The Hand of God

The Victor McCain Series, Volume 1

By: Tony Acree

Narrated by: John Glouchevitch

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

It was 6 p.m. when the devil walked into my office and had a seat. Bounty hunter Victor McCain always wondered how his brother, Mikey, went from down-n-out loser to one of Louisville's richest men. Now he knew: his brother sold his soul to the devil. And in 24 hours, Mikey would die and spend eternity in hell unless Victor agreed to hunt down a thief, a woman as deadly as she is beautiful.

On a journey of murder and betrayal, Victor must now put his own soul at risk to save his only brother, battle a dark underground organization with the goal of nothing less than global war between Christians and Muslims, and fight creatures from man's darkest nightmares. Then there's the Hand of God, God's own bounty hunter. In the end, will he be friend or enemy? Only heaven knows.

©2015 Tony Acree (P)2015 Tony Acree

Better than expected!

I went into this book after hearing about it at comicpalooza in Houston. This is the first I have read from this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The story was unique and the book moved along at a steady pace. I actually didn’t realize I burned through it in a day until I was already at the end. Definitely worth a listen!

Very pleased. This books author is now one of my favorites.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review." Awesome book, pleased to have found it.

Really good book.

Very well written and reminds me a lot of Jim Butcher. I recommend this book to all thriller fans.

It was okay but....

At first, after listening to a couple of paragraphs, I thought, "This was a bad choice. I don't think I can listen to this. It's so poorly written." It was about that time I discovered that the book is set in Louisville, KY. I lived in Louisville for several years with my husband , who was from near there. Though we no longer live there and my husband as passed away, I always loved the city. Listening to this story reminded me of my husband so much. It was like taking a tour of Louisville. All the places, streets and buildings, are real. You can go to Google maps and find them. The story was kind of preposterous and the characters overblown and exaggerated. But the places are spot on. If you miss Louisville, or just want to visit, this book's for you. Otherwise, I can't really recommend it. I suppose book two might be better. If it's also set in Louisville, I might read it, too. I miss the place.

Great listen.

This is local for me, which got me to reluctantly listen, but the story was excellent and I binged this title in a day. Reminds me a bit of Constantine/the strain.

modern day sam spade in a supernatural thriller

Would you listen to The Hand of God again? Why?

The story is very fast paced and you can miss hints if you are not paying attention. I've listened to a few passages again already.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hand of God?

The sequence that takes place on the farm and the main character and others gets surrounded in the barn.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I think the narrator should pick up their pace during the action sequences. This would add tension and a sense of the speed at which the action takes place. When I'm reading a book, I find myself reading faster during action sequences.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I love how the dark moments are laced with humor.

Jack Reacher meets Lucifer

What other book might you compare The Hand of God to and why?

I would compare this to the Jack Reacher series. The strong tough guy against the rest of the world. The supernatural twist just adds to the story!

Not bad but not great

A nice start to what appears to be a promising series. The writing and story telling has some inconsistencies but there is decent character development, the story moves right along. There is plenty of action. The protagonist has a nice sense of humor. However, the protagonist also seems to spontaneously lose his empathy or morality when it comes to killing. It just seems hard to believe after surviving the military/war and now back working for a period in the US as a bounty hunter that in less than a 24 hour period he falls from grace so abruptly and suddenly. The story doesn't support this important event - it isn't clear the trigger (yea the girl partially but it doesn't feel right or complete). Anyway, onto the next book in the series.

Good story, and a nice setup.

Nice original story and great introduction to Victor McCain. The dialogue felt a little forced at times (“I’ll make your head look more like a Picasso if you don’t tell me what I want to know”. Who talks like that...?), but the story was engaging, so I didn’t mind too much. One other slight criticism: an ex military badass like Victor McCain should differently know the difference between a gun “clip” and a gun “magazine.” The terms are not interchangeable :-) I would recommend to anyone interested in a mystery/suspense story with a strong lead and well written action.

captivating story

this story had me hooked from the first chapter until the very end I thought I figured it out but was pleased to see there were still surprises in store great read

A light fast paced story that’s worth a listen

Disclaimer: I was given a free download in return for an honest review. Firstly, and most importantly, I really enjoyed this audio book. The character development is very light, the plot isn’t heavy and is quite linear, females are mostly decorations, but good looking decorations. There’s no wasted words in this book, no fluff, no padding. I’m sure the author intended a light, fast-paced story, and that’s what he delivered. Narration is 100% perfect. I would highly recommend. My only problem now is do I continue the story and buy into the other books, or leave it here? There’s a definite continuation and a promise of other adventures, but I’m not sure I’m gripped enough want to find out. If more books come up in a two for one sale, I’d buy, I’m not sure I would otherwise.

Fantastic fast paced thriller!

Loved this! This was my first book in the thriller genre and I was really impressed with! The story has you hooked right from the beginning and the fast paced style keeps you entertained the whole way through. Can't wait for the next one!

Just what I've been looking for

Disclaimer: I received a free download in exchange for an impartial and honest review, here it is... I went into this book knowing the title and that the main character was a bounty hunter. I won't spoil the plot but I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the main protagonist is approached by the devil to do some bounty hunting. Nice premise some familiar action mixed with some supernatural or spiritual element, I enjoyed the mix and to be honest I kind of forgot about the whole devil thing at some points because it moves along so nicely. Don't let the quirkiness of the devil existing put you off. The narrator does a good job with the main character, I can believe that's what Vic McCain sounds like. The story followed a slightly predictable path in that I kind of knew how things would work out, just not how they would get there from quite early on, I knew it was the first in a series so I wasn't expecting everything to be tied up in a bow at the end and things are wide open for the rest of the series. I will definitely be reading the sequel(s) and can't recommend this enough if you enjoy action stories with a hint of something else, in this case devil worship.

review

Okay book. Quite predictable and female characters need more depth. Very fast paser Great narrator.

So the Devil walks into a bounty hunter's office..

If you like mediocre protagonists, heavy handed wisecrackery and women as decoration, read this book. Impossible to finish, even with the excellent services of the narrator (if the devil was meant to sound like a famous televangelist who shall remain forever unnamed, it was a masterstroke)