A new series by Laurell K Hamilton, featuring a male protagonist. Enter, Zaniel Havelock (Havoc), a police Detective, veteran, and former student at the cult – I mean College – of Angels. The College of Angels accepts students who have a gift of communicating with angels, but once accepted, it can be hard to leave. Havoc managed to leave the College only after some traumatic events that are hinted at, but not fully fleshed out in this first book (I’m looking forward to the full story later). 

In a world where most people are born with Guardian Angels they can’t see, and witches, familiars and spirit guides are common, the police are starting to actively recruit gifted cops. As a police Detective in the City of Angels, Havoc is often called for crimes of a magical nature. But when he is called to the scene of a murder he and his colleagues quickly realize that it was no ordinary murder: there was a demon involved, and in a way no one has seen before. The search for those involved is the driving plot point, with enough descriptions of Havoc’s past history and current relationships to keep a reader interested.

It was hard not to draw parallels between this book and the early Anita Blake books. The pacing is similar, as is the way Hamilton describes the interactions between officers, both professional and private. I wasn’t mad about that, though, because the descriptions of police procedure and law that have adapted to the existence of magic is one of my favorite things about Hamilton’s writing and world building. The descriptions provided about the College of Angles are great, and I can’t wait to learn more about it – because it’s clear that even if the College is done with Havoc, the angels are not. 

As a long-time Hamilton reader, it was almost shocking to read a book with no sex in it, but this novel is kind of a throwback to early Anita, except that Havoc is almost divorced and has a son. We get our main character in couple’s therapy right away, trying to repair his marriage. The ending and conclusion are slightly abrupt, but there is plenty of room for more story, and I would absolutely keep reading. 4.5 stars.