A Review of Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

Five Fangs for Mark of the Demon


Wow, another great debut novel. Publishers, editors and agents sure are picking out some phenomenal new writers these days.

Mark of the Demon is about demon summoner and newly appointed homicide detective Kara Gillian of Beaulac, Louisiana, who gets handed the Symbol Man serial killer case when new bodies start showing up after three years of the killer being on hiatus

Then Kara thinks she botched a summoning and pulled through a rage filled, beyond powerful Demonic Lord instead of the lower level demon she had planned on asking a few questions. Well...so much for getting any questions answered. All she got was more questions. Like how the hell did she botch the summoning and why didn't the Demon Lord kill her?

And the all powerful Demonic Lord...is freakin gorgeous. Talk about confusing...should I let the demon kill me in a most horrible manner or boff his brains out and keep him happy? Oh the hardship of succumbing to the sexual desire of a very skilled, sexy demon.

A routine summoning gone wrong, the new bodies in the serial killer case which Kara is sure has ties to the arcane, and now an FBI task force...somehow it's all tied together but if Kara doesn't get any sleep she's never going to be thinking clearly enough to tie everything up.

Add to that FBI agent Ryan Kristoff is a serious hottie who seems to have attached himself firmly to Kara's life...for professional reasons only she's sure (no one ever woos Kara, so she thinks). Kara can't seem to hide the arcane from Ryan because it will hinder solving the case but can she trust him enough to tell him the details of her life that she's never shared with anyone else?

What an amazing, complex and thoroughly detailed plot. Well thought out, the characters are phenomenal. I can't wait to read more about Kara and hopefully Agent Kristoff. Rowland has done a remarkable job blending the world of demon summoners in with the world of law enforcement. It is CSI meets Demonology.

Of course Rowland herself has years of experience in law enforcement having been a street cop, a detective, a CSI, and a morgue assistant. I guess that is where all the believability comes from. She's had first hand experience with police procedure not just research.

Demon summoning has never been so sexy and serial killers have never been more frightening. This book will keep you up all night reading...and trying to figure out who the killer is and how Kara is connected.

And what a unique and complex take on demons. I wonder how she did research for that (do I dare ask). Years of D & D playing or serious demonology digging or maybe it's all from her imagination. Whatever it is, her demons are well thought out and the world of the demons is quite interesting. A very unique spin on demons.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Mark of the Demon is a must read. I did not want to put this book down. I read it in three nights and stayed up pretty damn late doing it but it was well worth it. Love, love, loved it. I have Blood of the Demon, which comes out in Spring 2010, on my must read list now. I really hope to see more of the romantic possibilities between Kara and Ryan develop.

Want a taste? Visit the Random House site for an excerpt. Want to know more about Diana? Visit http://www.dianarowland.com/