A review by cost0979
Known Devil by Justin Gustainis
5.0
I highly recommend this novel.
Known Devil sent Sergeant Markowski and his undead partner Karl Renfer on a hell of a ride, pun intended. Markowski’s ultimate goal is to keep the town of Scranton safe from a variety of supernatural creatures ranging from vampires and werewolves, to pixies and ogres, witches and demons, and a butt load more nasty creatures.
Book three of his Occult Crimes Unit Investigations series, Gustainis’ protagonist focuses on three main groups: vampires, elves, and the Patriot Party—a conservative anti-supe political party who believes supernatural beings shouldn’t maintain the same rights as humans, which they do in Gustainis’ world.
Our inciting incident comes within the first few pages when two elves hold up the diner Markowski and Renfer frequent for their nightly coffee breaks. It doesn’t take long for these two detectives to drive chest deep into shit, making their nightly shifts consumed with bombings, shoot-outs, drug dealers, a vampire-mafia war, and far more scary situations.
Fortunately, with the world in full-motion, Gustainis is still able to bring us into Markowski’s world with well-placed details and a dry, sarcastic wit of the narrator. The mood of the novel reflects the narrator’s flat jokes and lack-luster sense of humor, but he’s quick as the pacing, knowledgeable, and stubborn as all get out. Frankly, he reminds me of my father—sweet and sensitive without anyone wanting to know, he cares about his daughter, and he works his damn ass off and takes on too much responsibility for his position. Really, he’s the best protagonist for this novel. I couldn’t help but feel connected to him and root for him to succeed.
Another great thing about this novel is that it completes the two goals for fiction—to entertain and to teach. Knowing him as a professor of Communications, I followed the dips into propaganda, rhetoric, politics, and history. These help give Markowski depth and connects the story back to the readers’ reality.
Do be warned, this is satire, so several clichés and tropes are present, but Gustainis addresses them with small variations and plenty of humor.
Known Devil sent Sergeant Markowski and his undead partner Karl Renfer on a hell of a ride, pun intended. Markowski’s ultimate goal is to keep the town of Scranton safe from a variety of supernatural creatures ranging from vampires and werewolves, to pixies and ogres, witches and demons, and a butt load more nasty creatures.
Book three of his Occult Crimes Unit Investigations series, Gustainis’ protagonist focuses on three main groups: vampires, elves, and the Patriot Party—a conservative anti-supe political party who believes supernatural beings shouldn’t maintain the same rights as humans, which they do in Gustainis’ world.
Our inciting incident comes within the first few pages when two elves hold up the diner Markowski and Renfer frequent for their nightly coffee breaks. It doesn’t take long for these two detectives to drive chest deep into shit, making their nightly shifts consumed with bombings, shoot-outs, drug dealers, a vampire-mafia war, and far more scary situations.
Fortunately, with the world in full-motion, Gustainis is still able to bring us into Markowski’s world with well-placed details and a dry, sarcastic wit of the narrator. The mood of the novel reflects the narrator’s flat jokes and lack-luster sense of humor, but he’s quick as the pacing, knowledgeable, and stubborn as all get out. Frankly, he reminds me of my father—sweet and sensitive without anyone wanting to know, he cares about his daughter, and he works his damn ass off and takes on too much responsibility for his position. Really, he’s the best protagonist for this novel. I couldn’t help but feel connected to him and root for him to succeed.
Another great thing about this novel is that it completes the two goals for fiction—to entertain and to teach. Knowing him as a professor of Communications, I followed the dips into propaganda, rhetoric, politics, and history. These help give Markowski depth and connects the story back to the readers’ reality.
Do be warned, this is satire, so several clichés and tropes are present, but Gustainis addresses them with small variations and plenty of humor.