Since I came into the series in book two, I had some catching up to do about the previous activities of Felix Castor, exorcist and ghost detective. Carey, however, got me up to speed just by what was unfolding within this story and I was well hooked. In this book, Castor is commissioned by a couple to find the ghost of their deceased daughter which they claim has been stolen. Castor soon finds himself in one mad chase after another, beset by a disbanded branch of the Church and were folk (and not the mild mannered Lon Chaney versions either), and having to enlist the aid of a variety of helpmates, including a tantalizing succubus who has become his exorcist apprentice, a conspiracy theorist zombie, and his landlady, her ex-boyfriend, and her current one. Castor also finds himself hauled in time and again by police—and not just for consultations!

There are enough action and plot twists here for any thriller enthusiast, while the fight scenes were so well described that you could see and almost feel every punch.  If you happen to like the paranormal too, then, reader, you will be in pig heaven!  Not only did I have a great time reading the intricate story in Vicious Circle, but I loved  Felix Castor's witty running commentary. It was self-effacing at times, but also cheeky and really colored the action. This is paranormal, hard-boiled noir at its very best.

The only problem I had was keeping up with the action that takes place in Carey's London of the near future. I think when I read more of these books, I'll get a street map of the city and use it for reference.

There will be five books in the Felix Castor series. The first was Devil You Know and came out in hardcover in the US in July 2007. Vicious Circle followed the next year in July, also in hardcover.   Dead Men's Boots, the third book, will make its US debut in July of this coming year. The next two books will be available as paperbacks in the UK. Thicker than Water will be released in March 2009, and Naming of the Beasts will be out in September 2009.

Carey also has a collaboration with thriller blockbuster author Gregg Huritz and several other Marvel writers, titled Wolverine: Dangerous Games, which came out in January in hardcover.