In a world where heaven and hell exist, both are incredibly dangerous, and most humans aren’t aware, people like Agent Cèsar keep the magic boogeymen away. But even Cèsar has to be cautious in a place like Helltown, a blip in reality where demons live and almost no human dares to enter. Especially after dark when a breed of demon called Nightmares will flay you alive.

Speaking of flaying, dead bodies start showing up, each with body parts missing. But not the same parts. And when the witch Isobel, who can talk to corpses, is called in, the bodies’ spiritual residues don’t remember much about what happened right before the deaths. There’s a definite Buffalo Bill Silence of the Lambs vibe here for all my horror fans.

But Hotter than Helltown is quite funny. Cèsar is a total dude-bro — working out, good looking — but he’s also a nerd for fat fantasy novels and is forever single despite looking. Well, mostly he’s looking at both Suzy and Isobel. Even with the casual meathead vice, Cèsar is relatable, too. When he describes his apartment, he comments, “Home wasn’t fancy, but I didn’t have to wear pants there, so it was better than going into the office.” What a comment for a world in work-from-home flux, eh?

And Cèsar often has his foot in his mouth, such as his conversation with the head of a soup kitchen: “Sister Catherine just started at me, like she couldn’t believe how much stupid shit was coming out of my mouth and had no idea how to react to it. I got that look a lot when I tried to joke around with my coworkers. Nobody appreciated my genius.” There’s a semblance of self-importance here, but Cèsar lacks confidence in all kinds of ways, including a big test he has coming up that is an important ritual with his witch skills. A fun read, as always.

For the next book: absolutely want to see more of Cèsar and Fritz now that they have a new relationship.