Known Devil

Known Devil (2014) Justin Gustainis

Stan Markowski is a Sergeant in the Occult Crimes Unit of the Scranton Police. His daughter and his partner are both vampires, but he doesn’t hold that against them. (He can’t, really, since it’s his fault they’re vampires.)

It was believed that only goblins were affected by intoxicating substances (in the case of goblins, that would be meth) but the two strung out elves attempting to hold up the diner where Stan and his partner Karl are trying to relax says otherwise. The discovery of Slide seems to be changing the game in Scranton–and in a way that may well make things harder for Stan and the rest of the Occult Crimes Unit.

I love supernatural noir, especially when it’s well done.

I mean, what’s not to love about:

he – or she – wanted to be the capo di tutti supi.

Or even the normal police procedural snark:

Cops at crime scenes don’t have to park at crazy angles that nobody else would imitate – we do it because we can.

Or just regular snark:

“Could be a coincidence, I suppose.”
“You see that a lot in our business?” I asked him.
“Not so much, no,”

But it’s the little bit he drops in passing that never fail to crack me up, like this:

The book I’d bought was Sematary Danse, the new exposé of the funeral industry by that true-crime writer, Stephen King.

The mystery is pretty good, but really, it’s the dialog and the wit that make the story so enjoyable.

One negative note, however.

These are some of the WORST covers I have ever seen.Click on this cover to see it full size, in all it’s horrific glory.

It’s just awful. I mean, I get the pulp vibe they’re going for, but this is just horrible.

Luckily, with the eBook, you don’t have to look at the cover.

If you’re looking for a fun romp, I can highly recommend this series–go ahead and start at the first book and read your way through.
Rating: 8/10

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