pub: Orbit. 463 page paperback. Price: £ 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-655-9) .

check out websites: www.orbitbooks.net and www.mikecarey.net

If ever a character is in need of a TV show this would be the right time to pitch it. Castor has all the characteristics required to be right at the top of the ratings. With the success of the anti-hero in 'True Blood' and 'Dexter', Felix Castor could be the first anti-anti hero. After all, he really is trying to do some good, it's just life and death that make it so hard.

At the end of 'Thicker Than Water' we were left on the edge and Castor has jumped right off that and fallen into a vat of booze. He's playing at being blotting paper and blotting out the world with his desire to eliminate any need for thought. He's failed at so many things and with the release of the demon in his friend's body he can be told to his face just how much he has failed.

Castor's sinking fast with no hope of rescue but it comes from an unexpected source and suddenly he's a part of a team with players who won't necessarily watch his back.



The undead and others continue to haunt the street and there is a sense that something bigger than even this plot might be coming. Castor just has to survive long enough to find out what it is.

Meanwhile, he is out to solve the mysterious presence in the super-gym, preferably without being pasted across it. He needs to find out why Juliet is acting-out all demony and putting her partner Susan in danger. Oh and there's the matter of the demon with his friends face who also wants to paste him across London like a cheap billboard poster. With that much on his plate, he will take all the allies he can get even if it's someone whose methods are anathema to him. He's going to compromise isn't he?

For those readers new to Felix Castor's adventures, start at the beginning with 'The Devil You Know' and you can read all five novels back to back - you'll be blown away. This series has been eagerly awaited by fans and critics alike and it doesn't put a foot wrong with dialogue that's spot on and a gripping central plot. It's another one that keeps you up late to finish and then you sleep with the light on.

Sue Davies
January 2010