Author of The Girl With All the Gifts Mike Carey presents the first book in his hip supernatural thriller series featuring freelance exorcist Felix Castor.
Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stomping ground. It may seem like a good ghostbuster 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.
When Castor accepts a seemingly simple ghost-hunting case at a museum in the shadowy heart of London, 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.
But that's business as usual: Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It's the living who piss him off. . ..
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"I had not heard of the Felix Castor series before so I did not know what to expect. This book was much more fun than I anticipated and I am definitely off to find the next one as soon as I can. Gore and snarky protagonists end up being a winning combination for my much needed escapism. If you like Harry Dresden or Sandman Slim you will enjoy this series."
— David (4 out of 5 stars)
“A spectacular novel, one of the best supernatural thrillers I’ve read in years.”
— Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author“An imaginative spin on the hard-boiled detective…mixes horror and humor in a way that spells good omens for future Castor novels.”
— Entertainment Weekly“An ingeniously multilayered tale."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Carey transcends his comic roots in this quirky, dark, and imaginative tale.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)The Devil You Know is a spectacular novel, one of the best supernatural thrillers I've read in years.
— Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling authorSleazy and down-at-heel and quintessentially London, Mike Carey's Felix Castor steps effortlessly into the growing field of supernatural noir and brings with him a blast of fresh, British air. Think Shoestring meets Constantine, with backing vocals from the shades of Leslie Charteris and Anais Nin. Carey's plotting is tight and laconic, and laced with shivery, understated horrors from both the human world and beyond. It grabs you from the first out-of-nowhere nasty surprise, and rarely lets go thereafter. You'll be up all night finishing this one.
— Richard MorganEngrossing . . . perfect . . . an ingeniously multilayered tale.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)An imaginative spin on the hard-boiled detective . . . mixes horror and humor in a way that spells good omens for future Castor novels.
— Entertainment WeeklyCarey transcends his comic roots in this quirky, dark and imaginative tale that compels reader to keep turning pages long after they should have gotten to sleep.
— Kirkus (starred review)" First of 3 books was a great listen. Could not wait to listen to book two. "
— Pam4, 3/4/2018" Interesting story with some witty writing which struggles to be a bit too forced at times. The main problem with this book is the main character, Felix Castor. Overall he is an interesting read, but for a man with little to no fighting skills he sure does seem to get himself into and out of a lot of trouble. Carey falls into the trap of trying to write a noir character that always seems to get into trouble but being a guy who realistically isn't a guy who could actually get out of it. Basically it seemed ridiculous and unbelievable. Phillip Marlowe, Mike Hammer and even Harry Dresden are all figures who have some skills that allow them to hold their own in physical confrontations, so there situations are plausible and easy to buy. Castor reads more like Mary McFly fighting and defeating The Hulk. It's just a bit silly. "
— Chad, 1/16/2014" Carey "turns a phrase" like none other. What if John Constantine was a "Dandy" instead of London working class? "
— John, 11/12/2013" I really like Mike Carey's comic work, but this was a drag to get through. The prose was entirely too slow and the pacing just awful. As interesting a story and character as it had, it felt like a chore to read. "
— Roman, 9/21/2013" Not too much happened in this book and that took really long. Fortunately I read on. The next book is great this is more like an introduction of characters and the world. "
— László, 9/20/2013" Great book. The main character is a bit like John Constantine from the comic Hellblazer. (which, by the way Mike Carey wrote an excellent run on) Highly enjoyable. "
— Christopher, 9/8/2013" Solid pageturner urban fantasy with an interesting main character and a somewhat fuzzy but still interesting magic system and world premise. The worldbuilding is definitely not on the level of some of the more polished offerings of the modern era, but it's worth a read if you're not picky. "
— Owen, 7/29/2013" A fesh horror tale with an exorcist/detective "
— Michael, 7/14/2013" Very addictive. I'd rank it pretty close behind Dresden. A little heavy in the London-isms. I'm going to try to hold off on starting the sequel til I finish one of the other books I already have started. I predict I'll last until tomorrow. "
— Jenna, 7/4/2013" A perfect series for fans of The Dresden Files and Sandman Slim. As well as Neil Gaiman fans. "
— Matthew, 5/21/2013" I enjoyed it but it didn't really grab me, so probably won't read any more. "
— Kathryn, 5/5/2013" exciting in that futuristic paranomal London-y way. "
— Danielle, 10/26/2012" I enjoyed the Lucifer series also by this author so I thought I'd try a full novel. Worth a read. I'm interested to try the next installment as well. "
— Lisa, 10/25/2012" Free-lance exorcism is a dangerous and demanding job. This is the first of several novels about Felix Castor. "
— Larry, 5/24/2012" Was very griping and a good twist at the end. A good paranormal book but without the hype you get. Good to read a "a ghost, cool" instead of scooby foo subplot it was the janitor. "
— Jon, 5/5/2012" If the rest read like this one, it looks like I just found one of my favorite new series. It's 500 pages but it's a really easy read and if you like the paranormal that's a plus too. "
— Travis, 1/5/2012" Great first novel of a series I'm really enjoying. Supernatural mystery with a fun baby boomer protagonist. Loving it, but part of that could be because I get almost all the pop culture references. "
— Veronika, 11/20/2011" I like a good trashy horror story now and again, and this one has got it all -- ghosts, an exorcist detective, werewolves... It's like Prime Suspect meets 13 Ghosts. It's got street grit mixed with the supernatural. "
— Mark, 8/25/2011" Decent PI fare with supernatural themes. Better written than Jim Butcher's similarly themed novels. "
— Jim, 5/4/2011" Slow start, but built to a terrific finish, Carey's writing is a mix of Chandler noir with pitch black dark fantasy. First in a series. "
— Erik, 5/4/2011" I liked this a lot. I've been reading a lot of historical romances lately, so this was a great change of pace. No romancey stuff at all, actually, which, again, was a nice change of pace. Well written, good pacing, just creepy enough. Will read more of the series. "
— Christine, 4/9/2011" Thoroughly enjoyed this, although I can't help thinking I would have liked it more were I better versed in British pop culture. Deft handling of a premise that, in lesser hands, would just come out dorky. "
— Matt, 3/28/2011" Took a good long while for me to get into it, but had a strong, fast paced ending that interests me in book 2. "
— Peter, 3/20/2011" I love this series about an exorcist in London just after the big supernatural "coming out". <br/>Darker and seedier than Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. "
— Xythen, 3/15/2011" Great take on the ghosts living amongst us; however, the characters (beyond the main protagonist) are barely tolerable - perhaps on purpose - but still makes it a more difficult read. "
— Lori, 3/10/2011" Better than I thought it would be. Definately check out more in the series. "
— Bill1971, 3/10/2011" I really liked this book. I like the Dresden Files book a lot but I really didn't find myself comparing Fix to Harry Dresden while I was reading this. I also didn't find it overrun with British "in" jokes. It was an enjoyable Urban Fantasy read. "
— Mary, 2/20/2011Mike Carey got into writing through comic books, where his horror/fantasy series Lucifer garnered numerous international awards and was nominated for five Eisners. From there, he moved into novels and screenplays, while still maintaining a presence in the comics world as a writer for Marvel. He lives in London, England with his wife, Linda, who writes fantasy for young readers under the pseudonym A. J. Lake. They have three children and an implausibly beautiful cat.
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.