Corey J Feldman

Vicious Circle by Mike Carey

Vicious Circle is book two in Mike Carey’s urban fantasy/detective noir series which chronicles the adventures and challenges of Felix Castor, reluctant exorcist.  In the London of Carey’s envisioning, the supernatural world has bled into our reality.  There are ghosts, lugaru (French equivalent of a were), demons, and other things that go bump in the night.  Most people can see ghosts but a few special people can exercise a certain amount of control over dead and undead.     At a young age Castor stumbled into his abilities by unintentionally exorcizing the ghost of his late sister.  Castor is a fascinating protagonist.  He is not a fighter, a lover or preternaturally powerful.  He is a wisecracking reluctant hero just a minute or so off the egg timer from hardboiled.  Carey paints a vivid picture of London and draws some fascinating supporting characters.  You have an old friend Rafi, inextricably bound to a powerful demon after Castor tried and failed to free him from possession.  Nicky the zombie, a computer hacker and conspiracy nut… and Juliet a succubus that I can’t say too much about without unnecessary spoilage for book 1, The Devil You Know.    

I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 but Vicious Circle is certainly a more polished product.  In this installment Castor is hired by a couple to find their kidnapped daughter.  While not an actual detective, Felix takes the case due to one very unusual circumstance; the girl was already dead when abducted. Along the way he will run into a powerful religious sect, a rash of apparent demonic possessions, an exorcist with abilities that seem to significantly outclass his own.  The book is fast paced, funny and does a fantastic job of blending the fantasy and detective genres.  While not completely necessary to read The Devil You Know first, it is entertaining in its own right and does help with the back story.

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