The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know (2008) Mike Carey

Felix Castor is an exorcist, a job that has been quite in demand since the dead starting coming back in the late 90s.

(T)he Bible is strangely coy on the subject of the were-kind, hedges its bets on demons, and draws a big fat blank on ghosts, so the Christians and the Jews didn’t really seem to be any better placed than the rest of us to call the toss.

But he’s refused all jobs after his last job–one he was doing for free, for a friend–went terribly horribly wrong. But he’s about to take on a case against his better judgment, and get himself in way over his head.

I really like Castor. For some reason, I remembered him as being far more of a jerk, and he really isn’t. He’s not entirely ethical, but he’s not a complete SOB… well, mostly.

James Dodson, the birthday boy’s father. I took a strong dislike to him right then to save time and effort later.

But he does have a conscience, as much as he tries to ignore it.

And I really like Cheryl.

“What about me?” Cheryl demanded, pretending to be hurt at being left out. “When are you gonna interview me?”
“Straight afterward,” I promised. “You’re second on my list.”
She brightened. “Go to hell, copper. I won’t talk.”
“I’ll make you talk,” I promised. I wondered if all conversations with Cheryl had this surreal edge.

I would love to hang out with Cheryl, though I have a suspicion that it might be a bit like hanging out with myself.

And this is a re-read. After listening to the first book, I decided I wanted to re-read the entire series, but wanted to go back and catch a couple things I’d missed listening. (A hazard of listening on my daily walk. People stop and ask me questions, and I miss things.)
Rating: 8/10

Published by Orbit

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