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5/5 Stars!
When the opening scene includes spontaneous human combustion, you know you’re in for a wild ride.
And that’s exactly what Consuming Fire is.
As law enforcement and first responders (shadowed by bureaucrats) investigate first the burning of animals… and then humans, DI Darren Swift can’t ignore his gut feeling there’s something else in play and contacts former Calvinist nun, Helen Hope.
Scarred by his cultish, religious upbringing, Darren is still surprised at the peace and comfort he finds in Helen’s presence, and the willingness with which he believes in the supernatural and occult implications connected to his investigation.
Unfortunately, he can’t share his supernatural theory with his team, lest they think him insane, or with fiancé, Matt, who believes in nothing connected to religion.
Consuming Fire weaves the biblical and mythological story of Adramalech, servant of Satan, who plotted to raise himself above Satan… and God into the mysterious deaths by fire at the center of the story.
Is he real or mythology? Is he the god of fire, demanding those who serve him to sacrifice all to fire?
If he isn’t real why does someone appear to be trying to bring about his prophecy? Where are those voices on the phone coming from?
Darren’s job is hindered by his life crisis—does he want to continue in law enforcement, and crisis of conscious—is he rushing into marriage?
Helen Hope, still teaching, is re-discovering life and the things she missed the last ten years she spent behind the doors of the convent.
She also has thoughts—okay, lots of thoughts—about Mikko, but alas, our favorite death metal musician doesn’t appear in this story.
There is more character development of Darren’s team—Collette, Dave, and Baz, and maybe… just maybe, Cantor (Darren’s boss) isn’t the witchy bureaucrat she seems to be.
After finishing this read, I sat for nearly an hour thinking about all I’d read.
Wow. Just… wow. Mind blown.
Detailed and well-written, Consuming Fire may make you consider the possibilities of the supernatural and occult, regardless of which side of the theological line you fall on, but it will definitely scare the hell out of you.
But you won’t stop reading.
Don’t expect this read to end in justice with a neatly tied bow. There is frustration and sadness as someone won’t make it to book 3, but you will… in search of the reason behind the Lumina 2 fire, and the ritual Justine performs.
There has to be a logical explanation, right?
Get ready for book 3 and download this smart read today.
Enjoy!
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What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen…
Liverpool is in the grip of an intense heatwave, and strange things are happening.
A woman dies in an apparent case of Spontaneous Human Combustion; a truck explodes on the dock road; the charred corpses of pets litter the city; forest fires ravage the pinewoods…and there are birds everywhere, silent flocks drawing in ominously.
Detective Inspector Darren Swift thinks there are connections, and his investigation delves into the worlds of football, nightclubs and organised crime. But is he imagining things?
Dr. Helen Hope doesn’t think so. And she believes the key lies in a mysterious seventeenth-century occult book which has gone missing from Liverpool Library.
In the blistering sequel to Reprobation, DI Swift is forced to confront some inconvenient ghosts from his past, as a terrifying shadow lies over his city’s reality….
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Purchase Link
KINDLE UNLIMITED
https://mybook.to/consumingfire
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What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen…
What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen…
Author Bio – Catherine Fearns is a writer from Liverpool, UK. Her first novel, a crime thriller called Reprobation, was published by Crooked Cat Books in October 2018. As a music journalist, Catherine is a regular contributor to Pure Grain Audio, and she has also published numerous pieces of short fiction and non-fiction. Catherine has a degree from Oxford University and a Masters from the London School of Economics. She began her career as a financial analyst, but after having four children she retrained as a breastfeeding counselor. Having lived in several countries, she recently moved to Switzerland, where she discovered her love of writing and is a member of the Geneva Writers’ Group. She plays the piano very well but prefers to play the guitar very badly. Oh, and she likes metal music. A lot.
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