cover image Hell’s Fire

Hell’s Fire

Christopher Simms, . . Pegasus, $25 (291pp) ISBN 978-1-60598-044-7

British author Simms (Shifting Skin ) emphasizes action over characterization in his first police thriller to be published in the U.S. When a fourth Manchester church is destroyed in an arson incident involving satanic rituals, Det. Insp. Jon Spicer and his Major Incident Team investigate. In the smoldering ruins of the church is a charred corpse. More murders follow, with evidence that the killer is employing methods used in the Middle Ages to slaughter suspected witches. Other leads involve a death metal band, Satan’s Inferno, one of whose members disappeared shortly before the most recent conflagration, and Tristan Arkell, head of the Psychic Academy, whose police record includes a number of allegations of sexual assault. Spicer’s own sister, Ellie, who’s become a Wiccan, may also have relevant information, even as she reveals a dark secret from Spicer’s childhood. The killer’s identity will surprise many readers, but this isn’t enough to salvage a routine plot. (June)