characters in this series have noted in previous books.

Since the destruction of the world is the greatest imaginable danger to civilization, the Organisation sends Carstairs and Garris to a secluded, private mental institute near the California/Oregon border, where Swafford is a resident. Garris poses as a fellow guest (a word the institute prefers to “patient”), while Carstairs pretends to be a doctor. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, but soon, some bizarre, otherworldly things happen, with Swafford, Garris, and Carstairs right in the middle of them. The sanitarium locale reminded me of a more rustic version of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with some of Garris and Swafford’s “roommates” having some strange delusions. I wish the author had allowed the characters to spend more time at the institution. Those scenes are some of the most entertaining in the book as Carstairs and Garris try to blend in.

F.R. Jameson’s books often resemble a roller coaster, with the story starting slowly and then picking up speed, getting wilder and wilder. That’s the case here, because once the action leaves the institute, the last two-thirds of the book move at a breakneck pace. The Demonic Detective has less of the witty repartee I’ve found in other Carstairs books, but the author makes up for it with some truly bizarre scenarios. The weirdest sequence involves an attack by inflated children’s party balloons that resembles a more sinister version of the classic Star Trek episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles.”

Previous Carstairs books have pitted him against vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and demons. In The Demonic Detective, readers encounter a new variety of supernatural evil, and there are even some science-fiction elements in the form of time travel. However, the author doesn’t forget old-fashioned horror. Some settings in which Carstairs, Garris, and others find themselves are downright eerie, with the author’s evocative descriptions bringing them to chilling life. The book has one scene that played off one of my primal fears and genuinely creeped me out.

The Demonic Detective includes several significant characters who first appeared in other F.R. Jameson works, both within and outside of the Carstairs series. Jameson has gradually created a supernatural universe populated with many fantastic characters. However, the author provides enough information for those unfamiliar with some characters so they can understand what’s happening throughout the story. Some returning characters are pretty entertaining, like fellow Organisation agent Minako Cohen, who provides a distinct counterpoint to Carstairs and Garris. Others are more frightening than enjoyable.

I should point out that The Demonic Detective has an indeterminate ending. It’s not a traditional cliffhanger, but it leaves some major plot threads unresolved. Also, the story ends on a somber note before a one-page epilogue that hints at what’s coming in the next book in the Carstairs series. (The author says in the epilogue that this next volume will be the final Carstairs story.) The downbeat ending will leave readers in a mood different from usual when finishing a Carstairs book, and some may not enjoy it.

I’ve enjoyed all the Carstairs novels I’ve read, and The Demonic Detective is no exception. The plot gets a bit confusing at times, but it features the same outlandish characters, supernatural entities, and creepy settings that series readers have come to expect. I find the entire concept of the Organisation fascinating and hope the author can continue it in some fashion. If not, The Demonic Detective delivers a mix of thrills and chills that genre fans can enjoy.       

NOTE: The author graciously provided me with a copy of this book. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.