Devine Enquiries
About
I fought in the Vampire Wars for five years alongside my dog, Gizmo. Between us we slaughtered more Vampires than any other unit in the Army but still Humanity was losing.
Then the Werewolves came out and joined Humanity simply because they hated Vampires.
This was all about the same time that more mythical creatures were found to be real. Fairies, Demons, Goblins and many more. Sometimes hidden on Earth like the Vampires and Werewolves, some in realms that weren’t on Earth but connected.
We defeated the Vampires and soon they and the Werewolves were integrated into society.
For the most part other creatures kept to their own realms apart from raids by Goblins and Fairies working as strippers.
I had left the Army and was working as a Private Eye. A low rent flat come office and largely low rent clients but it suited me.
Then one day a Vampire came through the door. A beautiful Vampire who needed my help
She liked dogs and wore bright purple DMs and was called Sam. Plus she was related to the most powerful Vampire in the world whose daughter had been kidnapped.
Soon I found that many children had been taken, Human, Vampire, Werewolf and Elf. Never any ransom, the children simply disappeared.
So I searched with Sam - niece of the Master Vampire, Sean Strathearn - a friend from the SAS, Fanny - a Faery stripper and of course Gizmo - a very special dog.
We travelled realms, fought with Dragons and found Mabel - probably the most evil person I have ever met.
Praise for this book
Really enjoyed this.
I'm an avid reader of all things otherworldly, supernatural and different. This is everything I like, got hooked on it straight away. Well written, keeps you interested. Looking forward to the next instalment.
Devine Enquiries by Martin Hull is a great book. It’s well-written, face-paced, and full of surprises. While set in modern times, it’s “postVampire Wars,” where humans were victorious (yay!), and people, vampires, werewolves, and other mythical creatures now all live together, side-by-side in London. But these mythical creatures are not the gentle folk of children’s bedtime stories. No, no, no. Think carnivorous unicorns using their horns to maim and impale; pixies with razor sharp teeth who eat people; fairies that use magic to suck the emotions out of humans; gigantic dragons, with “head[s] the size of trucks, talons the size of trees” that are beholden to no one, and kill for sport. More Brothers Grim than Mother Goose.
I do like a good urban fantasy, so Devine Enquiries is right up my alley. Set in a world that I recognize, but with differences — lots of differences. Who wouldn’t like to find that all the creatures of fairy tales exist and live among us? Werewolves working in security? Why not! That’s what I like about this book — it incorporates all the different creatures into every day life.
The vampire leader’s young daughter has been kidnapped, and our hero, Jason Devine and his dog Gizmo have been hired to find her, which leads to the discovery that other vampire children have also disappeared without a trace. As Devine delves into the mystery of those missing vampire children, he finds that children of the other species have also been stolen. In his quest for answers he travels to the different realms, faces unforeseen dangers and terrifying creatures, all the while trying to find out who took the children and why.
It’s written in the style of a hard-boiled detective novel, with the standard characterizations — the hero with a dark past, the wealthy scion with a problem, the snitch, the beautiful woman, the macho sidekick, the burnt-out cop, the corrupt government agent. They just don’t all happen to be human, that’s all.
Devine Enquiries is a fun read. It’s well-structured, with identifiable and relatable characters. The situations that our hero finds himself in are unique because of the different worlds and creatures. Martin Hull’s world-building never gets in the way of a good story, which is always a plus when reading any type of fantasy novel. If you like well-written fantasy or hardboiled detective mysteries, Devine Enquiries should be high on your list of must-read books.
Loved it!
If Micky Spillane and Ben Arronivich got together, this is the book they would have written — solid detective work in a fantasy world.