Review: Hell Spawn by Declan Finn

New York City and cop drama go hand in hand. Said same city and violent crime that can only be described as the demonic go hand in claw.

New York City and cop drama go hand in hand. Said same city and violent crime that can only be described as the demonic go hand in claw.

In Hell Spawn, the first book in the Saint Tommy series of novels by Declan Finn, the two are brought together.

But how do you arrest a demon?

The Story

Detective Thomas Nolan is a family man and by-the-book homicide detective in New York City’s 105th precinct in Queens. He’s also a devout Catholic who’s active in the Opus Dei and ministers Holy Communion to the sick. He’s seen a lot on the job, but when he suddenly bilocates (appears in two places at once) while foiling a mugging, even that manages to throw him for a loop. With an arrest on his plate before he’s even arrived for his shift, his day only gets busier when he discovers he can detect a stench that no one else can: it’s the literally ungodly smell of evil.

He traces it through the building, barely keeping his breakfast down all the way. Its source is a transient with bloody hands that had been picked up that morning in a park, who upon seeing Nolan, attacks our hero in a homicidal rage. The ensuing brawl trashes half the building as the undernourished, unkempt attacker easily holds multiple people at bay while also fighting Nolan. It’s only through a literal Hail Mary that our protagonist eventually gains the upper hand, all before he’s even had a chance to sign in.

This absolute roller coaster ride of a kick-off thickens quickly after people in Nolan’s neighborhood and life start dying in excruciatingly gruesome fashions. After a taunting message is left at one crime scene, it becomes clear the killer has Nolan in his sights, and he’s got otherworldly help. However Nolan eventually learns that he does as well: supernatural abilities previously only known to be attributed to saints.

The characters

Nolan himself eschews several of the well-worn cop tropes prevalent in traditional crime drama. There’s no bitterness at an unappreciative public, no jaded stoicism from years of seeing the worst in humanity day in and day out, no secret mistress. He’s just a decent man who holds his faith and family close to him.

It’s his deep faith in particular that acts as a bulwark against the coarsening of the soul that creeps into the heart of every New Yorker. As he says during an interview with Internal Affairs following the ruckus: “A lot of the guys we arrest aren’t bad guys, just guys who do bad things. No reason not to talk to the parts that are still okay inside.”

He’s an able marksman and fighter, but humble enough to be in outright denial when a priest friend of his suggests he’s imbued with saintly powers. His ability to continue to see the humanity in everyone he interacts with, even on the streets, is a refreshing change from the cynical cop stereotype we’ve become used to seeing on shows like Law & Order or, Christ forbid, anything Shonda Rhymes has had anything to do with.

Nolan’s wife Mariel and son Jeremy fit their roles as supporting characters well. Mariel in particular plays the part of a doting and protective mother, even wielding a shotgun with aplomb against would-be home invaders. Jeremy is present to a much lesser extent, but still given enough of a presence and personality to care about once demons start menacing him.

Backing Tommy up on the case are his trusty partner in the older, more sarcastic Detective Alex Packard, and Father Richard Freeman, a Dominican priest who is also an expert profiler and psychiatrist. It’s Freeman who initially floats the notion that Tommy is getting divine assistance, and helps piece together the cryptic clues left at murder scenes in order to help gain insight into the killer’s motivations.

Packard is never at a loss for a dry wisecrack (at times, maybe a bit too often), but doesn’t hesitate to leap in the fray to help Tommy when his back is against the wall. The team plays well as a complimentary whole, each offering their own skills and insights as the case progresses. Nolan’s unquestionably the star of the bunch, but Finn balances the three personalities well.

The world

It’s modern day New York City in all its awfulness. As an expat from Brooklyn myself, I can confirm that Finn definitely nails the atmosphere of the cramped old metropolis, right down to commutes along its serpentine tangle of highways, streets and bridges.

The particular layouts of residential Queens versus cosmopolitan Manhattan are visualized well and the tone and tenor of the speech and personality of the various locals is spot on. It’s accurate if largely nondescript, since for all its fantastic elements, the setting is more slice-of-life than set piece, but it works in the story’s favor.

The politics

Hoo boy. While no political hay is being made for the most part, a major turning point in the plot centers around abortion both as act and industry. Finn himself is a practicing Catholic, and makes no bones about this. One should not be surprised to discover then,  that the procedure the Church refers to as “an act of intrinsic evil that cannot be allowed under any circumstances,” isn’t portrayed in a positive light. You’ve been warned.

As far as the book is concerned, abortionists, and those actively furthering the goals and objectives of the abortion industry are the bad guys, and they are portrayed as such. To the point of caricature? Is it message fiction, as some of those leaving one-star reviews would have you believe? I don’t think so; Finn for his part still manages to treat his antagonists less as caricatures than the likes of John Scalzi and company would treat a socially conservative character. But this is without a doubt the 600-pound gorilla at the top of the heap as far as issues go. Reader be advised.

Additionally, Nolan’s first-person commentary touches briefly on the various crie du coeurs that flit through the cultural landscape from a law enforcement perspective: headaches caused by Antifa and BLM, along with their lawyers get passing mentions, but otherwise the story stays focused on the action and finding a demon-possessed murderer.

Content warning

While the book contains nothing involving sensuality and only a single four-letter word, the book is awash in blood and violence. It’s always contextually relevant, yes, but there is a lot. Finn’s forces of Hell are seething with hatred, malice and wonton bloodlust, and in describing their travesties, he does not flinch. You might.

If you’ve seen the video for Slayer’s Repentless and got through it okay, you’ll be able to take the final confrontation. If it turns you off, well . . .

Who is it for?

Christians (particularly Catholics) will get more mileage out of this than non, naturally. Nolan’s faith is a major part of his life, but Finn is careful to write him as authentic without being preachy. If you can handle that, Saint Tommy still stands up as a worthwhile and virtuous hero figure. Aside from that, this book probably has some of the best written action sequences I’ve read. Finn’s words set the pace for his conflicts in a way that gets you turning pages.

Why read it?

The dialogue is great. The horror is indeed horrifying. And as a police procedural, its a decent effort despite its supernatural trappings. If you can stomach the violence, the action and gunplay is taught and lightning-fast. The Saint Tommy NYPD series is one that wears its heart on its sleeve, but its a big heart willing to face down anything the Evil One has to throw at it.

I’m definitely checking out book 2, Death Cult.