Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland


Kara Gillian, Book 1

Synopsis: Cop and conjurer of demons, she’s a woman in danger of losing control—to a power that could kill….

Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives—and souls—of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.

Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head…

Review: I was really intrigued by this novel, and I was curious to see how it was. Well when two people push you to read a book, there are no other choices. (Yes, yes, Zendastark and Angie, I’m talking about you). But they were quite right because I finally enjoyed this first volume. I haven’t read a lot of books featuring demons since Jenna Black and it was a true pleasure to immerse myself in this new world.

I think the story is very original as it’s actually very different from other books of the same kind. Indeed, the Kara’s investigation has an important part in the book compared to the paranormal side of the story. I love a good mystery and I had one there! Kara is a young conjurer who loves more than anything to summon demons as they can serve her. But it is also a life that separates her from others and prevents any social relationship. She is however an unusual woman who happens to have a double life, something that is pretty amazing considering all she has to face.

The world that Diana Rowland has invented is very interesting. I admit that I was fascinated by all the hierarchies of the demons. For once we have real demons, different from humans for some, it’s really nice to be able to imagine them. Moreover Rhyzkahl immediately intrigued me, it’s so hard to not have more information about him. I think I would have liked him to be more present throughout the story, but I also understand why the author chose to do that. Hey, how could Ryan have a chance otherwise? They are both so difficult to understand, we can’t know what they really want or what side they are on. There is little doubt that they both have something behind their head and we think throughout the chapters to understand what is happening. But I am always intrigued now that I’ve finished the book and I hope to learn more next time.

Regarding the investigation it’s true that it was a bit long and we wonder when Kara will manage to discover the culprit. But it also allows us to lay the foundations of the story and it helps us to understand the environment in which our heroine lives. Something that is also quite complicated for a young woman in the middle of all these men. I liked to evolve in this terrible investigation, we suspect a lot of people and I admit that even if the culprit was one of the person I wondered about, I did not expect one second to have this revelation, nor the reason for it. Everything comes together very quickly at the end of the novel, and it is true that we do not have the time to really think about it that we finally discover what is really happening.

To conclude, this book was a nice discovery and I’m even more curious now to get into Volume Two, which looks really promising. So thank you girls for having encouraged me to read it! A new series to follow.

14 thoughts on “Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

  1. Wait until book four – so tense and exciting with so many revelations about all our favourite characters!! I have book five on pre-order and can’t wait until it arrives!! Glad you liked Mark – and you have a greta treat ahead of you with the next books! 🙂

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