Thursday, August 11, 2011

Devil’s Business-Caitlin Kittredge

Devil’s Business
Caitlin Kittredge
St. Martin’s, Aug 30 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312388232

Back from Hell thanks to Pete Caldecott, Jack Winter struggles with employment opportunities as he remains the villain in Black London for releasing a deranged Nergal the God who he helped return to lock up. At a store, the checkout girl attacks Jack with an insane fueled strength. He escapes but knows he is unwanted in town.

The Stygian brothers want Jack to rot in hell even though he has been there, done that and has the scars to prove it. Former LAPD turned private investigator Benjamin Mayhew asks Jack to come to Los Angeles to help on a strange case. Jack persuades Pete, the mother of his child, to come with him to California. Ben told Jack that two families were murdered years apart at the same location; each had an unborn baby vanish. In L.A. the couple follows leads that take them to another escapee from hell, Belial the ancient malevolent demon who plans to make Southern California into his hellish image.

The latest dark humorous Black London (and Los Angeles) urban fantasy is an engaging thriller as Jack needs to leave town since everyone wants a piece of his butt. However, they soon realize they left the pot for the frying pan as California proves smoggy with a nasty demon older than dirt hell-forming Los Angeles unless Jack and Pete can stop them on what he believes is a suicide mission and she deems their task.

Harriet Klausner

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