Deal with the Devil

Circles in Hell, Book 3

By: Mark Cain

Narrated by: Michael Gilboe

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

A kidnapping, a dangerous new devil: Steve and Orson confront another mystery, involving their closest friends, while Satan tries to recruit Steve to the Demon Corps.

Steve, Hell's Super, and Orson, his trusty assistant, are back in another comic romp through the Underworld!

The Lord of Hell has a staffing shortage; there aren't enough devils and demons to torment the ever-swelling ranks of the eternally damned. Satan thinks Steve is an ideal candidate for the Demon Corps. He's smart, tenacious and able to dish out punishment when the need arises. But as Old Nick tries to recruit Hell's handyman in chief, Steve gets distracted by a more pressing issue: Florence Nightingale, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, is missing, possibly kidnapped.

With a little help from his friends, like BOOH, the storied Bat out of Hell, Steve must solve the mystery of her disappearance, manage Hell's unending flow of maintenance requests, while fending off an aggressive devil chief of police ...not to mention a succubus who is determined to steal Hell's Mr. Fixit away from Flo.

Deal with the Devil is the third volume in the fantasy comedy series, Circles in Hell. It has been compared to other works of "Hell Fiction", including The Screwtape Letters and Good Omens and to the paranormal humor of Tom Holt, Christopher Moore, and Douglas Adams.

©2015 Mark Cain (P)2016 Mark Cain

even better than the first two

Any additional comments?

( Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Even though I got the punchline early on in Steve’s story this time, I still wanna know what is going to happen to him in the next book. (Unashamed begging Mr. Cain to bestow another audio upon me when the next one is available.)

I’m not gonna tell the ending here. I never like reviews to contain spoilers and avoid them at all costs in my own meanderings. I have to say even though this is third book my appetite is suitably whetted in curiosity for what the hell happens next.

By now, we know the world Mr. Cain has invented for us and none of the details should surprise us, i.e., the name droppings, the descriptions of the levels of hell, etc. The surprises come in the story itself. The chuckles come from knowing what’s going to happen and finding out character reactions.

Other reviews of the previous two installments have lamented on the tedium of the storyline, how random bits of description or the fact that Steve has to do his “job” rather too frequently. If you’ve read the first two and are thinking of reading the third, but are put off by this occurrence, do not let it keep you from reading this one. Mr. Cain has streamlined the events in book number three to carry the reader/listener seamless through to the end. Just about every single scene is essential even if most of them oh so subtly reinforce and foreshadow the ending.

I know I’ve appreciated Michael Gilboe’s narration in other reviews. I believe that this one highlights his talent for entertainment. I think his narration of Deal With the Devil is even better than the first two books of Circles of Hell.

In my opinion more people need to read this and drop some reviews (either positive or negative, both are usually helpful). I do not feel as if enough of those who would appreciate this type of humor have even heard of this series. So into the swarming abyss of the internet my words go.

Just Keeps Getting Better!

Flo is missing and there appears to be an even larger conspiracy in the works that must be solved! Be prepared to explore many more regions of the circles of hell as our hero is taken all over eternity. This is the best of the series yet with an ending that I did not see coming!

Gaimen, Pratchett and Adams couldn't keep better company

The 3rd installment of the circles of hell was spectacular. Minion, wells, satan, boo, nightingale, shemp, Pinkerton, and the crew are back with a host of new characters as well. Twists and plot turns and comedy abound. Not for kids but for those of us adults who like a good chuckle this is for us. I thoroughly enjoy this series. The narrator is Amazing. I couldn't imagine anybody else voicing these characters at this point. Great evil laughter. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review.

Oh No, Where Is Flo?

Imagine a world where everyone is assigned a job they have the least amount of talent for, and you have found Mark Cain's version of hell and the continuing adventures of hell's only superintendent Steve Minion and his assistant Orson Wells. Of course what would a Circles in Hell novel be like without a supporting cast of famous and not so famous people and creatures from throughout time and imagination, and a great opening tune.

This time Flo has gone missing and Steve and Orson suspect foul play. To further complicate things Satan is still after Steve to become a demon. So off on the adventure go our fearless protagonist with duct tape, WD-40, a ladder from hell, and their imagination in tow.

As always be on the lookout for Steve's movie and television shows references. The one from a famous Abbot and Costello skit caught me off base (snicker).

Master narrator Michael Gilboe is again the incredible voice of this series. He has come up with the perfect voice and emotional depth for each character, even BOOH (Bat Out Of Hell). I would swear there was more than one person narrating.

This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

Funny Read

Another Super day in Hell with things breaking, people disappearing, pies in the face and the always sort of funny movie lines. The narration was, of course, excellent.
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Not My Favorite Of The Series

What did you love best about Deal with the Devil?

How Minion tries not to be persuaded to be come a demon

What other book might you compare Deal with the Devil to and why?

The first two Circles in Hell books.

What about Michael Gilboe’s performance did you like?

All of it. He does great voices and is easy to listen to.

If you could take any character from Deal with the Devil out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would like to say Lilith but that would be too easy. I would have to say Orson because I have questions about "Citizen Kane".

Any additional comments?

My headliner for this comment is a bit misleading. I loved the book but I didn't like the ending. It was sad and frustrating.

Whatever happened to Flo?

**spoiler alert** Mark Cain continues to keep me wanting to take a dive to the underworld to serve as Steve's assistant. In this second sequel of the series, Steve finds himself dealing with a kidnapping of his beloved, yet astranged, girlfriend, Flo. When Satan attempts to recruit Steve to the demon corps yet refuses, things start going bad for him.

Riddled with the fantastic humor and iconic historical references that define the series, book three continues the tradition of painting a very interesting view of how Hell operates. From demons addicted to Slurpees, to the slacking that occurs with Edison and Ford, to the trickery which is continuously associated with hell, this became a quick listen as I, like in the other books of the series, found myself hooked.

Easy 5/5 on this one! Highly recommended

what the HELL minion !

great series. steve gets himself into more trouble in Hell. Its Hell being in Hell. Demon Minion!

Tried Too Hard to be Clever

I generally like books in this vein, but the plot has to be there. This book was simply trying so hard to be funny that the plot was overlooked. I didn't care about the characters or what was going to happen. It was well-read, but that wasn't enough to keep me going until the end.

To be perfectly fair, I gave up after only about 3 hour. If it got better after that, I missed it. There was potential here. If you're just looking for some laughs, it's ok. I will not be trying another book in this series.

Another hit for Mark cain the

What about Michael Gilboe’s performance did you like?

Michael Gilbone is fantastic as the narrator for all of the books in this series. I love how he brings the characters alive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I giggled and laughed all the way through it.

Any additional comments?

This book is part 4 of a 4 book series. I would recommended reading them in order. You won't be disappointed.

great

very creative and funny. a real page turner so to speak. great and lively performance