I’m a peaceable person.  I don’t hit people, smash things or take contracts from demons.  Just getting that out there.  Still, sometimes it feels good to work out your mental aggressions by assuming the identity of a character in a book that is nothing like you.  So when I read Bad Soul, an urban fantasy by David Bussel and M. V. Scott, I could relate to the main character, Erin Banks.

When Erin was six, she was left to care for her baby brother while her parents went next door for a drink.  It was only supposed to be for half an hour, but Erin fell asleep and when she woke, the window was open and her brother was in the back yard, floating in a magical bubble.   Her parents can’t understand why Erin won’t just tell the truth, and don’t believe her confused and fragmented story of magic and streets that shouldn’t exist.  This becomes a turning point in Erin’s life and she realizes that she has to find out about magic and go after her brother.

Being a normal girl in a magical world, Erin needs an edge.  Her edge is a set of tattoos that give her strength, speed, healing, etc. This allows her to hold her own against paranormal creatures as she earns her living and tries to put the pieces together about her brother.

As the book opens, Erin serving time in prison when she is suddenly scheduled for release.  A mysterious stranger who is responsible eventually he makes his reasons clear:  he needs Erin to do a job for him.  In return, she’ll get some more information about her brother’s disappearance.  Easy, right? Just collect a soul promised to a demon from a guy who welshed on the deal.

I enjoyed being part of Erin’s world for a few hours.  The writing is very colorful with lots of British slang and strange and seedy characters.  The plot is fast and furious with unexpected developments and exciting scenes.  A nice piece of gritty urban fantasy.    This is the first book in the Uncanny ink series and part of a larger Uncanny Kingdom world.