Parallel worlds and an FBI Preternatural Crime Division evoke television’s Fringe, but demons live in these realms and FBI agent/PI Caitlin Diggs’ primary associate is a wonderfully intriguing cat with preternatural powers.

The demons of Demon Inhibitions aren’t quite the enemy we might expect in our own “real” universe. And the humans aren’t always on the side of the good guys either. Author Gary Starta creates a parallel world of monsters and men—and perhaps an Egyptian goddess (appropriate, where cats are involved)—who live and work together, but don’t quite trust each other. The fact that demons have demon urges to fight (or perhaps inhibit) might be a cause for that mistrust; but humans using the situation to violent advantage doesn’t exactly help.

The story invites thought-provoking parallels with the real-world’s “demonized” margins, and offers pleasing insights into lives unintentionally changed. Dialog is convincing, and a journalistic weight of detail draws real-world and parallel into clear focus. The text has a convincing female point of view, with digressions into thought and memory, guilt, temptation and the irresistible lure of a couple of irresistible male protagonists—a lure to which Caitlin responds in sensual detail.

A great introductory adventure starts the novel, but time slows down for a while in the middle, before the story takes off after a young teenager in need of help. Danger, excitement, mystery and more ensue, and FBI agent/PI Caitlin Diggs’ continued morphing into something more than herself promises more novels with plenty more to tell.

Do you need to read the first two novels in the series before reading this? Probably not—I’ve still not read the first—but it might help you keep track of characters as they cross world-boundaries, and character development as it crosses paranormal lines. A fun novel, a relatively slow read for such a fast tale, and a really great cat... enjoy.

Disclosure: I won a free ecopy and promised my honest review. ( )