Cait is a Homalus, part human, part demon being trained to sniff out demons for the Church. Along with her handler and trainer, Simon, she responds to a call on a housing estate and something untoward going on. Getting there, they find several sigils of angels daubed around the estate. When they reach the contact on the estate they are pointed to a group of youths who have been terrorising the area. Investigating around, they are approached by two men offering to sell drugs. But Cait senses that they are demon tainted as well as the drugs, confirming the presence of a demon in the area. Heading to where the drugs are coming from, they stake it out. When nothing happens for a while, Simon distracts those in the flat, while Cait sneaks in. What she finds is a large cannabis crop planted in the remains of one of the previous occupants. Now both of them have to work out how to expel the demon quickly before it’s minions find them.

Inner Demons is a short prequel to the Brimstone and Blood series giving a first introduction to Cait and Simon and the job they do. While only short in length, it is a complete story in it’s own right and you can get a real, although brief, glimpse of what is going on in the world. They plot is straightforward, but mixes, but the investigative work as well as a the more mystical elements where needed. I certainly enjoyed the mix and it was good to see the story holding back on the mystical part and Cait’s skills for future stories. The two main characters make a good pair, although one that has been seen in many, many, pieces of fiction. While there is plenty mentioned about what Cait is capable of doing, they leave a lot of what she might be capable of doing hidden away. Indeed we see more of what Father Simon is capable of doing. The author is descriptive, engaging and ratchets up the tension even over the short piece.

The spelling and grammar of the book is fine, although it would have read better with the scenes split apart as paragraphs instead of one continuous piece of text. It was a good short read that kept me occupied all the way through and I enjoyed

Overall, I quite enjoyed this quick tale and for anyone looking for a new paranormal YA series, that should be something to have a look at. There are 12 more books in the main series, if you enjoy this one.