Monday 7 November 2022

Dark Web - Declan Finn - Saint Tommy NYPD Book 11

Dark Web
Saint Tommy, NYPD Book 11
Declan Finn
ISBN 9798821249531
eISBN 9798201459635
ASIN B09ZRJJCD3
 

This series just gets better and better! I have read 16 books by Declan Finn in the last few months, and 1 prior to that. I have loved what I have read to date. And I have plans to read all that I can lay my hands on. Both the Saint Tommy and the White Ops series are greatly entertaining, and I cannot wait for the Pius trilogy of 5 books to be back in print. This is truly another great story in an always entertaining series. These books took me completely by surprise, and I find that I am surprised again with each new novel. They are very well written. The description of this story is:

“When a Christian internet celebrity is kidnapped, Tommy Nolan must team up with a ghost from his past in order to battle the horrors lurking in the Dark Web, including a drug dealer peddling supernatural powders, Chinese nationals wielding supernatural weapons, and a Private Military Contractor staffed with witches.”

This one has one of the shortest descriptions in the series. And in part that brevity leaves us open for how many surprised, twists, and turns are in this story. Just before I read this book I saw an announcement for 3 published short stories in the series. I reached out to Finn to find out where they would fit in the series:

They Burn Witches, Don't They 
      (between Lupus Dei and City of Shadows)
Principle Necromancy 
      (between Deus Vult and Coven)
Vessel 
      (after book 12, Blue Saint)

At that point I believe the series is completed at least for now. Their may be some side stories, according to Finn, but the main story is written and published. I have decided to push through and finish this story and the final novel, Blue Saint, and then circle back to these newly released shorter works. I have been pacing myself with these books. I have been reading about 1 a week, interspersed with other fiction and nonfiction. It was only a massive amount of self-control. And having three new stories set in this world is like a surprise gift. But one that will wait.

Tommy is still officially on staff with the NYPD, but he is working mostly independent of them, with a new task force. They are sort of part of the FBI, the team is the Joint Supernatural Taskforce, the official designation with the FBI was JSTF, but we called it JST or “Just.” The day to day team is Tommy, his son Jeremy, Jeremy’s wife Lena, and his retired partner Alex Packard. They also have some floater desks for FBI agents when they are working with the team. With dedicated desks for Father Richard Freeman, Medical Examiner, Doctor Sinead Holland and ADA William Carlton of Manhattan.

Tommy stated previously:

“In the years that JST had been active, the FBI had allowed us all sorts of access—to their databases, AFIS (for fingerprints), PERT (physical evidence recovery team), the FBI labs—but they had yet to send us a single FBI agent to work with us on a long-term basis. We had access to resources, and were were occasionally sent either a rookie or someone who was on-the-job retired.”

Lena and Jeremy are both officially agents for the CIA but work mostly without supervision. In this story we encounter a relative of Nolan’s we had not met before and never even heard of. He appears as the heads of the Texas Randers and comes with Lloyd Lermon on the trail of a Catholic YouTube Celebrity who has been shanghaied. One Ranger Chief Aaron Nolan, is appearance is unwelcome, and things go downhill from there. Once again there is a lot of action, some serious misdirection. The story has a lot more police work, uncovering the trail of the missing man. They do battle with witches, dragur’s and more. A side trip to Quebec provides some great information and an excellent battle. We get to see Jeremy and Lena working a mission on their own. An Anti-Fa mob, and various other creatures. And the final battle is epic! 

Again this time Finn does an excellent job of weaving current events into this Catholic Action Horror novel. The characters are wonderfully written. Tommy, his friends and family are the type of people I would love to know. Wondering what will happen to them next leaves you hanging big time! And with book 12 planned as the last novel, how it will end overall.

I have read books from three different series by Finn and can say I enjoyed them all. The books in this series should be read in order as they are a continuous story. I can easily recommend this book and these stories to mature readers. Finn does a masterful job of blending faith and fiction and thereby crafting excellent stories! It is another intense story. An excellent read in a great series!    

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan

Books by Declan Finn:
Love At First Bite Series:


Other books:
...

Anthologies contributed to:
Luna: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 2
Supernatural Streets
Starflight: Tales From The Starport Lounge
Mercury: Planetary Anthology Series Book 4
Venus: Planetary Anthology Series Book 5
Mars: Planetary Anthology Series Book 7
Places Beyond the Wild: A Z-Day Anthology
Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic
Fantastic Schools, Volume 6

















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