Devil's Hand by M.E. Patterson

Devil's Hand is a Supernatural Occult Thriller.

Trent Hawkins is the "luckiest man alive", especially after he falls out of an airplane and is the only survivor of a horrific plane crash.  He has been blacklisted from Las Vegas as his uncanny knack at cards has casino owners looking at him with suspicion and bad luck seems to follow those who are around him.

When Trent's wife, Susan, is given a job at the Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, they move back with great trepidation.  Trent doesn't know if a year away is long enough for old bygones to be let go but for the love of his wife, Trent is willing to do anything for her.  Upon arriving back in Vegas, the two are hit with a hail storm that soon turns into falling fish.  Bewildered and confused, they chalk it up to high pressure weather fronts and before they are even unpacked, all hell breaks loose and Trent is the only person who can make things right.

Children in Las Vegas are being kidnapped and returned to their parents in a vegetative state.  No one at the hospital can explain what is occurring and on the night that Trent and his wife arrive in Vegas, Celia, a thirteen year old who is allergic to water, has been rushed to the hospital in anaphylactic shock.  Celia doesn't know it yet, but she is being hunted by an Angel named Zamagiel.

Zamagiel wants to return to Heaven and he believes by ridding the Earth of all sin, he will get himself a one-way ticket back to his home.  He has resided in Hell for far too long and wants to live by the Grace of God once again.  He uses Salvatore Cortina as his host body, Salvatore is a street bum who lives in the sewers beneath Las Vegas.  He isn't a willing host and is often fighting Zamagiel for control.

Trent has gained powers that he has now been forced to understand in order to save humanity from the grips of evil, to stop the War that is brewing amongst the Angels, the Cherubim and the Grigori's, everyone has their own agenda.  Some like the order of things as they are and want War diverted in that they may continue enjoying their Earthly pleasures, some want the Prophecy to be fulfilled in order to amend God's severing of the Angels from their Host and others just want more anarchy and chaos and only one group's champion will secure the future.

This is a fantastic debut novel by author, M.E. Patterson.  It has intrigue, mystery, angels, demons, magic and more included for this engaging ride into the fantastical world of Angels and Demons.  Using Las Vegas as a backdrop for the creatures was quickly impressive, if anyone has ever read Hunter S. Thompson's rendition of Las Vegas, you will see the similarities between the reptilian races and the thoughts of the late author had.  If I was going to make one place in the world as the core of Hell, then Las Vegas would be the optimal place to locate such.

I loved the history being shared about the Angels and their positions held on Earth and in the eyes of God.  I enjoyed the expression of faith and free will that the author shared, it was on par with how I view the angelic realms.  I thought the characters were wonderfully written and the back stories shared brought enough light to the situations that the characters found themselves in.

The written style of M.E. Patterson reminded me of early style Stephen King or Robert R. MacGammon, written with clarity and insight and urged the reader to continue with the story.  I found it hard to put down and needed to finish the story and was equally pleased to see the ending did not fail the story.  I am hoping that there will be more adventures involving Trent, the author left so many doors open in the ending that it would be hard to miscontrue his intent.  At least I am hoping his story isn't finished, I would love to read more, the possibilities are endless with such a scenario.

I would give this book five out of five stars and for me, this is a rarity, I don't hand them out to often, but this book definitely has the charisma and depth to encourage others to share the story within its pages.  Devil's Hand isn't a book one should ignore, not if you like Angels,  the paranormal and an excellent written style to bring it all together.

I'd love to offer one of my wonderfully perfect Mad Moosers an opportunity to win a copy for their very own~!! 

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** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **