsessions are tiny toy soldiers and giant monster movies. He also spends far too much time playing video games when he should be writing books.

Reviews

[Buttercupp77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first installment of the Special Investigations series is a promising start. Part police-procedural and part supernatural entity hunt, it follows detectives Mark and Jess as they take on a challenging case near Cardiff.

The pacing was very good, with description being ample, but not bogging down the story. The world-building was likewise solid, with the interface between ordinary and supernatural being fairly clearly drawn.

There were a number of vivid characters, although I think this is an element that could be improved. (This is very common to a first-in-series, and likely has more to do with the author's choice to reveal details about main characters over time, rather than a lack of knowledge or skill). I particularly appreciated Jess as a character - her backstory was very revealing, although I would have appreciated more of her life story (not just the recounting of what prompted her career change). Mark remained enigmatic to me - I have the feeling there's a lot of depth to plumb there, so I look forward to learning more about him. I really appreciated Rhiannon's story - that added a poignancy to her fate. I wished for more of Claire - what she was like before the events of the novel. I also really liked Aasif as a character, and I hope we learn more of him.

The editing/formatting of this novel is the most problematic area for me.

It would have been extremely helpful to the reader if perspective shifts within a chapter had been delineated somehow: a blank line between, a small graphic divider, or anything to visually cue that a different section was beginning. The lack of cue combined with abrupt perspective changes was confusing in every instance.

While I didn't have any concerns about the way language was used overall, the spelling and punctuation errors were atrocious. "Could of" appeared several times, and should have been "could've" or "could have." Possessives were often written as plurals, or sometimes, plural possessives (Gregg's, Greggs, Greggs') - this was, I think, the most common error by far. Punctuation was missing or incorrectly used. There were some odd uses of words - much better alternatives exist that would have been clearer e.g. a red dress with white dots all over - polka dots is much clearer and would have immediately instilled a compelling visual. I can certainly overlook a couple of errors - they happen to everyone - but the prevalence (I found myself cheering on the few occasions when a possessive was used correctly) really interfered with my enjoyment of the story and took me out of the action.

The characters, premise, and series look to be very interesting, and with the help of a good editor, will be one to watch for sure!

I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.

[Andra Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book and read the excerpt from HorrorScopes: Libra which was available as a bonus at the end of this book. I absolutely loved the concept of this book as well and the bit of the storyline I read in the HorrorScopes: Libra excerpt and will also read in its entirety very shortly. I really like the way this author melds horror into the paranormal and supernatural!

What's not to love about a Special Investigations Unit comprised of detectives who happened to be in the right place, scene of a crime, at the wrong time, witnessing crimes or the aftermath of crimes committed by supernatural beings. The paranormal is just a thing to most people but to these detectives, it is their job to keep humanity safe from dangerous paranormals and supernaturals. They also make sure that law-abiding supernaturals and the paranormal stay hidden in plain sight from unsuspecting people. They rightfully prefer for us to continue to believe the fairytale version. This makes for interesting cases to be resolved, not just solved, and lots of adventure. In this particular case, they are dealing with a being that is not what fairytales tell us as it leaves gruesome aftermath in its desire to be free. Mix that with another case that comes to light involving a haunted house that happens to be truly haunted and the books makes for some pretty intense and at times gruesome action. These detectives put it all on the line for the sake of keeping this universe.....well, this universe. The book would have earned more stars from me if there were not some issues that, for me, impact fluidity.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is not what it seems to be. The people you meet may not be who they seem to be. The world is full of supernatural beings in the guise of humans. Jess and Mark may appear to be your average, every day cops, but they are part of the secret Special Investigations Division and are tasked with combating crime of the supernatural sort.They are sent to a small town named Pontypridd, near to Cardiff, to investigate a report of a person who was attacked by a ghost. Once there, they encounter all kinds of supernatural murders and chaos caused by a jinn who has newly found its way into the human plane. Jess and Mark, along with other people they join up with on the mission, need to get Pontypridd back in order before all Hell breaks loose. This was a fast paced, enjoyable book, with interesting, likable characters. The tone of the book reminded me of "Ghost Busters," "Warehouse 13," or "The Librarians." There is some serious, scary stuff going on, but we're sure that our heroes are going to be able to handle it. The only criticism I have is that the author needs to have a good proofreading to fix some of the errors. It appears that their brain and computer keyboard are not working in synch. Words are left out of sentences, or extra words put in, or just the wrong word comes up. Fortunately, the book was so good, that I just kind of glided over those spots and let the context carry me on. I would like to read more of this series.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The story was good and perfect to listen to around Halloween. This is a story of two detectives who deal with supernatural happenings from monsters, ghosts, possessions. The story was good and scenes are very descriptive so if you are a squeamish, this may not be the best book for you. The narrator did a good job with distinguishing voices but at times I found the pacing of the narrator a bit fast. I also found myself having some difficulty with the British accent accent of narrator, The accent was fine given the location of the storyline; however, I just had to concentrate harder (especially during faster paced narration) to follow the story and had to shorten the listening period. (This is noted as some may have an easier or harder time with the accent and may prefer the book). Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and audiobook. I received a copy of the audiobook for free at my request and have left this review voluntarily.

[Catriona Lovett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-Moving and Original

I read this after having read Pillar of Horns, a prequel novella to this series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Blessed By Fire deals with other supernatural characters, as well as other very special detectives who routinely have to put together magic spells as part of their law enforcement duties.

This is what sets Hilliard's world apart. The main characters are not magicians and never expected to be policing supernaturals. They're just ordinary people, with otherwise normal lives. I like how this roots the fantasy aspects in the real world and allows a delightfully humorous perspective.

It's sort of like a British Men in Black, with supernatural entities and magic instead of aliens. I loved it!

[Georgia Tumbleweed McNabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of 2 detectives who work for the Special Investigation: Investigating Supernatural Creatures. Through the book you met various supernatural characters some criminal and some just everyday (Persons) just trying to get by. I thought the Narrator did a great job bring the story to life. I am going to start the 2nd book next!! Note some details graphic so squeamish might not want to listen/read this story.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the X-files: Behind the Scenes. Fox has nothing on these detectives. I absolutely loved this story and I am definitely planning to read more by this author. Love these book and I recommend it to those who like paranormal detectives and those types of stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

there is something in the shadows calling her saying it would give her everything she ever wanted but it will come at a cost. They are sent to check out a haunted house and sort it if it is. What is she being promised? Will they get to the truth? See what will happen

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I recieved a copy of the book from the author through Voracious Readers. I find the book was drawn out. The characters were classic good vs evil. I was moderately upset by how generic the overall plot stayed throughout the book. If you enjoy a read that doesn't pull you in this is there book for you. Grammatically well edited if only they would've focused on the story more during editing.

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this supernatural detective novel
Great monsters and plenty of gore with a dual storyline that comes together nicely
A well narrated fun read looking forward to the second book silent legion
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise for a book, however I could not get passed the errors in this novel. There were just too many to make this story a good read. This would be a good tale after major editing.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the concept of this new series, and truly enjoyed this first book. I like the two main characters, although the book would benefit with some professional editing.

The narrator, Matt Jenkins, does a great job.

All in all, this is a very interesting read, and a promising new series

[Brad Audiobibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to the series about paranormal cops. Plenty of action and some good dialogue, interesting storyline.

The narrator does a a good job with both english & welsh accents but not much differentiation between the voices of the characters.

[Vicky Quenault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise for a book

[Margarita Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received ARC. Really enjoyed the book. Want more. This looks like it could be a great series.

[Beaulah McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I wish it was longer though. Well worth it

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the author via voracious readers only in exchange for an honest review*
Part crime thriller, part supernatural novel. This was a great read full of realistic and endearing characters. Its a fun story with lots of action, gore and supernatural creatures. Will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good first book in a series.I liked it a lot! Matt Jenkins was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

[Christine Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a good start. You knew who the good guys were and you think you know where the storyline is going. Well, you'd be wrong. It just goes on and on. New characters keep popping up with no lead-in. Scenes change in the middle of a chapter and you're sitting thinking Where did this person come from? You keep reading to find you're in a different place with totally different people. All of these things could be fixed with a good editor. For me, however, was the non stop violence. It went on and on. Grotesque and bloody and when you think you've had enough, you realize that you're only 42% of the way through. I couldn't wait for the book to end. Maybe I could have given a higher rating if it hadn't just kept going. I do think that this author has a lot of talent. His descriptions setting up the scenes are good. The book was just too long so that by the end I no longer cared about descriptions. I just wanted an ending.
***UPDATE***
I'd actually already read this book when I was given an audio version. I thought if I listened to it, maybe I'd have a different opinion of it. I think Matt Jenkins really made the difference. When I read it, I thought it went on and on, but listening made it more real, more interesting. I think hearing the emotion demonstrated rather than just reading it myself kept me invested in the storyline. Mr. Hillard has a great imagination and his descriptions and plot points are right on the mark. I do think that the Hillard/Jenkins partnership is a match made to last.