Thicker than Water

Carey's fourth supernatural thriller featuring London exorcist Felix Castor (after Dead Men's Boots) compares favorably with the better known work of Jim Butcher. When the slashed body of Kenneth Seddon, who tried to kill Castor when they were much younger, is found in his car with the words "F Castor" scrawled in blood on his windshield, the police naturally approach the spook hunter for an explanation. The psychic investigator finds a link between the assault on Seddon and an increase in acts of violence centered on a nearby housing project. A touch of dark humor lightens the grimness of the story line, but the high stakes Carey sets for his protagonist insure that not everything could possibly be wrapped up neatly by the conclusion. The author has mastered the challenge of incorporating the paranormal into a modern urban setting, and his refusal to pull punches makes this a harder-hitting genre entry than many others. (Nov.)