Review- Aloha From Hell by Richard Kadrey

Order Aloha From Hell

Amazon Book Blurb--

In Sandman Slim Stark came back from hell for revenge.
In Kill the Dead he tackled both a zombie plague and being Lucifer’s bodyguard.
Once again all is not right in L.A. Lucifer is back in Heaven, God is on vacation, and an insane killer mounts a war against both Heaven and Hell.
Stark’s got to head back down to his old stomping grounds in Hell to rescue his long lost love, stop an insane serial killer, prevent both Good and Evil from completely destroying each other, and stop the demonic Kissi from ruining the party for everyone.
Even for Sandman Slim, that’s a tall order. And it’s only the beginning.

It is no secret that I love the Sandman Slim series and may have a tiny writer crush on Mr. Kadrey. (It isn't blind love. While I liked Butcher Bird, it wasn't great and I had serious issues with a few things.)

That said... I LOVED Aloha. Stark grows up quite a bit in this novel, going from being a 19 year old kid in a 30-something body that hungers only for bloody vengeance to something that approaches a real man. The relationships get a little deeper and you don't feel like he's just living on the rebound of all the crap that has happened to him any more.

While I saw first two "twists" coming from 1000 miles away. ( I hate reviews with spoilers, so I won't say more) The last two caught me off guard. I'm not often surprised, or if I am it tends to leave me with the crappy.. "Well, you just pulled that out of you ass" kind of feeling. These didn't come off that way. The twists were surprising, but fit seamlessly with the world building and characters.

So, if you haven't read them Go ahead and pick up Sandman Slim. If you have... feel free to share your opinion in the comments!