Review: Known Devil by Justin Gustainis

Title: Known Devil
Author: Justin Gustainis
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Series: Occult Crimes Unit Investigation #3

Mass Market Paperback, 375 pages
Publication: January 28, 2014 by Angry Robot 

Source:  I received a review copy from the Publisher/Author in exchange for a honest review.

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My name’s Markowski. I carry a badge. Also, a crucifix, some wooden stakes, a big vial of holy water, and a 9mm Beretta loaded with silver bullets.
A new supernatural gang is intent on invading Scranton – as if I didn’t have enough to contend with!
Supernatural gang warfare? Not on my watch!

I haven’t read the first two Occult Crime Unit Investigation novels, but these books don’t need to be read in order as Known Devil can be read as a standalone. This is a great Urban Fantasy and has one of my favorite aspects…police procedural with a touch of supernatural/paranormal and magic.

Known Devil opens up with Detective Markowski and Renfer at a diner on break when two elves come in to rob it. The elves are high as a kite and need more money to buy drugs. But the thing is, most supernaturals can’t get addicted to drugs (except goblins’ that can get hooked on meth)…until now; apparently elves, vamps and weres are all getting addicted (humans non-affected). To make matters worse, there is vampire turf war between two different crime families and an anti-supernatural political party is gaining attention/popularity among the people of Scranton; making Stan and Karl’s job all the more difficult.

I quite enjoyed this book more than I anticipated. I loved everything about it, the dark-gritty scenes and atmosphere/vibe of Scranton, the hard-boiled detectives and the overall plot/subplots. As I mentioned before, I have never read this series (starting at book #3) nor have I read any other books by this author but jumping into this book was quite easy and comfortable. I was able to follow along with the story without any problems or confusion and understood the gist of everything with the background/recap mentioned throughout the book. Well, maybe one thing I wish I knew was how Stan’s daughter became a vampire LOL but that was a minor detail. I love it when authors incorporate police procedural and supernatural/magic, I think it’s literally the perfect concoction for a story and Known Devil didn't disappoint.

Known Devil was an excellent read; it was fast paced, full of action and with witty dialogue to boot (which was my favorite, because it had me laughing and smiling). If enjoy reading gritty fantasy noir or just looking for an entertaining read, I highly suggest picking up the Occult Crime Unit Investigation series!