The Devil You Know book cover

The Devil You Know: Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground. It may seem like a good ghost buster can charge what he likes and enjoy a hell of a lifestyle–but there’s a risk: Sooner or later he’s going to take on a spirit that’s too strong for him. While trying to back out of this ill-conceived career, Castor accepts a seemingly simple ghost-hunting case at a museum in the shadowy heart of London – just to pay the bills, you understand. But what should have been a perfectly straightforward exorcism is rapidly turning into the Who Can Kill Castor First Show, with demons and ghosts all keen to claim the big prize. That’s OK: Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It’s the living who piss him off…-Goodreads

–S&S–

The Devil You Know Review

The Devil You Know was my second book by Mike Carey, although I didn’t realize it until after I’d already purchased the book. The first, of course, was The Girl With All The Gifts. While it wasn’t exactly filled with suspense, there was a good bit of a mystery involved in it. Carey did a great job of giving as a familiar yet unfamiliar world. You also can’t help but root for the main character.

There were so many snarky quips in this book that had me rolling. Michael Kramer does a great job delivering Castor’s lines with such a dry wit that it takes a minute to realize the insult that’s just been delivered. If you are quite the religious person, I highly recommend that you avoid this book. Castor is decidedly anti-church, and he let’s people know it, both in direct remarks and in thoughts.

A paranormal mystery with an exorcist slash beginner gumshoe, The Devil You Know is set in a world where all sorts of abnormal creatures walk the earth. There are zombies, rougaroos, ghosts, demons, succubi, so on and so forth. The world has been dealing with this new state of things for quite a while, so you get a sense of ‘the new normal’ after the world has adjusted to the big event. There were not many references to what happened, or to the details of how it happened, and I found that refreshing. Sometimes you don’t need an epic recounting of a calamitous event. The after is just as fun.

From beginning to end, the book is well-paced and intriguing. The characters aren’t exactly fully fleshed out, but they don’t need to be. Felix is a fantastic grey-shaded protagonist. He has no qualms with admitting to why he does things. He’s also not above blackmailing or doing whatever is necessary to get things done. Underneath it all, though, he’s essentially a good guy, and that’s part of why he’s so darn likable.

This is not a book for the easily offended. But, if you’re able to enjoy a little bawdy humor and a good dose of snark, you’ll love what you’re reading/listening to. I definitely intend on picking up the rest of this series. The Devil You Know was just too entertaining for me to walk away from it after just one book. (And that’s extremely rare for me.)

I definitely recommend fans of paranormal and supernatural mysteries pick this up. And from what I’ve read of The Dresden Files, if you’re a fan of that type of urban fantasy, The Devil You Know will be right up your alley as well.