Many thanks, first of all, to the publishers for providing an advanced proof copy of this well-crafted blend of SF and serial killer mystery. The story opens in Little Springs, a small town with a population of about 730 people in Nebraska. A giant object has been detected on a collision course with the Earth, and at first it is believed to be an asteroid, but as it approaches it becomes clear that it is a giant humanoid, with a head, arms, torso and legs. Panic grips the town and the local sheriff, David Blunt, is determined to protect the residents. The action then cuts to two years later. The expected extinction-level event didn’t happen, as the three-mile high alien slowed as it approached the planet then fell gently to Earth just outside Little Springs. It now lays where it landed, apparently dead and with a huge spike jutting out of its chest. In the intervening two years a city has grown up next to the town, and a huge military base now blocks off the giant from the rest of the world. The sheriff is called to a suspected murder in the town and finds a mutilated body. The cuts on the body remind him of an earlier murder, and he mentions this to the state police when they arrive and take over the murder scene. They in turn are turfed out by the arrival of the FBI. Sheriff Blunt suspects there is a serial killer in his town, but is warned to stay away from the investigation by the FBI. He continues to poke around and further, gruesome, murders take place; eventually the FBI allow him to work with them, and with the military authorities running the huge army base. The sheriff has his suspects, and follows up on clues, but he struggles to find a connection between the victims, and his efforts are hampered by the authorities, until the eventual showdown with the killer. I had convinced myself quite early on that I knew the identity of the killer, and was eventually proved right, but this spoiled my enjoyment of the action. Everything I read was coloured by my assumptions about the killer, and I was frustrated that it took the sheriff so long to work out who was responsible. That being said, this is a thrilling page-turner with well-defined characters. Small town loyalties and the importance of family are crucial to these characters, and there are very moving passages involving the sheriff and his grandfather, and a TV reporter who grew up in the town and returns to cover the serial killer story (I also correctly guessed a plot twist involving the reporter and felt very smug…) This is much more of a small town detective thriller than a SF story - the giant alien is an inert entity on the outskirts of the town and has no direct impact on the action, although broken off pieces of the giant, and the spike, have been found and gathered up, and drive the plot forward. Small town politics, and mistrust and dislike of outsiders, are much more important parts of the narrative though, and overall this book would likely appeal more to crime fiction than SF readers. If, like me, you’re a fan of both genres, then you should find much to enjoy here.

In Godfall, a sudden, world-shifting fall leaves the divine in pieces and the ordinary world scrambling to survive the aftermath. The story follows a tough, determined lead who gets pulled into a dangerous chase through a fractured landscape where rival factions, desperate believers, and opportunists all want the same thing: whatever power was left behind when the heavens broke. Each step forward forces harder choices—who to trust, what to protect, and how far to go when the rules of the world have changed overnight.It’s a fast, high-stakes narrative built on confrontations, uneasy alliances, and escalating reveals, with set pieces that feel made for a screen. Loved how the plot keeps raising the pressure as the characters realize the fall wasn’t just an event but a resource, a weapon, and a temptation, and everyone’s willing to spill blood to claim it first.Thank you for my free copy!

With a plot that could only come from a comic book writer, Godfall begins with a gigantic dead humanoid alien crashing down to Earth and rearranging the geography of mid-west America. But, if you think you’re going to get a story of cosmic superheroes think again. This is a detective story. David Blunt, sheriff of what was once a small town on the deg of the desert, now finds himself administering law to a vast and rapidly growing metropolis as the world flocks to the giant. And while juggling the culture clash of small town and big city America, he must also find a serial killer. It’s a clever mash-up that wisely leans into the detective elements early on but than calls back the science fiction roots as the story develops. Neither genre has been tacked on to catch eyeballs. This is a genuine page-turning thriller. (Proof copy supplied. Opinions my own.)