The Devil's Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali

The Blurb

In the blink of an eye, Michael loses his family. As his life spirals out of control with grief, he is presented with the possibility that their souls might be trapped in Hell. Michael is a good man, a moral man, forced to do terrible things. Thus begins an unimaginable and nightmarish journey to rescue his family from the depths of Hell, with the Devil as the puppet master pulling his strings. Warning: Graphic violence and profanity included. "Fast paced, dark, cleverly plotted" - S.G. Redling, author of Flowertown. "An excellent first book from a promising new author" - Robert Cowan, author of The Search for Ethan. "Jamali's work read like fishing with dynamite. And I mean that in a good way" - Bradley Ernst, author of the Law of Retaliation series. "It’s the legend of Faust updated for the twenty-first century" - Brendan Gisby, author of The Burrymen War.

About Shervin Jamali

I've been writing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until recently that it just seemed to click. I've had stories locked away, but suddenly, and unexpectedly, they now need to get out. I completed the first draft of "The Devil's Lieutenant" in just two months, and that was as a result of writing when I had the opportunity to do so. My 8-5 job and family still came first. I look forward to the day when I can be a full time writer who can take my children to school, pick them up and chauffeur them to various activities, with a healthy dose of writing in between. I believe that day might be right around the corner. Also, my favorite punctuation mark is the semi-colon; it's often used incorrectly, but it's always winking at you!

My Review

I hope I won't be thrown into eternal damnation for reading this guilty pleasure. Michael, a cop comes home to find his five year old son shot dead in the arms of his wife who is holding the smoking gun. She turns the gun on herself just as Michael shoots her. He is then visited by the devil who has work for him to do in order to save the souls of his dearly departed family. The story unfolds in bitesize chapters that zap back and forth along a fifteen year timeline. I read this debut novella in two sittings, so it was compelling. Normally I prefer my psychopaths to have both feet firmly planted on the ground, but an occasional departure into the realms of fantasy surely must be good for the soul?