Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
by Diana Rowland
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diana RowlandEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-23
ISBN: 0553592351
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
Book Review: Unique blend of urban fantasy and mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
Like several other reviewers I picked up this book on a bit of a whim while searching for a new urban fantasy series. Not at all what I expected, and either despite or because of that, it was far better. (Score one for the random paperback table at my local bookstore.)
Kara Gillian is a police officer in a small town in rural Louisiana. One of few women in the department, she was recently promoted to homicide. Her Captain has a 'sink or swim' method of teaching; therefore when the Symbol Man serial killer resurfaces she is assigned the case, despite her inexperience. This nicely coincides with her other role in life as a demon summoner, because Kara can sense the connection between the arcane, the mysterious and magical connections between humans and demons, and the killer.
The first chapter finds Kara sealing her status as a Master Summoner by successfully summoning a 12th level demon. As is so often the case however, Kara soon discovers that she has just enough knowledge about demons to understand how little she truly knows. Rowland uses Kara's limited but expanding knowledge to slowly and skillfully build the fantasy aspect of this world, while using her own real-world experience as morgue technician to infuse unexpected detail into this one. Several reviewers have questioned why summoners would function when there is much danger (if you offend their honor they can and will kill you), and little reward (beyond further esoteric knowledge related to demons and the arcane), which is a legitimate question. Kara's description of demon summoners is that they are people with the ability to do so, who summon primarily for the power and knowledge they gain, and the challenge it presents; to me this seems like an extreme sport for the athletically-challenged. (Kara Gillian as the Lindsey Vonn of the magic crowd?) Although I do still have many questions about this world, I am content, albeit impatient, to have them answered in future books.
Kara's struggles in her race to find the killer will draw you in and keep you enthralled. She must deal with small town attitudes, jealous colleagues, and two FBI agents who may or may not know more than they are telling. And then there are the demons, including the demon lord Rhyzkahl, her Aunt Tessa, and the challenges of being a summoner. Kara is far from perfect or all-powerful, and does make mistakes. Because she rarely makes the same mistake twice, and she doesn't generally lack common sense, I found myself groaning as if a friend had done something stupid, rather than frustrated and fed up with the character (as I have become with several in some recently read series'). Although you may not always agree with Kara, Rowland achieves that important balance of creating a believable character that you can empathize with, without falling over the edge into too powerful and perfect to like, or too weak and whiney to tolerate. The secondary characters are also quite interesting, and as with the world building, the details are being slowly and carefully revealed.
'Mark of the Demon' is less a true urban fantasy than an urban fantasy/mystery, and the mystery is of the highest quality. The clues along the way are subtle, and there are false trails and dead ends to leave you puzzled. The characters and world building are excellent and original, but the mystery puts this debut heads and shoulders above most urban fantasy today.
Summary of Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
Cop and conjurer of demons, she's a woman in danger of losing control?to a power that could kill....Why me? Why now? That?s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who?s already claimed the lives?and souls?of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he?s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.
Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac?s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head...
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