California Demon
Julie Kenner
Berkley Books
ISBN 0-425-21043-X

Kate Connor and her first husband Eric were demon hunters since they were teenagers. As part of a super-secret organization called Forza Scura, run by the Vatican, they were recruited at a young age and had been battling demons in secret for years. When they moved to California, they retired from the organization so they could raise their daughter in safety. Five years ago, Eric was killed, and Kate has since remarried and has a two-year-old little boy, as well as a husband running for office. When demons infused a retirement home right in her hometown, Kate agreed to come out of retirement after fifteen years. She cleaned out the demons, but apparently it's not over.

While decorating the retirement home for Christmas, (Kate had infiltrated the home under the guise of volunteer) she noticed that one of its residents had not only recovered from a coma only that morning, but was so miraculously better, he was feeling up to a fieldtrip to the high school with the rest of the residents. One thing Kate's learned, if someone's only alive due to a miracle--an accident or illness they shouldn't have survived--they usually didn't. It means their body is now inhabited by a demon. No way was she going to let this demon loose in her daughter's high school, especially when that daughter was there for Family Day and was receiving an award. Then there's the teacher her daughter's so enamored of--one who reminds her of Eric. Who is he really, and what is he up to? Oh, did I mention that the whole demon hunter thing is a secret? Imagine killing a demon in the middle of a crowded high school without anyone being the wiser. The only people, besides her religious contacts, who knows what she does is her best friend and neighbor Laura (who had the misfortune of seeing her kill a demon up close and personal), and Eddie, a retired hunter who's staying in her guest room pretending to be Eric's grandfather. Complicated doesn't come close to describing her life.

The Kate Connor series, which started with CARPE DEMON, and continues with CALIFORNIA DEMON, is touted as "Buffy the Vampire gets married and moves to the suburbs,' by Publishers Weekly. I have to agree with that assessment. The situation is very similar, including the problem about keeping the secret from those closest to her--her husband and kids. The story is set during the Christmas season, but the book has been released in July. This didn't really bother me much, since it's set in California, where the weather isn't much different from what I'm experiencing sitting outside in the sun reading.

The story is tense at times, and funny at others, as well as interesting, especially when read by someone who's home life is very similar (husband, teenager in high school). You can relate to the angst she feels, seeing her daughter head into danger with an unknown demon factor lurking around the high school planning something catastrophic, and worse--boys, make-up, and dating, yet you're still able to get lost in the adventure. This story was so engrossing that I sped right through it, and regret that I came in to the series with the second story. Not that you feel like you missed anything. It's a stand-alone book; you'd have no problem starting with this one. Still, I think I'll see if I can dig up a copy of CARPE DEMON so I can read the series from the beginning.

CALIFORNIA DEMON, by Julie Kenner -- a fun paranormal adventure that definitely appeals to moms, both stay-at-home and working, especially those of us who are no longer twenty-somethings. Paranormal, Fantasy, and Science Fiction are not just for the young to barely-out-of-college sect. Thank you, Ms. Kenner, for realizing that. Bring it on! I'm ready for Kate Connor. Aren't you?

Reviewed by Lisa Ramaglia

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