Devil's Business (Black London Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Caitlin Kittredge (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 30, 2011 | Series: Black London Novels (Book 4)

Pete Caldecott did everything she could to save Jack from Hell, even reigning in the dark machinations of the Morrigan to help bring him home. Still, Black London has not welcomed Jack back with open arms. . . So when a friend in Los Angeles asks for help tracking a sorcerous serial killer, Pete and Jack decide a change of scenery couldn’t hurt. . . 

But the shadow side of the City of Angels turns out to be more treacherous than they ever imagined. Together, Pete and Jack must navigate a landscape teeming with hostile magic-users— and fight an unknown enemy. When their investigation leads to a confrontation with the demon Belial, Jack learns that he wasn't the only thing to escape from Hell. Now it’s up to him and Pete to track and eliminate an evil older than the Black itself—before it turns L.A. into Hell on Earth. And destroys life as they know it back at home…

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Acclaim for Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series

“Takes supernatural shadows to the next level. Kittredge knows how to create a believable world, and her fans will enjoy the mix of magic and city grit.” —Publishers Weekly

“Crackles with conflict and perilous magic...For those who love their urban fantasy hypnotically treacherous, this book’s for you!” —RT Book Reviews

"Street Magic jumps right in to non-stop supernatural action, taking urban fantasy fans on a wild ride.”—Darque Reviews

“This is a dark, visceral read that sucks you in and doesn’t let you up for air. That is part of my intense love for this series... It hit all my buttons; ghosts, magic, demons, cemeteries, England, moors, fog, supernatural creatures, ancient deities. The way things ended, I am seriously anxious to see what is happening next. Go out and get this!”—Night Owl Romance

 

“Sensual and empowering.”—Romance Junkies

 

From the Back Cover

The crow-mage Jack Winter is back—with a vengeance—but he’s not the only to fight his way out of Hell...

Pete Caldecott did everything she could to save Jack from Hell, even reigning in the dark machinations of the Morrigan to help bring him home. Still, Black London has not welcomed Jack back with open arms. . . So when a friend in Los Angeles asks for help tracking a sorcerous serial killer, Pete and Jack decide a change of scenery couldn’t hurt. . . 

DEVIL’S BUSINESS

But the shadow side of the City of Angels turns out to be more treacherous than they ever imagined. Together, Pete and Jack must navigate a landscape teeming with hostile magic-users— and fight an unknown enemy. When their investigation leads to a confrontation with the demon Belial, Jack learns that he wasn't the only thing to escape from Hell. Now it’s up to him and Pete to track and eliminate an evil older than the Black itself—before it turns L.A. into Hell on Earth. And destroys life as they know it back at home…

Praise for the Black London series:

 “Takes supernatural shadows to the next level.” —Publishers Weekly

“A wild ride.”—Darque Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Original edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312388233
• ISBN-13: 978-0312388232
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Caitlin Kittredge is the author of the Nocturne City series, as well as several short stories. She is the proud owner of an English degree, two cats, a morbid imagination, a taste for black clothing, punk rock, and comic books. She's lucky enough to write full time and watches far too many trashy horror movies. Visit her website at www.caitlinkittredge.com to learn more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but lacking.... December 18, 2011

By Pen_vs_Laptop

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I wanted to like Devil's Business. So far, Black London has been a fun ride and one of the titles for me to keep an eye out on and after the Bone Gods, I was looking forward to seeing what would happen next to Jack and Pete, especially after the deal Pete made with Belial. Since the page summary and other reviews sum up the plot premise already, I won't bore you with another recap.

First, the good. The pacing, dialogue, and characters are great. Moving the story out of London and to L.A. didn't hurt the plot and was actually a breath of fresh air and Kittredge provides an enough hooks to keep you entertained, such as mothers killed and babies ripped out of them for dark purposes. Aside from the establishing premises to the book such as what Jack did and Belial's deal, the book stands on it's own well enough for a new reader to jump in without much confusion. The villains were the highlight for me with the appropriate levels of creepiness and charm and Belial continues to be a fun "devil you know" sort of character. Jack's still Jack: flawed, smart-ass and with deep wells of self-doubt but he's definitely matured and learning from some of his previous mistakes while still running into more potential future issues, such as his relationship with the Hag. Pete...well, she's mainly her, pregnant or not thank God, but the book doesn't really leave much room for her development.

The story is told from Jack's POV, which isn't a bad thing, but Pete is absent for large portions and her and Jack don't have much interaction, which is a pity since I feel like their interactions are one of the high points of the series and was one of the things that hooked me back in Street Magic. What's more, it felt like Kittredge was creating drama between them for the sake of drama and needing more Jack angst (since his well of self-doubt and angst clearly wasn't big enough >_>). As noted in P "SPAZ"'s review, at the end of Bone Gods it seemed like Pete was relatively okay when she discovered she was pregnant with Jack's kid and had a willingness to try and work through what may come but skip to DB and you find out they're not really talking and they're angry at each other and on the verge of breaking up again with little given explanation for why the shift. Even their arguments feel a bit of a rehash from previous books. In the end, they didn't seem to need much to patch things up which gives a feeling of "WHY DIDN'T THEY DO THIS EARLIER?", especially since it felt like that conversation should have happened between BG and DB or even in the middle of DB but it feels like Kittredge wanted an excuse to keep them apart so she could save their reconciliation for the end. It wouldn't be a bad thing if it didn't feel stilted and contrived as opposed to a natural progression of the characters and their issues.

If Amazon did .5 reviews I'd give DB a 3.5/5 but I didn't feel like DB quite deserved a rounding up to a 4. I wasn't as drawn into DB as I was the previous ones - which might have to do with the lack of Pete-Jack interaction and the change of setting taking getting used to - but I did enjoy reading it. That said, I hope the next one gets the quality back up and I wouldn't mind hearing about some of the new faces, such as Silver, again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Pass By This Series September 13, 2011

By Keith Dupuis

Format:Kindle Edition

Urban fantasy is such a glutted market, that when I find a really, really good writer working on a really, really good series, it's like mining gold. This is a quicker read than other books in the series, but still horribly inventive; has a needed change of scenery; some earnest (and organic) character development; and sets the tone for future entries in the story. Jack Winter is a great and nasty character invention. I highly encourage fans of A-list urban fantasy authors to check this series out!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Least favorite of the series, but love Pete and Jack! September 16, 2011

By Pamela (@SpazP)

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Originally reviewed for wickedlilpixie dot com
3.5 stars
Devil's Business is the fourth book in Caitlin Kittredge's Black London series. Jack Winter is enemy number one in London after the events in the previous book. Everyone is gunning for him since he almost let Nergal's dragon loose on London's Black. Ben Mayhew is a P.I. in Los Angeles and has requested Pete (short for Petunia) Caldecott's help with solving some murders he believes are related to the Black. Pete reluctantly lets Jack accompany her to L.A. to investigate, also allowing the both of them to get out of dodge for a while. Turns out there are some new releases from Hell running around, and they are older and way more frightening than the former residents we have previously met.

Devil's Business is told from Jack's point of view, though not in his point of view. The book never lags, the story keeps up a wonderful pace, and it is one dark turn after another. Ms. Kittredge continues to build upon the Black London series where the heroine, Pete, is strong and compassionate, yet has a mouth like a sailor (love herrr). The unlikely hero, Jack, couldn't be any more flawed if he tried. He is a dirty scoundrel but he can charm you right off the page. Jack is completely unredeeming, and yet you cannot help yourself from loving him and wanting him to triumph despite himself. He is a smartass extraordinaire, with a dash of double smartass for good measure, and I love it. It does seem as though he's finally learned a lesson or two from when we first met him in book one, and he really steps up to the plate when help is needed. Finally it's not Pete chasing after him trying to save him. I admit, that was refreshing.

One thing that irked me was at the end of the previous book Bone Gods, it seemed that Pete harbored minimal anger with Jack once she discovered she was with his child, but right off the bat in this book Jack indicates she hasn't been talking to him hardly even though they've still been sharing his flat. I felt as though I missed something between the two books. I suppose it's due to the change in Pete's perspective in Bone Gods to Jack's in Devil's Business. While I let that slide, I felt the ending was also giving us an "everything is fine between Pete and Jack" vibe that felt contrived. Why was she so mad at him at the beginning? I mean aside from him just being Jack? And why was she so okay with him at the end? Eh, this is the first Black London series book where I didn't understand what was going on between them and not because it was part of the story. Also, I didn't love the setting in Los Angeles. London is where Pete and Jack are meant to be.

Not for the faint of heart, Devil's Business continues the Black London style of entertainingly crude language, but appropriately so to capture the gritty tone of the series. Pete seriously calls everyone a tw@t, especially Jack, it makes me giggle. Ms. Kittredge once again delivers with the dark and depraved world building I've come to expect. There was a lot of Belial in this one, and with all the new characters from Hell introduced, I definitely want to see how the overall arc plays out. If you like your urban fantasy raw and brassy, this might be a good pick for you.

Black London is set to be a 6 book series, and here is the reading order:

1. Street Magic
2. Demon Bound
3. Bone Gods
4. Devil's Business
5. Soul Trade ~2012
6. Title TBA