The Following review was contributed by: John Walsh

What if there were really a hell, a hell of torments too dire and horrible even to imagine? That would be awful enough for souls justifiably damned for their misdeeds during life. But if innocent souls were somehow consigned to the flames instead of the heaven they deserve, then this would be too terrible to bear. In these cases, it is necessary to find a Hell Cop willing and able to brave the dangers of hell and retrieve the lost soul from its suffering. This is the premise of David C. Burton’s highly enjoyable new fantasy adventure. A select group of people, reputedly including Virgil, Dante, Orpheus and other legendary and historical figures, have found the opportunity to penetrate hell and bring wrongly imprisoned souls out from it. This is the trade that our hero Getter – Hell Cops prefer nicknames in hell since one can never be sure who might be listening out for someone’s name – follows. He is hired to retrieve the soul of a ten year old girl. Planning a swift and uneventful mission, Getter prepares himself and enters.

Unfortunately, there is disquiet in hell. Rumour has it that the archfiend Mephisto is raising an army to depose Satan. Worse, for Getter, is that many demons and denizens of hell believe he has a special destiny to determine the shape of hell, a destiny which raises his profile to the extent that many more demons are now actively seeking him out to kill him – and if a Hell Cop gets killed in hell, then his or her soul must remain in torment there forever. Getter’s adventures suffer many twists and turns and his endurance is tested to the limit. There is much more to hell than anyone knows and even Satan does not know every nook and cranny of the place – besides which, it is growing and changing constantly. Perhaps there might even be some secret allies willing to help lifers?

This is a splendidly told tale and one which is likely to appeal to any reader with imagination. Some of the torments dealt out to the endlessly suffering souls are truly unpleasant and there is an enjoyable sense of time and place throughout the story. Without wishing to reveal the denouement, it is clear that there will be a sequel and I for one look forward to reading it.