The Devil You Know (Nick Englebrecht, #1)

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The Devil You Know (Nick Englebrecht #1)

by K.H. Koehler (Goodreads Author)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 20 ratings · 15 reviews

Not only does the devil have an only begotten son, but he’s currently residing in the rural town of Blackwater in northeast Pennsylvania.

Semi-retired from law enforcement, the handsome, if cynical, Nick Englebrecht becomes quickly caught up in a local missing child case that seems mundane on the outside, but when the sheriff requests his help as a psychic detective to help...more

ebook, 198 pages

Published October 13th 2012 by Curiosity Quills Press

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Jan 22, 2013 Experiment BL626 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-mystery, netgalley, lgbt, reviewed

I wanted to like this book, but there were too many small issues to tolerate.

The Characters

+ the hero
The only noteworthy thing about Nick was that he was bi. Other than that, he was a stereotypical Urban Fantasy protagonist. He has a destiny he doesn’t want to face, a power he doesn’t practice to attain mastery, and a tendency to jump into trouble without preparation.

I had a hard time believing the character was an ex-cop, a psychic detective, and a prince of Hell. He frequently let the bad guys...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Nick is a daemon, and not just any daemon – he’s the son and heir of Lucifer himself. Yet he tries to avoid all that, focusing instead on being a witch and part owner of an occult shop with his friend and business partner Morganna.

Until Vivian enters his life, a fellow daemon, hunting by Seraphs (warrior angels with no sense of humour who would very much like to pound daemons into the dirt). Sparks quickly fly between the two daemons, even if Morganna doesn’t approve.

Nick’s also an ex-detective...more Nick is a daemon, and not just any daemon – he’s the son and heir of Lucifer himself. Yet he tries to avoid all that, focusing instead on being a witch and part owner of an occult shop with his friend and business partner Morganna.

Until Vivian enters his life, a fellow daemon, hunting by Seraphs (warrior angels with no sense of humour who would very much like to pound daemons into the dirt). Sparks quickly fly between the two daemons, even if Morganna doesn’t approve.

Nick’s also an ex-detective and is called in by local police when they need help from someone in the know and with his woo-woo – such as when a small child disappears in mysterious circumstances. Nick’s sure there’s more to the disappearance than it seems – but is also heavily distracted by the issues consuming Vivian’s life. Especially when the two appear to be linked and the enemy discovers him, Lucifer’s son, as an excellent prize.

This book has massive props for originality. Nick is a daemon, the son of a demon and a mortal woman. Actually, he’s the son of Lucifer and a mortal woman and Lucifer’s heir; not just a paperwork exercise, he’s expected to step up and take over just as his father did from his grandfather.

He and his dad don’t get on, as can be imagined – and that not getting on is rather well done. There’s a combination of revulsion and rejection of what his father is and stands for, linked with his abandoned-child desire for acceptance and respect coupled with a fear and shame of not reaching his father’s standards. And all of that is done without pages and pages of angst and moping.

Nick as a character has a lot of intriguing elements, as does Vivian, his love interest. Together they have a lot in common and not just their heritage – they’re not saints by any stretch and they don’t pretend to be. While Nick has a conscience that he does apply and lines he doesn’t cross, he’s also not a nice person and doesn’t have many illusions about that. Sometimes this goes too far into behaviour that crosses from “not a nice person” to “inexcusable arsehole” but usually doesn’t – it’s a balance that needs to be addressed. In general he’s quite deep and involved with a strong level of characterisation to make him very compelling very real, someone you want to get behind and support while, unfortunately, having moments when you want to punch him a few times.

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Feb 04, 2013 J. S. Turner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-read

I am not one for the procedural ex-cop turned "insert here" story line. I find it to be an easy out. There are a multitude of ex-cop this and ex-cop that novels in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, of which most I find to be a bore. However K.H. Koehler's, The Devil You Know, piqued my interest.

What makes this particular story interesting is the main character Nick Englebrecht, his hellish and heavenly associates and his moral juggling act. See...Nick is many things: ex-cop, bi-sexual, chain smoker, jun...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fantasy, detective, ebook, fantasy, gods, murder, mystery, noir, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A fantastic amalgam of detective novel and contemporary fantasy, with a hefty dose of the supernatural and a side order of Christian theology. Fast, well-written, and intriguing.

Honestly, the only reason this isn't a 5-star rating is because I was uncomfortable with the frequency, duration, and aggression of the sex scenes, and the diminution of the female protagonist to a mere femme fatale and sex partner. Given a little more agency for her, and less triggery backstory, this would've been a dar...more A fantastic amalgam of detective novel and contemporary fantasy, with a hefty dose of the supernatural and a side order of Christian theology. Fast, well-written, and intriguing.

Honestly, the only reason this isn't a 5-star rating is because I was uncomfortable with the frequency, duration, and aggression of the sex scenes, and the diminution of the female protagonist to a mere femme fatale and sex partner. Given a little more agency for her, and less triggery backstory, this would've been a darn good read.

About that: TRIGGER WARNINGS ABOUND. Child molestation is a central theme, and not always treated in an appropriately horrified/horrifying way. Be prepared.

Nick Englebrecht really is the son of the devil, and next in line to rule Hell. The theology built up around his lineage, and the lineage of God, and the various angels and demons is very well wrought in this book, and it's clear the author's done some research into the different types of heavenly creatures. Nick is pretty well resigned to his fate, although not willing to quit struggling against it (hurrah for free will), and embraces his demonic side, working magic and doing seances, exorcisms, etc. He also happens to be an ex-cop with a traumatic past, which comes into play when he's asked to help find a missing girl. Soon enough, the femme fatale who charged into his life on the first page gets accused of murder, shit gets real, and Nick has a REAL challenge on his hands. Not to mention a breakdown in the accords that protect humans from angelic wrath, and more.

Packing all of that into what is a very short novel takes some skill, and the author manages to pull it off with aplomb. There's some repetitive phrasing and a few stilted conversations, but overall, the pacing is good and there's a distinct lack of jarring infodumps. The characterizations could have been deeper (and relied much less on sexual trauma, thanks), but I suspect that the author is holding quite a bit back for sequels.

Recommended for fans of the Dresden Files or Hellblazer who don't mind a few more graphic sex scenes than are really necessary, and who don't have trigger issues.(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy

Recommended to Katy by: NetGalley

Shelves: ebook, galley-for-review, net-galley

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of urban fantasy, fast-paced and fun stories
Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, child molestation (implied, and in the past)

Disclosure: I received an e-galley edition from Curiosity Quills via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Not only does the devil have an only begotten son, but he’s currently residing in the rural town of Blackwater in northeast Pennsylvania.

Semi-retired from law en...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a really good book with a different take on angels, daemons, demons, the devil and god. Nick is the son of the devil and therefore has to watch his back as angels are always gunning for him, even though he isn't evil or bad. Well no more bad than the next guy, he likes to smoke and have sex, nothing wrong with that.

When he meets Vivian, he finds himself falling fast for her but there is a small problem, she's like him. She's also running from Malach, an angel that is known for killing da...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Janny rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-the-fuck, urban-fantasy

Goddammit. That pretty much sums up my feelings on a book that started out awesome and then took a sharp turn into weirdness territory. I was getting pretty bored by the usual Dresden Files type of protagonist, so when the main character here turned out to be a bi dude who also had a friends with benefits situation going on I was intrigued. But then things just went from interesting to what-the-hell when the sex scenes just sprung out of nowhere and went on for pages and pages. They just seemed...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Candace Wynell McHann rated it 3 of 5 stars

This title is really what got me scratching my chin and thinking that this is a book I want to read. And it started out amazing. Then…I started having mixed emotions about our hero Nick.

Nick had a good voice with amazing one liners and descriptions, however, there were times that I felt that he was a little too creepy for me. And to me, he didn’t sound handsome. At one time, K.H. Koehler described him as David Bowie from the Labyrinth. I like David Bowie, but not really my cup of tea. Also, ther...more This title is really what got me scratching my chin and thinking that this is a book I want to read. And it started out amazing. Then…I started having mixed emotions about our hero Nick.

Nick had a good voice with amazing one liners and descriptions, however, there were times that I felt that he was a little too creepy for me. And to me, he didn’t sound handsome. At one time, K.H. Koehler described him as David Bowie from the Labyrinth. I like David Bowie, but not really my cup of tea. Also, there seemed to be this really strange obsession with describing the size of hands and man parts was a little off putting. There was some sexy time between Nick and Vivian, a half demon like himself, and after reading it I felt like I really needed to take a shower…to wash away the ick factor. But then, Nick would redeem himself by doing something related to the main plot of the story in investigating the missing little girl or do some kind of awesome action scene that involved fighting some seriously badass angels. While reading this, unfortunately, I couldn’t help myself thinking that Nick is merely Diet Dresden: seems like my favorite hero Harry Dresden, but just not as satisfying.

I had an issue with how women were portrayed in this book. Vivian seemed to be more than kind of slutty, and the evil villainess was absolutely bonkers due to her thirst for ultimate power. The only female in the story that seemed stable was Morgana. She was the calm and rational force that seemed to keep Nick grounded in reality.

These issues I had to with the story didn’t prevent me from finishing the tale. I found that my favorite part of the book was the interaction between Nick and Lucifer. It seemed to me the only time where there is genuine emotion other than snark and horny. It was an honest conversation between father and son. The father delivering the worst of bad news, and advising that he is the only one who can stop what was happening, however, he better watch his ass because bad things could happen to him as well.

Nick Engelbrecht, he’s not a bad guy or a bad character, and the story and mythology of the spiritual world was interesting and it did peak my interest. I did enjoy the book for the most part. But I just felt that the things that put me off made it hard to really get behind and cheer for Nick and tell him to go kick some butt. This is the first in series, and really, not for the weak of heart. Will I read the next books? More than likely. There seems to be something up with Vivan. I mean, she was referenced as the Whore of Babylon. So that has to be important right? Right?

Go forth and read, my friends.(less)

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Oct 27, 2012 Matthew Graybosch rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is how Hellblazer should have been Americanized and adapted for film. Like John Constantine, Nick Englebrecht is a bisexual, chain-smoking man of ill repute whom many insist is some sort of con artist. He's also an ex-cop, and by virtue of his father being Lucifer is possessed of such preternatural abilities as genre savvy worthy of Harry Dresden and the authority to order around other demons.

He'll need them. "Lucifer" is not so much a name as a hereditary title, and while rank has its priv...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Stephen Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Curiosity Quills has a knack of finding the wierdest and strangest books to publish. As with my previous review of ‘The Last Donut Shop’, this is another crazy laugh-out-loud adventure.

Let’s start with the premise. The sone of Satan owns an occult shop. Yep. And then it gets funny!

This is a short book that just zips through. There is the odd editing issue though these can be overlooked in favour of this bonkers story. It is almost a crossover between 50 Shades and mixed with angels and devils bu...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book, and at just under 200 pages it doesn’t feel short but just right. Nick is sexy, sarcastic, and complicated. The angel’s aren’t all good, and the demon’s aren’t all bad. It was the perfect mix of magic and mystery, with some very hot sex scene’s. There is so much more to come from this world and these character’s. And I can’t wait to find out what is the deal with Vivian, like Morgana I don’t trust her. Fan’s of the Dresden Files I think you will really enjoy this book. I am a...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Thea Gregory rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I was given a copy to review in exchange for my thoughts. I went in expecting something dark-laced with a healthy does of action, and I wasn't disappointed. As a bonus: killer angels, an all-out heaven versus hell war, witches, warlocks, fauns, and even a spirit guide. It might sound like a lot to keep up with, but Koehler keeps the story coherent, fun and easy to follow.

The main character, Nick, was a lot of fun. He's half-demon, and not a bad guy considering that he's the devil's son. However...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Maxine McLister rated it 2 of 5 stars

I suspect this book will appeal more to fans of Fifty Shades of Grey than those of the Dresden files. And I have read every book in the Dresden series. Call me crazy or old-fashioned but, when it comes to fantasy (even urban fantasy), I prefer adventure and great world-building to new age hipster sex and snark. If I want sex and snark, I'll read Gore Vidal.

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Oct 13, 2012 Jessa Russo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review to come!

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Jan 19, 2013 Beate marked it as i-want-you-to-want-me

I want to read this, but I ain't paying $8 for an ebook...

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About K.H. Koehler

K. H. Koehler is the author of various novels and novellas in the genres of horror, SF, dark fantasy, steampunk and young adult. In addition, she is a professional cover designer, an associate editor at KHP Books and owner of K. H. Koehler Books. Visit her site at http://khkoehlerbooks.wordpress.com

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