Kindle Edition Amazon Amazon Category:  Fantasy ISBN-10:  1301917370 Pages: 34 Copyright: June 29, 2013 ISBN-13: 9781301917372 Price: $1.51 (eBook) The Devil's Hand is a series of Novellas cataloguing events that have drawn in the right hand man of the Devil himself. One is a killer. One is the right hand of the Devil. Which is worse?  Angela Mitchell hates her life. When debonair stranger, Marcel, turns up in her library one night things look to be on the up. But neither of them saw Darin in the shadows.  Angela certainly never saw Hell coming to earth.  When Marcel and Darin clash, Angela is dragged through the sulfur stench of Hades, has to fight for her life, and drinks wine. Lots of wine.  Crossing Guard is part one of the Hell Noir series: The Devil’s Hand, a dark fantasy with spatters of humor and a dash of inter-dimensional romance.        Excerpt Angela shook her head and returned to the door, her heels clacking loudly on the oak floor boards. She looked down the stairs to the floor below, “Peter?” she called again, this time with more urgency, “Answer me. He still didn’t reply. Angela looked around quickly for something—a weapon?—to, if nothing else, make her feel better. She picked up a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. A book weighty enough to be a weapon, and if nothing else she could bore the assailant to death. She descended as quietly as she could, which wasn’t quiet in heels. Damn shoes. As she moved from the last step, a slender young woman in expensive garb, wielding a book of over a thousand pages like a wood axe, she noted that the front door was latched. She lowered the book. A trick of the light, perhaps? Of course, she quickly went from the library to the office to settle the doubts in her mind, but there was no one there. There couldn’t have been. Even Peter would have to knock to get back in. Maybe she should lay off the liquor if it was going to cause hallucinations? Or perhaps, she just needed a drink? Angela returned The Count to its rightful place upstairs and then left the library for the night, reaching out for her umbrella before remembering its likely demise in the streets of London last night. After alarming and locking the building behind her she headed out, head hunkered down in the rain and started the push towards the underground. She wondered what Raphael would have for her tonight.

Hell Noir
Taylor creates characters that you can give a damn about and that can be a challenge to do in such a short space of time. They are familiar almost instantly and I found myself drawn into the world he created: the misty, rainy streets of London and a mad dash for the underground tube. Although I stumbled over a few of the British English terms, I found my footing quickly without losing the flow of the story. I also found myself looking forward to the next installment in The Devil’s Hand series.

Well-plotted, atmospheric, moody, dark fantasy. Excuse me, I meant: Hell noir.

A Very Unique Story
I received a review copy of CROSSING GUARD and I must say that I was very impressed with the author's writing style. This is an odd tale of a librarian attempting to sell a piece of work, only to find out there is much - MUCH - more at stake. The twist in this story is something I hadn't expected, which left me pleasantly surprised. The author's description of hell was very detailed and well thought out, as were his characters. This is a horror story, but there are elements of humor that had me literally laughing out loud. This didn't detract from the story at all, and this was mainly due to the way it was written. I've never read a story like this and am eagerly looking forward to purchasing the second installment. No review copy needed.

For the price, this book is well worth the cost of admission. If you're in the mood for something different (admittedly, I am an avid read of the zombie genre) that can be read in one to two sittings, I would recommend this for you.

Quick and Fun!
This is a short, quick, fun read--the first installment of a serial novel. The characters are witty, the storyline clever and original, and the plot fast-paced. British humor with a touch of gore. Well done, sir! Looking forward to reading the next installment.