Dead Men’s Boots: Another delightful Felix Castor novel

Dead Men’s Boots by Mike Carey

Dead Men’s Boots is the third Felix Castor novel after Vicious Circle and The Devil You Know. Like the previous volumes, the book finds Felix dealing with several different issues that may or may not be connected. In this case, there’s the suicide of a fellow ghostbreaker (exorcist) who leaves a message for Felix; a wife who hires Felix to clear her husband’s name of murder; a Chicago mob femme fatale who seemingly continues to kill decades after her execution; and the legal fight for Rafi’s power of attorney. Aiding Felix in his latest escapades are Juliet, Nicky — one of my favorite characters — and the demon Moloch, who drops some tantalizing hints about ‘the great project’ and why the dead are rising with increasing volume.

Compared to the previous two Felix Castor novels, I would rank Dead Men’s Boots right up there with Vicious Circle. The highlights of the book are the plot, Mr. Carey’s inventiveness — were-creatures who can organize themselves as a colony for example — and some really cool action scenes involving Juliet and Moloch. I also thought the mystery elements were better handled this time around and less predictable, but the novel suffers from following the same formula as the other two, and I felt the ending was a little too Hollywood-esque with the way everything was wrapped up. Nevertheless, Dead Men’s Boots is another delightful and engaging entry in the Felix Castor series.