I’ve come to the end of my Nick Holleran journey – for now. Given the massive cliffhanger at the end, and the fact Green is currently working on the next in the series, I’m looking forward to getting my Holleran fix hopefully in the near future.
A Shadow Over Haven is the most recent book of the Nick Holleran series and the stakes have never been higher. For those looking to get into these excellent books, Nick Holleran has escaped death, and as a result, he can now see all the ghoulish things that live invisibly among us. Ghosts, demons, and other monsters, he discovers Hell is on Earth, and we’re living it. Nick takes his PI business from Private to Paranormal Investigation – or should we call it Preternatural Investigation now that we know what that means?
Nick is sent to retrieve a relic for the Irish Don known as the Collector, a relic which warps reality in ways Nick could only wish for, and the phrase “be careful what you wish for” couldn’t be more apt.
It’s difficult to describe the great ways Green plays around with the concept of reality without giving too much away but believe me when I say it’s well thought out and a joy to read. Green leans into his strengths, specifically his fantastic characters, which push the stakes even higher given how much you care about Nick and his found family.
Speaking of characters, all the ones we know and love are back, specifically, Diana, the eyeless teenage ghost from the 1960s and Rosa, Nick’s girlfriend, who is a librarian and martial artist in Aikido.
Nick has learned in the last book to let the women in his life help him and not sideline them because he’s afraid they might get hurt. But what if they do get hurt and make decisions he can’t control? As much as Nick wants the help of his family, it’s not easy when things go wrong.
We have the return of Lucifer. A few books back, we suspected he was up to something, and that plan has escalated. Like all of Green’s characters, Lucifer is interesting to read. I really liked his scenes as, like Charon, he reveals more about the afterlife which in turn reveals Green’s engaging world-building.
There’s a lot more action in this book which can be tricky to write and make interesting, but Green manages this in a way that’s both gripping and entertaining.
This series is the type you recommend to your friends because you’re dying to talk to someone about it. I don’t know if there’s a name for the type of fans of these books – Holleranites? But I believe I’m one of them now. This is now one of my favourite series and I can see myself rereading them in the future.
Be sure to read all my reviews for Nick Holleran series.
I read this book as part of Hell In Haven: Holleran Case Files – 5 Complete Cases – Paranormal Investigator Series but I will be reviewing each story separately.
Find out more about David Green.
This book review is part of a new #Octobooks series. #Octobooks are books associated with authors/guests/members (past and present) of #Octocon, the National Irish Science Fiction Convention. Find out more about Octocon on their website and their socials: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky, and Mastodon.
MARK KIELTY 