Blessed by Fire: A Special Investigations Novel

Special Investigations, Book 1

By: P.W. Hillard

Narrated by: Matt Jenkins

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Something sinister lurks in the town of Pontypridd, nestled between picturesque valleys. It whispers in Claire’s mind. It knows her secrets, her dark twisted desires. It can help her fulfil them, to complete her horrifying wish. All she needs to do is let it in.

The detectives of the secretive special investigations department work tirelessly. They are the first and only line protecting mankind from the supernatural, and the supernatural from mankind. Detective Constables Jess Holden and Mark Curren head to the small Welsh town. Their task, to investigate a haunted house, and exorcise it if needed.

Caught between two supernatural foes, Mark and Jess turn to help from the unlikeliest places. Can the detectives trust their allies? Can they stop the growing threat before it threatens reality itself?

A compulsive thrilling horror novel, Blessed by Fire is a terrifying debut.

©2019 P.W. Hillard (P)2019 P.W. Hillard

Excellent start to the series

I was pleasantly surprised by this supernatural detective novel
Great monsters and plenty of gore with a dual storyline that comes together nicely
A well narrated fun read looking forward to the second book silent legion
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

Paranormal Beings, Detectives, and Horror Oh My!

P. W. Hillard brilliantly crafted a horror story in which a special branch of detectives polices paranormal beings who have broken the law. I found the story to be entertaining and creative; however, I also thought that some of the subject matter could be offensive to readers with certain religious beliefs. The more I listen to Matt Jenkins, the more I appreciate him as a narrator. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Better Than the Book

I'd actually already read this book when I was given an audio version. I thought if I listened to it, maybe I'd have a different opinion of it. I think Matt Jenkins really made the difference. When I read it, I thought it went on and on, but listening made it more real, more interesting. I think hearing the emotion demonstrated rather than just reading it myself kept me invested in the storyline. Mr. Hillard has a great imagination and his descriptions and plot points are right on the mark. I do think that the Hillard/Jenkins partnership is a match made to last.

A great fun read

Blessed by Fire. .
This is a fun read very entertaining. Characters are very different from the norm.
I hope for more in this series.
Matt Jenkins narration is superb and lively.
And truly compliments the book making the story believable .
Suspend reality and be entertained.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review. .

Eh!

Had a difficult time getting through this one. Just wasn't for me.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

A great beginning

I love the concept of this new series, and truly enjoyed this first book. I like the two main characters, although the book would benefit with some professional editing.

The narrator, Matt Jenkins, does a great job.

All in all, this is a very interesting read, and a promising new series.

Marked as A Horror really more of a Thriller!

This is a story of 2 detectives who work for the Special Investigation: Investigating Supernatural Creatures. Through the book you met various supernatural characters some criminal and some just everyday (Persons) just trying to get by. I thought the Narrator did a great job bring the story to life. I am going to start the 2nd book next!! Note some details graphic so squeamish might not want to listen/read this story.

The Balance of Good vs. Evil

I really enjoyed the main protagonists for their poise in very horrific circumstances, and the "bad guys" (particularly Claire) for their resourcefulness and resilience. Set in the UK, the narrator did an excellent job on the accents and portrayed both male and female characters proficiently. There is even some humor thrown with a pair of demons and an angel. Fun Read/Listen.

story is ok, narration is shite.

this wears out quickly and thats mainly because of the narrator. he has no real talent for doing a female tone, and add in trying to do accents really skews it up quickly. further more a major issue is te scene changes, at one point they swap between several characters perspectives but there is no pause or any sort of transition, its done as if halfway through the sentence the scene just changes with no warning and suddenly your wondering just wtf is going on when it suddenly changes again.

im dropping this series like a sidhe holding a wrought iron pin cushion.

Supernatural horror detective thriller

I listened to the audiobook of this story. The story was good and perfect to listen to around Halloween. This is a story of two detectives who deal with supernatural happenings from monsters, ghosts, possessions to keep them hidden and protect humans. Overall, the premise of the story was good but I found the flow to be off sometimes and the story a little too jumpy from scene to scene which for me made it difficult to follow--especially in the audio version. Scenes are very descriptive so if you are a squeamish, this is a warning. The narrator did a good job with distinguishing voices but at times I found the pacing of the narrator a bit fast. I found myself having some difficulty with the British accent accent of narrator, The accent was fine given the location of the storyline; however, I just had to concentrate harder (especially during faster paced narration) to follow the story and had to shorten the listening periods. (This is noted as some may have an easier or harder time with the accent and may prefer the printed or ebook version instead). Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and audiobook. I received a copy of the audiobook for free at my request and have left this review voluntarily.

If the Bill and supernatural had an illegitimate child

If the Bill (uk police tv show) and supernatural had an illegitimate child this book would be it, there is something quintessentially British about the portrayal of the characters and depicts exactly how I would expect the uk police would deal with this sort of strange. This book paints a vivid world that I find relatable. The only thing that niggles at my enjoyment of this audio book is the poor welsh accent the narrator adopts for a few characters, that being said I still thoroughly enjoy this book!

Great performance

I thought the performance was really enjoyable, the commentary really made the characters come alive. The storyline seemed a little confused in places but overall enjoyable

Paranormal series Book 1

A good start to the series about paranormal cops. Plenty of action and some good dialogue, interesting storyline.

The narrator does a a good job with both english & welsh accents but not much differentiation between the voices of the characters.

Enjoyable story of ghosts and djinn

This is an interesting and enjoyable story, made all the better for me, by being set in a place I know, it's pretty comical in parts too.

The narrator is great mostly and his attempt at a welsh accent is not too bad BUT it needs speeding up, seriously, it sounds bizarre spoken so slowly.

Supernatural Investigations

Mark Curran and Jess Holden worked for the Special Investigations Department which dealt in supernatural crimes. They were called out to the Welsh town of Pontypridd to investigate two separate crimes. One of the crimes was to investigate a haunted house were the ghost of a maid had pushed a girl through a window. The second was to do with a Jinn brought back through portal to get revenge on her boyfriend and possessing her. Investigating a lot more murders meant more than one Jinn was abroad. With the help of a local constable Mark & Jess had to try and get rid of the Jinn. The narrator’s Welsh accent was very poor but still a good listen. A really enjoyable book with a few laughs along the way.

great book

Something sinister lurks in the town of Pontypridd, nestled between picturesque valleys.
great book enjoyed the book