Review: Working For the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow

(Blurb)
Necromance-for-hire Dante Valentine is choosy about her jobs. Hot-tempered and with nerves of steel, she can raise the dead like nobody’s business. But one rainy Monday morning, everything goes straight to Hell.
The Devil hires Dante to eliminate a renegade demon: Vardimal Santino. In return, he will let her live. It’s an offer she can’t refuse.
There’s just one catch. How do you kill something that can’t die?

(Review)
I had read Strange Angels by Lilith Saintcrow, and I wasn't impressed. But this book, the first in the Dante Valentine series was a much and needed improvement for my views on the author.

Plot: Danny is brought to hell by Jaf, the Devil's right hand man, to assassinate the demon Santino, and return Lucifer the 'Egg'. But Danny had her own score to settle on Santino, five years ago Santino had killed one of Danny's best friends Doreen. But Danny also nearly died trying to save Doreen.
The first part of the book consists of Danny trying to get contacts and her friends to assist with finding Santino. And dealing with a Demon Familiar. One that see neither wants or thinks she needs for that matter. Japhrimel a demon with bright green eyes and flat toned voice, was stuck with Danny, bond to her by the demon mark burning bright on her shoulder blade.

Characters: Are defined and different, each one with their own talents and moods. Danny is rather hard to like at first but her reason are fair. Most of her attitude is sarcastic and rude, which i like first fine in my female heroins. Her love is torn in a way between Jaf and Jace, her ex-lover that left without a word years ago. Gabe and Eddie, Gabe another Necromance, although not as powerful as Danny has her skills as a police detective, and her boyfriend Eddie, a Skinlin or Dirtwitch with an over protective-ness over Gabe. All assist, even after Danny's ranting and complaining saying that she 'works alone', they stick to their friends side as she tries so kill the demon that came so close to killing her in the past.

Setting: The setting throughout the book was confusing. Set in Saint City, although it never says what state it is in. It is set in the distant future, with hovercars and magical creatures out and about. At first this makes the story hard to follow and most of the time You wonder what they are talking about because of the futurist language and the language the unhumans use. Although some of the back story can come close to real life. Such as the Choyne Towers Disaster, something that could be compared to the Twin Towers terrorist attack.

Cover: Good, but the woman on the cover doesn't really look like the woman that is described in the book. The red, black, and white work well though. -A
Ages: 14 and up for language, sexual content and graphic fighting.
Rating: 4/5 Rocking skulls.