THE PALE HOUSE DEVIL by Richard Kadrey – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
Published by Titan Books on October 3 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 128
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Two paranormal mercenaries for hire try to outwit a demon in this short but lively story with plenty of humor and heart.

This is my first Richard Kadrey book, and I’m not sure why I waited so long to check him out. The Pale House Devil is a fun, funny paranormal story with a noir vibe, and my only complaint is that it’s too short. But as a taste of what the author’s work is like, it did the job, because now I need to read more of Kadrey’s books.

Ford and Neuland are hit men for hire, but they aren’t your usual hit men. They deal in the paranormal, and often their targets are already dead—the undead, or Marcheur, as they are sometimes called (just don’t use the terms “dodos” or “dirt-napper,” they’re very offensive to Neuland). What makes Ford and Neuland special is that Ford is alive and Neuland is undead. Ford can kill the undead while Neuland can only kill the living. This makes them a formidable team, but that’s not to say that they don’t make mistakes.

When the story opens, they are on an assignment, but something goes wrong and they end up killing the guy who hired them. Leaving Manhattan is their only choice, so they head to Los Angeles to try their luck there. In L.A., they meet a young woman named Tilda Rosenbloom, who has a job for them. Tilda’s great-grandfather Shepherd Mansfield wants them to come to his estate in Northern California and kill the devil, who has taken up residence in his house. Ford and Neuland don’t believe it’s “the” devil, but Tilda promises them a hefty payday if they can complete the job.

But what they find at Mansfield’s house is a creature that turns out to be almost impossible to kill. They’re going to need all their wits and skills, and a little help wouldn’t hurt either.

Kadrey’s story is very short, but he makes the best of those pages with a tightly plotted story and lovable characters. The best parts of The Pale House Devil are the interactions among Ford, Neuland and Tilda. The men take Tilda under their wing and she becomes almost a daughter figure to them, worming her way into their lives with her bubbly personality. Kadrey’s dialogue is spot on and very funny, especially between Ford and Neuland, who have been together a long time and know each other’s personalities inside and out. 

When Shepherd Mansfield enters the picture, the story takes on a more dangerous tone. He’s a complete asshole (really, there’s no other way to describe him) and he’s supporting Tilda financially, so she wants nothing more than to find a way to extricate herself from his clutches. Enter Ford and Neuland, and suddenly Tilda might have a way out, if only she can prove her worth to them.

The demon who’s taken over Pale House gets its own POV chapters, and it was fun to see things from the demon’s perspective. It’s able to turn invisible and only appears to people when it wants to. It also loves to eat, and “soft things” (people!) are its favorite. Later we find out how the demon came to be trapped in the house, and Ford and Neuland, with the help of Tilda, come up with a very creative way to get rid of it. The demon’s chapters are written in such a way that the reader starts to sympathize with the beast, a huge blobby thing with a protruding mouth and many legs that felt like something out of a Lovecraftian horror story.

The real monster here, though, is Mansfield, a truly vile man. Ford and Neuland only put up with him because they want to get paid first, but you can tell they’re just waiting for an opportunity to put him in his place.

Kadrey has a good thing going here, and I’d love to see more stories about Ford, Neuland and Tilda. We do get a brief glimpse into how Neuland was “raised,” but I have a feeling the author has only shown his readers the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this world. The ending is satisfying and sweet, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with how perfectly paced The Pale House Devil is for a novella length story. Grab this book for a short, fun read that will leave you smiling!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.