This began with an explanation of physics and stuff connected with it. I had no earthly idea what any of this was about, but I continued to read.

Through some cosmic joke (has to do with physics), Emily is transported to hell and a murderer (I think his name was Woodhouse) is transferred to the living earth. John (another member of the physics team) decides to go find Emily and bring her back. In John's place, Duck (that's his name) was transferred to the living earth.

So - Emily and John are in hell, Woodhouse and Duck are on the living earth. Problem is, the aroma. Death has a peculiar, awful aroma. Figure this out.

So hell is NOT full of fire and brimstone. It is mostly full of people who have killed other people. You'll meet King Henry VIII, Stalin and Himmler among others. They are all still intent on killing each other, but how do you kill someone already dead?

One thing I did not like is the amount of animals in hell. No animal has done anything deserving of that fate.

So there are four stories going on. Emily is trying to survive in hell. John is in hell looking for Emily. Woodhouse is killing people on earth. And the lab folks are trying to get the two dead people back to hell and John and Emily back out of hell. Simple enough, but there was no warning when the story shifted from one set of characters to the other.

It was a most interesting read (except for the physics part).

A fun and entertaining adventure to Hell and back again. It was hard to put the book down, even on vacation, and I can’t wait for the next one!

Glenn Cooper does a fantastic job in writing this type of book, I really enjoyed the way the characters and world were presented and developed. It was everything that I wanted in a opening chapter to the Down series and was glad it was everything that I was looking for and am excited for more in this world. It uses the SciFi historical thriller perfectly and had that feel that I was looking for and was glad it was so well done.

Down Pinhole by Glen Cooper is a brilliantly crafted story that showcases his signature talent for weaving history, mystery, and vivid imagination into one gripping narrative. From the very first pages, Cooper’s masterful character building draws the reader in, giving each figure—both fictional and historical—a depth and authenticity that makes them leap off the page. The addition of real historical figures, especially as they appear in the other dimension, adds a fascinating layer of realism and familiarity, making the story feel richly textured and immersive.
Fans of Glen Cooper will not be disappointed, as the pacing is perfectly balanced to keep the reader fully engaged from beginning to end. Every chapter builds anticipation, compelling you to turn the page and discover how the intrigue unfolds. It is a clever, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable read that continues Cooper’s tradition of blending history and adventure with a sense of the extraordinary.
I would highly recommend Down Pinhole to both long-time Glen Cooper readers and newcomers seeking a captivating novel that dares to explore the bounds of history and imagination.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are entirely my own.

My thanks to the publisher Book Whisperer for the review copy of this book. I also thank NetGalley and the author for this book.
Five stars for me..

I am a fan of Glenn's books from a long time and this turned out to be a wild ride. A story that spans science fiction, science fantasy, time travel, parallel dimensions, historical figures and throws us headlong into a place that is not quite Earth and yet not entirely Hell. It is ambitious, unsettling, exhilarating and, at its very core, a story of love and longing and a desperate search for someone lost.

Glenn writes with a tremendous imagination with the creation of Down a seemingly dead world where history’s worst tyrants live and rule, where battles rage without end, where cruelty and ambition are given a huge canvas is utterly captivating. He paints this alternate realm in a way that is both fantastical and disturbingly plausible straddling the thin lines separating science, fiction, religion, life after death, a unique vision for hell and practical visions of a multiverse. You can almost smell the smoke, hear the clash of armies and feel the menace and cunning of leaders we thought were long buried by history but whose reputation transcends time and space..

On the other side there are our protagonists and stars John and Emily with their own history while John is more just the reluctant hero, a man driven by desperation, fear and a love that seems lost, that grounds him even when the ground itself has shifted beneath his feet but is also one whose knowledge belies his status and history. Emily is brilliant, courageous but also achingly human in her vulnerability. Their bond shines through in the story. John's camaraderie and relationships forged in the depths of hell is something that helps the story move for a long time. It also reminds us that even in a place built on despair, the strength of love and friendship can be a defiance of its own.

What elevates this book beyond clever plotting is the way Glenn straddles the line between myth, science, and human emotion. There are shades of Dante (you cannot truly escape purgatory if you are writing visions of a hell), of grand speculative sagas and yet the pacing never falters. He weaves physics, theology and raw adventure into a story that asks big questions while never letting go of its beating heart. Every chapter deepens the stakes until the finale arrives with both spectacle and intimacy.

Yes the story was obvious and as a saga I was able to decipher and predict where the story would move but the width of Glenn's canvas and the large scale of the story which is a trilogy satisfies at different levels.

Down Pinhole is not just a science fiction thriller. It is a meditation on history, ambition, sacrifice, friendship and above all love. Glenn Cooper has crafted a tale that is as cinematic as it is tender, as intellectually daring as it is emotionally resonant.
I absolutely recommend this one - it is a rare book that thrills the mind while tugging at the heart.

Pinhole is an ambitious beginning to a trilogy that mixes science fiction with historical fantasy in a unique and entertaining way. The tension, character development, and imaginative world-building make it a compelling read, though it’s not without its flaws. The slow start, heavy historical exposition, and occasional pacing issues can detract from the overall enjoyment. That said, the cliffhanger is enough to ensure that I’ll be picking up Down: Portal to see where the story goes next.

If you enjoy mind-bending science fiction with historical twists and an intriguing, if imperfect, alternate universe, Pinhole might be just what you’re looking for. It won’t be for everyone, but it has enough going for it to be worth the ride.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received this ebook at no charge via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review provided by Book Whisperer.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. Trigger warnings for hell, death, misogyny, violence and sexual assault. But beyond that, it's mostly set in actual Hell or Down as they call it there. It was interesting to briefly meet historical figures that I'm glad were in Down. Although I was hoping they'd be changed by their circumstances, but not much hope there I'm afraid. I found it to be an adventure and a bit of a love story as John risks death to save Emily. It has some humorous parts, but it is a lot of violence and bloodshed to wade through. I would read the next book to see where the story continues from here. The one thing that annoyed me the most was how it was formatted, but I'm hoping the actual book would have more of a division between the storylines as it flip flops back and forth between modern England and Down. It was disconcerting sometimes to be like, what and have to read the last few lines again because it just jumps between one group of people and another.

I have long been a fan of Glenn Cooper’s books and looked forward to this book, although it did have a totally different feel to his other books.

This is the first of a trilogy where during a scientific experiment the lead scientist disappears and a stranger has appeared in her place. As it turns out this person died many years before, and seems to have swapped with the scientist. Her boyfriend eventually goes after her and this leads to many fast paced adventures in this hell like world.

I struggled a bit to get into the book at first, not helped by a lot of the initial scientific theory behind what the scientists were doing. However once the book really got going I have to say the book really grew on me. I loved the main characters and I loved how the author played with events and many ‘evil’ people from history, that you will soon recognise. You do wonder how some people ended up on that world as they seemed too nice and it appeared was just situations they found themselves in during their lives.

There was a lot of good tension throughout the book both on Earth and in this alternative world. I loved the interplay of real characters from history, some you would never wish to meet, and the main characters. The pacing of the book was excellent and the further I got into the book the more the tension was built and the more I did not want to put it down.

Events built up to an exciting climax, and then a major twist happened that I didn’t see coming, and it sets itself up perfectly for the next book in the series which I will definitely be reading. On balance I would certainly recommend this book.

This first book in the trilogy is part thriller and part fantasy-adventure and is a saga that transport the reader to a world they never experienced.

The story:

John Camp is head of security at the largest super-collider tunnel around London. High in his priorities is his relationship with Emily Loughty, the research director. When the collider inexplicably continues powering much higher…in a blink of an eye Emily disappears and a rough-looking man appears in her place…..thus the mystery starts….with John embarking on a mission and goes looking for his hot Scottish babe…..down in hell.

My thoughts:

This story is definitely a thought provoking read. The author does a great job pulling pieces of history to make this thriller captivating. Crossing John’s path, the author throws a bunch a famous people in his storyline as he travels from kingdom to kingdom in search of his Emily.

The author excels in building well-fleshed out characters and putting them in situations where tension is at its max. Particularly interesting where the characters who stuck the longest with the main hero and of course, the story leaves a lot of dead bodies along the way. Every page brings a different set of evil people but when you finally think good is around the corner…all bets are off.

It surely quite entertaining even if there were a lot of unsolved issues and ended in a cliffhanger…. excellent way to start the ball rolling I must say. Very clever to pique our interest in book#2. I surely did the trick with me.

I am not a hard science fiction junkie nor a fantasy fanatic one although no doubts I enjoyed this one …quite mesmerizing by a long shot…

Well-said and well-done