The Hoard of Mhorrer - M.F.W. Curran

First of all, I love the top part of this cover. I admit the bottom section of battle is kinda cheesy, but the top section is awesome, really creepy.
In The Secret War, Captain William Saxon and his friend discovered that there are stranger more terrifying enemies than the French and became drawn into the war against Hell.
Te Hoard of Mhorrer picks up seven years after the events of The Secret War. Saxon is still fighting for the Vatican against daemons and vampyres, whilst carving out some kind of a life for himself. Now he takes on his biggest challenge leading the monks who serve under him into Egypt. He faces betrayal, local militia, language barriers and harsh conditions, as well as supernatural enemies and an exceptionally skilled warrior cult, in order to destroy the potential for hundreds more daemons to be brought into the war.

Curran's writing is tighter and his sense of character stronger than the first novel, I really enjoyed The Secret War, but The Hoard is a superior offering.
The author's sense of pace is flawless, drawing the reader in with a mixture of intriugue, flight and battle, maintaining a relentless onslaught towards the climax to ensure the reader is as commited and exhausted as the monks. The desert setting along with William's confidence and knowledge give it different tone from the previous novel. Where Saxon was new to command and uncertain of the supernatural, now he accepts both, but he has a different dilemma. Knowing all that he does and after everything he has done can he continue to leave Adriana to go on missions from which he may not return? This doubt and the relationship with his nephew Marco ensure that Saxon remains human and accessable.
Well balanced, beautifully paced and extremely entertaining , it's a satisfying read.