The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: demon realm, spirit society, rogue demon, The Devil You Know, Jenna Black, Mortal Plain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The beautiful. The bad. The possessed.

Some people worship them. Some people fear them. And some people—like Morgan Kingsley—go up against them toe-to-toe, flesh to flesh, and power against power. An exorcist by trade, Morgan is one of the few humans with an aura stronger than her possessor, even though her demon can tease her body senseless. She’s also a woman who has just discovered a shocking truth: everything she once believed about her past, her identity, may have been a lie.

With a family secret exploding around her and a full-scale demon war igniting, Morgan is a key player in an unsettled world. Then a rogue sociopathic demon enters her life with a bang. His name is The Hunter. And since she is the prey, Morgan has only one choice: to hunt The Hunter down—no matter what heartbreaking truths she uncovers along the way….

About the Author

Jenna Black is your typical writer. Which means she's an "experience junkie." She got her BA in physical anthropology and French from Duke University.

Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.

Concluding that this discovery was her life's work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. She writes paranormal romance for Tor and urban fantasy for Bantam Dell.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553590456
• ISBN-13: 978-0553590456
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Morgan Kingsley Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second in series, July 29, 2008

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Morgan Kingsley is an exorcist with a rather unusual attribute - she's the host of the king of the demons, Lugh. In Jenna Black's world demons are beings who can live inside a human and can take over their body, giving them extra strength and the ability to heal themselves from most injuries. There are many laws about demons and humans and Morgan's job is to exorcise illegal demons. However since she found out that she is hosting Lugh her life has become more and more complex. Lugh isn't able to take over her actions unless she's asleep or in a very specific time of stress. In the previous book in the series, The Devil Inside, Morgan found herself working with demon Adam, his lover Dominic and with Lugh to try to protect Lugh. In this story her brother Andrew, now in a coma after his demon Raphael left him, wakes up and tells Morgan that he hated Raphael. Morgan also discovers that a demon known as Der Jäger has been put on the trail of Lugh and is no doubt after her. She teams up with Adam to try to find out what's going on in the battle between Lugh and his brother Dougal to be king, as well as trying to take care of Andrew and also worrying about her former boyfriend Brian. When Morgan discovers that some events in her history may have a bearing on why she is able to host Lugh she has to try to unravel what's been going on for over twenty years with Raphael, Dougal and Lugh and at the same time try to keep those she loves safe.

I very much enjoyed this follow up book and found that the story was progressing well, although the interactions between Morgan and Lugh are fairly sparse overall. Morgan's hot-tempered and feisty nature was well written and her moral dilemmas throughout were interesting. I liked the way in which Morgan's difficult relationship with Adam White is changing as she learns more about the demon world and about the good and evil within it. This book was definitely a continuation of the previous story and it might be a little difficult for newcomers to the series to follow everything in this book but overall it was an excellent continuation of the story, although without overall completion of the plot.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catch a Ride with an Exorcist and a Demon Passenger as They Try to Curb a Nasty Demon War..., August 8, 2008

By	Nicola Mattos "www.fiendishlybookish.squaresp... (San Francisco girl transplanted to New York...) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are a lot of paranormal authors out there in literary land who have delved into the demon plain. In the demon realm we do have a few heavy hitters: Lilith Saintcrow (one of my favs), Kim Harrison (of course), Keri Author, Rachel Cain, naughty Emma Holly (smoldering) and a spattering of more, but Jenna Black clearly has a distinctiveness of her own.

It's refreshing! I love championing the veritable bad boy/and or girl, and Black's Morgan Kingsley series is a virtual horn of plenty. It's got a plausible back-story of demon lore with a hierarchical pantheon, a potential coup in Hell, demons fighting each other on the Mortal Plain, professional exorcists like Morgan running the bad guys out of our realm, law enforcement officers possessed by lesser flight demons, and last but not least, Black's reality envisions middle-American WalMart "walk-abouts" embracing demon possession as a hip and holy lifestyle. Throw in a dash of S&M, and this series is cookin'.

Morgan is the type of exorcist heroine that readers (especially female) gravitate towards: self-powerful, independent, sexually potent and aware, but just as willing to kick you on your butt with a pair of her size nine motorcycle boots.

For fans, this book is a natural progression from The Devil Inside. Morgan starts to acquaint herself with her unlikely demon passenger, and starts molding a bearable lifestyle with him. But she still needs to unravel the mystery of not only how to get him OUT but how to help him prevent a full-scale war in Hell-a war that might just spill over into the Mortal Plain. What further complicates things is that Morgan is surrounded by frenemies, and a diabolical secret surfaces that her parents have been hiding from her...Revelations will be had.

After reading the Devil You Know TWICE I sat back with a smug smile. I am hoping Black won't paint herself into a corner with Lugh, because fans will be panting for more after this second book. How will Lugh and Morgan consummate their relationship? When are we going to see what he really looks like? How will Black keep the tension up if Lugh slips his noose? It's tricky-tricky. What would be devilishly naughty is if Lugh were to "borrow" Adam's body for a bit of extracurricular activities with Morgan. I'm snickering just thinking about it. Copyright (c) Nicola Mattos

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel, August 4, 2008

By	Lisa "paranormal freak" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This is a continuation of the Morgan Kingsley Exorcist series after the first book The Devil Inside. Morgan exorcises illegal demons that have set up residence inside humans on the Mortal Plain. Ironically, Morgan is now a host for the Demon King Lugh. However, she cannot be possessed the same as other hosts. She maintains her ability to know all and control her own body and mind. We find out more about Raphael, Lugh's younger brother, and how human hosts really feel about the demons that have taken over their bodies. Adam and his boyfriend Dominic are back and Morgan continues her tentative relationship with them, in particular Adam. A few reviewers from The Devil Inside found the gay relationship between Dominic and Adam somewhat excessive. There is one scene that is descriptive but I did not find it offensive. The sex was more subdued in this book. A new psychotic demon, Der Jager is sent from the Demon Realm to find out who carries the Demon King and destroy both the demon king and host. The politics of the Demon Realm with King Lugh, his younger brother Raphael and Dougal continue as Dougal attempts to overthrow Lugh and Raphael plays both sides. This story was very entertaining and has an interesting twist on the paranormal. This is a very good series. I have enjoyed both books immensely.