From Goodreads: Some Murders Shouldn’t Be Investigated.  The City of San Francisco is locked in a grip of fear. A series of occult murders has led, Inspector Thomas James, to a crime scene similar to a murder committed 90 years ago in the once grand Aleris Hotel. A place where power barons of the early 20th Century engaged in witchcraft. And silent film stars indulged in the most wicked of sins.  A place where no one questions the black smoke that rises from the hotel’s incinerators in the middle of the night.

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I liked this novel a lot, though I need to admit that I was confused for a bit of it.  Now, I was confused.  But, I looked at review, after review, after review, on Goodreads, just to check, and no one else seems to be confused.  So, this tells me something: I am weird.  Yep.  I am.  Remember that my reviews are a personal reflection of my reading capabilities, and I think I may have missed a vital sentence here or there, because, while I really did like the novel, I was confused on occasion, such as the devil and legion coming out into the mystery story.  I guess I wasn’t expecting that and it threw me for a loop, and somewhere around there I must have missed something.  But, that being said, you have to remember that this review is my personal take on the novel and just because I was confused doesn’t mean you will be too, and it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pick up this novel, because you should!  I didn’t start to get confused until halfway through the book.  The beginning and first 150 pages had me captivated and completely enthralled with the story.  Murders and suspense were everywhere, and I really enjoyed it.  Then the devil came into play and I became confused, as I’ve already stated, and then the novel went back to being really good again!  More murders, suspense, and creepiness ensued, brining into play highly publicized murderers, such as Charles Manson, and it was really interesting. 

And the writing—I can’t forget the writing!  Amo is a very talented writer with a highly active imagination, and I loved reading his prose!  His gift for writing is apparent within the first chapter of the novel, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story as well.   There were a lot of characters in the novel, and at times it was difficult for me to follow along with all of them (again, personal issue), but overall I liked it and cannot wait for the sequel, especially since Amo leaves the reader hanging with a conclusion that will have you dying for the sequel.  Three and a half stars.