The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency

by Peter Oxley

London, 1868. The streets are haunted by thieves, murderers… and demons from beyond the Aether.

Spencer and Bart are the city’s most incompetent crooks, and they are in deep trouble. Hunted by both police and their fellow criminals, they are forced to consider the unthinkable —going straight.

Forming The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, they thought their troubles were behind them, but they soon find themselves caught up in a web far more dangerous than they could ever imagine, pitched against demons, criminals and evil magicians.

Why are there so many demons roaming the London streets, and can Spencer and Bart stop them before it’s too late?

Who are the mysterious Tappers, and what are they doing with the women they abduct from the streets?

Can Spencer and Bart change the habits of a lifetime and not only stay on the right side of the law, but also save the day?

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is the new novel from Peter Oxley, the author of the Infernal Aether series. If you like dark gothic adventures with a light-hearted twist, then you’ll love The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2023

About the author

Pete Oxley leads a double life - by day a coach and trainer for nervous wedding speakers, and by night an author of dark historical fantasy, steampunk and sci-fi. Sometimes he even wears a cape...

A self-confessed geek, when he's not inventing new worlds and writing about them, he can be found devouring books, films and TV programmes on pretty much anything (but with a soft spot for steampunk, sci-fi, fantasy or anything with a zombie in it...).

Author of the Spencer & Bart / Demon Hunting series, "The Infernal Aether" series, and the non-fiction book "The Wedding Speech Manual".

He lives with his wife, two young sons and a slowly growing guitar collection. Aside from writing and willingly speaking in front of large crowds of strangers, Pete spends his spare time playing music badly, supporting football teams that play badly and writing about himself in the third person.

Reviews

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 4 out of 5]

'London, 1868. The streets are haunted by thieves, murderers. and demons from beyond the Aether...'

I picked up this entirely on a whim but it turned out to be an enjoyable, easy and quick read. Although this wasn't typical of what I would usually read, I found it to be a well paced, lighthearted and occasionally funny novel, with enough detail and character development to keep me interested but without getting too bogged down.

I could see this being perfect for the Y/A audience above anything else. The writing style is fairly simplistic but rather than detract from the story, I felt this helped with maintaining the pace throughout. Overall this was a good fast paced mystery adventure which exceeded my expectations.

I received an advanced copy for free and I'm leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Demon Hunting Agency
By Peter Oxley

Based in an alternate Victorian age, there are demons that somehow are loose upon the world physically. Two guys that never had a legitimate job before has only one option left and that's to go straight! No killing, robbing, or cracking heads. They are best friends and do everything together so they decide to start a Demon Hunting business. This is where everything starts to go really wrong! They are too good at their job!

Tessie is married to an ultimate jerk and treated like a prisoner. Her husband has a friend that comes around that is frightening just with his dark stare. She knows her husband and this scary man has bad intentions for her, but what? She hires the Demon Hunters to investigate because she doesn't know anyone else. Things were wrong before, now they get a lot worse!

The characters are wonderfully good or evil. The narration is perfect. The world building is so terrific I wanted to wash my hands in a few parts when they were in the filthy streets. This book is delightfully fun, exciting, with suspense, magic, paranormal, monsters, evil, and hearts of gold found in the filth of Victorian London!

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me enjoy this fabulous book! This is such a fantastic book!

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5

London, 1868. The streets are haunted by thieves, murderers… and demons from beyond the Aether.

Spencer and Bart are the city’s most incompetent crooks, and they are in deep trouble. Hunted by both police and their fellow criminals, they are forced to consider the unthinkable —going straight.

Forming The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, they thought their troubles were behind them, but they soon find themselves caught up in a web far more dangerous than they could ever imagine, pitched against demons, criminals and evil magicians.

Why are there so many demons roaming the London streets, and can Spencer and Bart stop them before it’s too late?

Who are the mysterious Tappers, and what are they doing with the women they abduct from the streets?

Can Spencer and Bart change the habits of a lifetime and not only stay on the right side of the law, but also save the day?

I really enjoyed this one. As a fan of gothic and historical fiction I thought this was a unique take on this genre as at times they can be repetitive and predictable but I throughly enjoyed Oxley’s fresh interpretation from the ‘lackey’s’ perspective.

Filled with mystery, suspense and humour this was a great read that I would definitely recommend and I just hope that Oxley has more cases lined up for Spencer and Bart in the future.

[Brittanica Bold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my goal going into 2023 is to read more books by male authors. And what better time to start this goal than New Year’s Eve?

Yesterday, I requested an ARC of The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency by Peter Oxley. How did my first step towards my goal go down? Let’s find out!

What I liked about the book:
1. This was such a quick read! It was humorous and adventurous enough that I wanted to see what happened next and didn’t want to put it down.

2. The characters were overall enjoyable.

Spencer and Bart: I loved how morally grey Spencer and Bart were; they were crooks after all, but had never done anything SUPER bad and were the ultimate good guys with consciences in the end. I also liked how even though they tried to pigeonhole themselves into their roles (Spencer is usually the brains and Bart is usually the muscle), they showed a lot of other, I would say equally important, traits. Like Bart with his heart of gold and Spencer with allowing his emotions to win over his brain at several points.

Tessie was fine. I liked the idea brought forth that she was an outcast as a kid and she was the creative type rather than the social etiquette type. I also enjoyed the moments when she let herself speak her mind, especially to her husband. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of Tessie’s character, and I have a feeling she will just continue to bloom beautifully into a rich character as the series goes on.

Thaddeus. Thaddeus. Thaddeus. The bad boy with magic powers who “doesn’t work for anyone”. Oh, I already know I’m going to fall hard for you. Probably the most morally grey of them all, Thaddeus was only in bits and pieces of this, but I have a feeling he will be involved with a lot of the shenanigans going forward. Not necessarily as a main character, but as the character that always shows up to help out at the last minute.

3. This book does a great job of setting us up for future events. We definitely weren’t left on a cliffhanger, but not everything was fully resolved, if that makes sense. This one also set a lot of foundation for future books to be able to just dive in, so I anticipate I will enjoy those even more going forward.

4. I love that cover! It’s fun and vibrant, yet dark and enticing. It reminds me of Daughter of the Pirate King meets The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

What could have been better:
1. Based on the reviews both on Goodreads and NetGalley, I anticipated this book to be more humorous than it was. I was expecting a lot of bumbling, slapstick antics reminiscent of The Three Stooges, which it wasn’t. It was still humorous, don’t get me wrong; it was just more “hmmmms” of appreciation than outright laughter from me.

2. Similar to item 1, the action/adventure was not as actiony or adventury as I thought it would be. I was looking for Goonies meets Ghostbusters, and this fell a bit flat. There were several scenes where they were fighting demons, but none of them really stand out to me looking back. Fun enough to read in the moment, but nothing super memorable.

3. There were two pairs of names that I constantly got mixed up when they were near each other:

– the only women really in this book were named Bessie and Tessie. Did we really need them to rhyme? This was a bit confusing to me at first and had me thinking the author had a typo for part of it. Until our second encounter with Bessie where her appearance was described a bit more, I assumed they were the same person.

– Also, Seth and Spencer. While they may not have rhymed, the first real introduction to Spencer and Bart having Seth thrown in the mix definitely messed with me the entire scene and from there on out whenever Spencer and Seth were together. I constantly found myself saying, “Now, which one is this?”

Final Thoughts:
This was a fun little read that was great to end 2022 on. I’m looking forward to the next one!

Final Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher Burning Chair, Peter Oxley, and NetGalley for the free copy of this book. The opinions expressed above are voluntary and my own.

[Jeneane Vanderhoof · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new series called Spencer & Bart begins with its first release, The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency by Peter Oxley. It was a great break, for me, to take from serious novels and tears. And, while other readers may cry a little here (like I did), they will be tears of laughter rather than of sadness. Not that the characters don’t have their tales of woe. They all live hard lives! Bart and Spencer are down on their luck thieves who can’t seem to get out from under the thumb of the “big boss” who, no matter what they do or where they go, seems to find them and demand much of what they make, trying to survive.

And then, there is Tessa, a woman they meet who needs their help, is part of the upper class, married to a brute of a man whom I suspect will, by the end of the book, put her in danger. Lord Merchant, Tessa’s husband, seems to be setting Tessa up for something, for her downfall. The only reason for that being, is that he is a cruel man. Thus, she seeks out Bart and Spencer, the only two demon hunters. So it’s not like they don’t have their problems; and big ones. But, the fact that they persevere, don’t shrink in the face of the demons, even themselves, taking what they want, no one doing anything about the demons; that is, until Bart & Spencer decided to hunt them down, makes it a better read due to these characters. No one else seems to be doing anything about all the demon activity in London and….they really need the money. Their life of crime has only led to problems and they want to go straight. Straight to hunting demons, that is.

For some reason, Philippa Gregory’s Order of Darkness series pops into my mind, when I think about what this book reminds me of, since recommendations like these are the norm in reviews now. Whether it is the writing, or that Bart and Spencer are part of 1868 London’s streets, while the Order of Darkness books occur farther back in the past than this, both books are an older world experience where readers are immersed into the streets these characters inhabit. And though the Order of Darkness series are a little more serious in nature, (after all, the general theme of the books are researching religious phenomena) Oxley hearkens onto a story like Gregory does, at least when she is writing for young adults. Also, I am a fan of the Order of Darkness series and now, the Spencer and Bart series, a reader who now can’t wait for more, the next in the series. And there still is the hope that Greogory will add another to the Order of Darkness series, too. She seems to be done with the fourth book of the series but one can always hope?

While the series does present the paranormal in a “cozy” way, I guess would be the best way to say it, (the book is for young adults, after all) because after reading a page you're not going to “freak out” if your cat happens to jump up on your lap or anything. But the book still manages to make reading about demons interesting, and, a little scary, if not just annoying most of the time. Because while Bart and Spencer may do away with some of the demons in the story easier than others, near the end, the two find their hunting has set them up with some real problems, making themselves targets of some real monsters. But, I spent much of the book angry that the boss they once worked for seemed to think he owned them, causing more trouble and demanding money for jobs he took no part in, long after he told them he didn’t want the two in his “gang” anymore. And, crossing my fingers that they weren’t picked up by the police, who seemed to follow the pair all the time, only goes to highlight to those reading this just how much trouble the pair can really cause. Especially when they get to thinking and, God forbid, they do it together.

At first, I had a hard time knowing what to call the book as the cover, really, is what drew me to it. The Grate Big Demon Hunting Agency is written on it, by a hand with long nails and, the Grate is crossed out by that hand, in red, and spelled correctly, not in type as the original words, but written out, looking handprinted; which illustrates the very nature of what you will find in the book. Something easy, fast and fun. I was very lucky to have found the series and author! A real diamond in the rough, I believe,The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency will live up to my hype, for all who read it!

[Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounding up for Goodreads
I really enjoyed this book. Fun fantasy in the same vein as discworld. Interesting characters, good pacing, quick read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Leia Sedai]

DNF at 18%.

The tone and prose was wildly inconsistent not only for the setting, but within the book itself. By 18% no real plot development occurred and it could not hold my interest.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Burning Chair Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. ***

[Annemieke / A Dance with Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Burning Chair for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

TW/CW Gang Threats | Violence | Kidnapping | Mentioned Torture

When I saw the cover of The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency I knew I had to give it a go. Because I am always all in for incompetent crooks who start an agency. Always ready for the underdog.

Unfortunately this book didn't live up to my expectations at all. I rated this book 3 stars because it was entertaining for what it was. And entertaining can be great but there was so much more that could have been achieved here with the ideas.

For one our two main characters are fairly flat. Bart and Spencer are incompetent. And not even in a funny way or because they actually have a good heart. It is just sad. Even the upstart of their business is sad. They are cardboard boxes of fun and inspiring characters. Not being able to spell right could have been done something with but it was just used by the side characters to make fun of them with.

And it just never really moves away from that. Our damsel in distress that reaches out to our two characters is not exactly better. She becomes some sort of main character but one without much of a personality.

The plot was okay but because not a lot was being done with the setting, it didn't really come very far. Demons came out and now live amongst them. You would think that would take a lot of changes to day to day life and that they have a bigger role to play then be somewhere in the shadows. Yet that is where they seem to be.

Having said that, there was a good pace and it was entertaining enough not to put down right away but to sit down for an afternoon. But if you have a large stack of books waiting for you I can't imagine you'd want to spend too much time with this.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

TGBDHA is a roller coaster ride through a gripping paranormal thriller. The MC’s are very easy to like or be disgusted by and I sincerely hope there will be a second book to follow. The world-building creates a picture of historical London that I can see in my mind’s eye as though I were walking those streets. I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the author and this is my honest and freely given opinion.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is a very non-serious historical paranormal fantasy romp set in Victorian London, which looks to be a series opener for a spin-off from the author’s Infernal Aether series, which I have not read. I’m unsure if the lead characters, Spencer and Bart, featured in those books - there are mentions of previous events, but it wasn’t a problem as you get enough background to know who they are. While not apparently being marketed as such, this felt like a book most suitable for 10-14 year old kids rather than adults.

A couple of East End crooks - Spencer, the slight sneaky one, and Bart his bumbling hulk of a best friend, find themselves outside of their usual gang and being watched by the police, so decide that their only option is to go straight, forming an agency to help rid local businesses of the plague of demons tormenting the city. Tessie is a recently orphaned aristocrat unhappily married to an older man with an unhealthy interest in magic. When she hires them to follow him to find out what he’s up to, the friends’ new skills will be put to the ultimate test.

This was mildly enjoyable nonsense with a fairly predictable plot padded out by cartoonesque fight scenes and plenty of slapstick humour. I’m unclear how likeable the protagonists are meant to be, I had an issue with Spencer referring to Tessie using the ruder term for a female dog, but the main story is about them finding their morals and becoming the heroes, with the ending making clear there are more adventures to come - but I’m unlikely to read them. There are only two kinds of female characters, feeble toffs and feisty hookers, and I’m unsure of the messaging in this day and age when the evil characters are repeatedly described as “dark”. It’s a short book and passed the time, but I think I’m the wrong reader for this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Burning Chair for the ARC. I’m posting this honest review voluntarily. Publication date 2nd March.

[Sibil]

DNF

I have read 100 pages before throwing the towel in, but... it's just not the right one for me. I was expecting a funny reading, and the premises are there, sure. The first two chapters are captivating and really promising, but then there is so much bullying in there, and I just can't stand it. It wasn't funny to me, it was annoying (and I was annoyed on the behalf of the characters, especially the two main ones), and not what I was expecting from the book.
If the problem was only with expectations I could have managed, but I am not really interested in anything else in there so... I decided to just drop it.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

254 pages

4 stars

This is a fun book.

Two rather bumbling miscreants named Spencer and Bart have hit bottom. None of their former pals will have anything to do with them any longer. Spencer gets a great idea. They should go straight. Bart can’t believe it.

They create the “The “Grate” (sic) Big Demon Hunting Agency. It seems London in 1868 is overrun by ill-meaning demons. Spencer plans to fight them off - for money - of course. They have success with their agency.

But things then get more serious.

I enjoyed this little novel. I actually liked Spencer and Bart. They were funny. More importantly, they actually stumbled onto honest work at last. Demons, evil people, damsels in distress. . What’s not to like?

Mr. Oxley has created two engaging antiheroes. His descriptions are colorful. I witnessed the demon hunting duo in first person. I felt like I was there.

I want to thank NetGalley and Burning Chair for forwarding to me this nice little book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book!

Takes place in 19th century London, but an alternate history in which demons exist and inhabit parts of the city. Spencer and Bart are two low-level crooks trying to go straight. So they start a demon hunting agency even though they really don't know the first thing about demons. They stumble into their first couple of clients and somehow manage to kind of do what they were hired to do. But then they get involved in something much bigger. Can two men who have really just always looked after themselves (and each other) make a difference? And do they want to?

I enjoyed seeing these characters in action and would happily continue with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Alex Z (azeebooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Out March 2, 2023.

3.5 stars

This was a fun book, with a fun concept. Spencer and Bart are sick of the thievin’ life and want to go straight and start a demon hunting agency. Of course, they get embroiled with a much scarier big bad and have to save the day.

I thought the story of this was pretty good, but due to the short length of the book I really missed out on some world building. I wanted to know more about the demons and how they came to be(I think we got a sentence breezing over this).

Overall the characters were fun, I had a few laughs and think that this could be an interesting series to continue!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I want to thanks Netgalley for the eARC of this amazing story.

Have you ever had that feeling of not wanting to leave the world the author created in his books? Because that has happened to me with this book and I just don't want to leave Bart and Spencer. I hope this is the start of a saga that I'm definitely going to read because it's a beautiful book.

This book was beautiful from beginning to end, when I finished it I wanted nothing more than to go back to Bart and Spencer and follow them on another of their adventures and above all I didn't want to leave this world that Peter has introduced us to.

This historical fantasy has the classic duo of incompetent crooks that we always see in movies but with a nice twist that doesn't present us with one of them being just the mastermind and the other a fool who does what he is told. It gives us deeper characters with very different thoughts, ideas and motivations that somehow complement each other perfectly bringing out the best side of each other. Spencer and Bart are the most adorable anti-heroes ever. It's the classic duo where one is the smart one and the other the muscles. But this time they are both more than that, they are their past, their insecurities, their values and the way they act about them. I loved them and feel they complement each other perfectly. They are both faced with the great challenge of facing the villain and proving their worth to themselves, watching their growth is nice and thoroughly enjoyable. Their friendship and sibling relationship is quite tender, how they both don't detach from each other and rely on each other to face hardships.

I really liked the writing. It was straightforward and could be followed quickly so the book was over for me faster than I would have liked. It has British slang but then you get used to it and that is what adds substance to the story, it reminds us that this is 1860's London. I think what I liked most was the writing which was simple to understand and easy to follow, plus the story flies by.

This demon hunting agency causes our duo to face perhaps the biggest challenge of their lives: staying on the legal path. And this then causes them to become embroiled in this mystery and then face whatever it is that is kidnapping the women of the city. This adventure makes them rethink their motivations, that which keeps them going and therefore a development in their character. I really liked the story, the way it is developed and how the pieces come together little by little and together with Bart and Spencer we discover the truth. The ending is perfect for the story and gives us hints that this may not be the last time we follow Bart and Spencer's adventures, I hope not. I really liked how the mystery slowly builds up and then culminates so that the main characters have this growth that makes them less incompetent and more heroic.

This is a fun story that reads super fast. The universe of this story is very fun and interesting. Following Bart and Spencer through this adventure where they will test themselves in order to solve this mystery and save the day will be a lot of fun. You won't want the book to end, and I hope like me you are more excited for the author's future works. It's an amazing book to hang out and have a few laughs, enjoy a good story that isn't too complicated but is incredibly good. I hope soon the author will announce more adventures of Bart and Spencer, which I will definitely read.

[‧₊˚ ellie ♡ (إيلي) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the author and the publisher for providing me with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I provided my feedback after the book was published and it doesn’t affect my opinions at all.

I unfortunately DNF-ed this book two chapters in. It really wasn’t the right one for me. I’ve always been fascinated with both the beauty and mystery surrounding the events of the Victorian era, so the premise of the book was certainly appealing as it incorporated haunting yet thrilling gothic elements to the story. I really expected to like this, but it sadly didn’t hold my interest at all.

[Ashley Baez Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and book cover peaked my interest with this book. I had hoped I would enjoy this one more than I did. I felt that the main characters, Spencer and Bart, were kind of flat for me and did not develop much throughout the novel. Overall, it was a bit slow paced for my taste. If you told me that a city would have demons cohabiting with the public, I would think much more chaos would ensue, but that really doesn't happen here. Again, okay book for me, but just fell flat as a whole.

Thank you to Burning Chair Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read. Demons in the Victorian Era. It's a bit of a cozy, silly read. And, although the bullying really was frustrating, it was easy to find everything else interesting enough to roll with it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had almost ridiculously good luck lately with my book picks. Since the beginning of the year, there have only been four that I was just kind of "eh" about ... and only three that ended up firmly on the DNFWNEFYCMMF* pile.

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is most definitely not going on that pile. It feels almost like Gail Carriger, Christopher Moore, and Derek Landy had a great big lovefest with the spirit of Terry Pratchett and the end result was somehow Peter Oxley. [Hey. It's Alternate Universe Land. It could happen.]

It has humor, snark, magic, mystery, snark, demons, snark, and monsters (not necessarily the same as demons, after all)... oh, and a bit of snark.

**************************************
There was not a soul in London not in fear of these new monsters. Even the demons feared them, went out in pairs for their own protection.

This new menace. Even their name sent a shiver down the spine.

The Tappers.
**************************************

And it all takes place in an alternate Victorian London.

**************************************
London was never quiet. It was the noisiest hell-pit on Earth; a wonderful, chaotic, messy, beautiful sea of humanity.
**************************************

I think by now you probably know how very much I adore snark and Victorian London -- alternative or otherwise. I still wasn't expecting to adore this book as much as I have and I am so hoping that there will be many more installments to come. I know that it's related to Oxley's Infernal Aether series, which I have yet to read, but I really just want more Spencer and Bart and I'm not sure how prominently they may be in those ... if at all. [I would, of course, be more than willing to find out if someone wants to gift me the box set or something.]

From the first time we meet our dynamic fearless fearsome main duo in The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, I knew they were my type of guys and that this was going to be one for the potential future re-read pile.

**************************************
“Mornin’, Dicky,” grinned Spencer, a short, scrawny man with a face like a weasel and a voice to match. “Been a while. Mind if we have a chat? Didn’t think so. Bart, help Dicky to his feet.”

Dicky tried to back away as Bart’s lumbering bulk lent down over him. His vision was filled with the man’s excessively hairy body and completely smooth head as two hands the size of shovels grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him—surprisingly gently—to his feet.
**************************************

I know.

I cheat.

I throw in more blips and blurbs than necessary but sometimes it's just needed and it's not like there's some sort of blog police out there. If there was, I would just hide behind Bart. Besides, all those blips and blurbs happen in the first two chapters so it's just a realllllly extended Tuesday Intro .... or something. I'm sure Spencer would be able to come up with the right words to convince you. If not, I'm sure Bart would find a way.



* DNFWNEFYCMMF = did not finish - will not ever finish - you can't make me finish

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
-
*I did receive this from the publisher via NetGalley as an eARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
-
Let me start by saying this was a very fast read that engaged me from the start. Its premise was excellent having both fun plotlines whilst developing a darker fantasy story. I would also say that despite being a shorter novel, it was well-paced and managed to fit a lot into it.

Where it fell flat for me, was the overall development of the story and its characters. The protagonists were great at face value but they did not seem to evolve over the course of the book and thus felt a bit one-dimensional. This was the same with the “damsel in distress” character, who had the workings to be a strong female character but that didn’t fulfil this goal. I would’ve also liked to have spent more time with the demon-hunting agency rather than the side plot that turned into the central story. Overall, a fast and engaging story at face value, but not one that had the depth that I personally wanted from a fantasy story.

TW: violence, death, domestic violence, swearing, sexism

[Simon Finnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN ABSOLUTE BELTER OF A BOOK!

What a book. I read this so quickly and couldn't put it down. If like me, you love your action/adventure book with a bit of gothic and a huge dollop of humour then you'll love this.

The story focuses on two East End thugs in Victorian London (albeit a Victorian London that has been infested with Demons) who get into all kinds of scrapes as they try to go straight by sorting out people's problems with demons.

It whips along at break-neck speed and with a great selection of characters and a warm and engaging writing style, I really enjoyed this.

I will definitely be reading more of the author's work after this.

Thank you to the author and publishers for an advance copy of this book.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is one of those cases where, as an adult fiction, I have to give it two stars. However, if it had been a junior fiction, I would have given it four. The concept is a lot of fun, as are the two main characters, however I was expecting slightly more comedy, and I found the slapstick contrast with the much darker plot points to be a little jarring. The humour felt much more consistent with junior fiction to me, and I could very easily see how it could be edited to fit that age range.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

It reminded me of Stan&Ollie and Pinky&The Brain. Two crooks want to go straight and open a Demon Hunting Agency, as you do in Victorian London full of demons. It's supposed to be funny, but is more slapstick. There are no satisfactory answers to why there are demons in London or why the wet blanket female character has to be used to summon a demon.

If this was a middle-grade book, I'd say it needs a bit more editing to balance out the dark and humorous bits, but it's worth 4 stars. It's not a middle-grade book though.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

in an alternate Victorian London where demons exist, two petty criminals. Spencer and Bart decide to go straight by starting The great Big Demon Hunting Agency. Turns out they’re pretty good at it, much better than they were at crime, which leads to a bounty on their heads by other demons as well as bringing them to the attention of a crime boss who wants his share of any earnings they might make...or else and that or else includes some very nasty possibilities including, but not limited to, death.

Tessie’s husband, never a nice guy, has lately been even worse since he started hanging out with a man who seems wrong somehow although Tessie isn’t sure how. She suspects something bad is happening. Since she can’t trust anybody she knows, she turns to Bart and Spencer to find out what her husband is up to. Eventually this brings the duo to the Thaumaturgical and Paranormal Research Centre and suddenly facing vengeful demons and murderous crime bosses seem like much better safer options

When I saw The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency by Peter Oxley on Netgalley, it looked like it would be a whole lot of fun and, happily, it lived up to my expectations. Bart and Spencer made for very likeable characters and the bad guys, both human and nonhuman, are uncompromisingly and compellingly evil. The story moves at a brisk pace and kept me engaged throughout. Overall, a wickedly entertaining read, one I hope is the beginning of a series because I’d love to read more of the adventures of Bart and Spencer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess Twibey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Following two of London finest low level criminals as they strive to make a straight living.. fighting demons. As soon as they meet tess things get much more complicated than their gang leader wanting a cut of the profits, things turn much darker and much more dangerous in a supernatural way

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much different than what I would normally go for, but I was pleasantly surprised by this quick read! At first it was a bit difficult for me to get into since, like I mentioned before, it’s not my usual genre, but once I got into the story I couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this to others.

[Jessicaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I’m super new to this reviewing of books and concisely trying to put my words together to describe what or how I’ve felt whilst reading of said books, so please bear with me!

If you’re looking for a light hearted and easy read, I would recommend this to pretty much anyone - whether they’re big readers or not. The characters are extremely witty and it’s easy to imagine them and the antics they get up to! The writing is easy to follow, the descriptions are superb, and the storyline, although a little predictable in some areas, doesn’t feel stilted at anytime.

In all likelihood I’ll be buying my own copy when this book is released.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly quick read, I speed through this book on the bus journey to Dublin the other week and found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions (apologies to my fellow passengers for the guffaws of laughter).
Set in London of 1868, we met Spencer and Bart, our two protagonists. Two decidedly bumbling crooks who decide to "go straight". Well to a certain extent as they set up a new business to tackle the threat of demons in London. Yes, all manner of strange demonic creatures exist and they are making life very difficult for the humans of London so are intrepid duo are coming to the rescue.
Naturally, their plan does not go according to plan and mayhem quickly ensues. And it is only due to their own quick thinking (Spencer) and fighting skills (Bart) that Spencer and Bart are able to pay off one debt and scramble into another disaster, I found myself enjoying the mayhem and the regular hints of darkness to come as mentions of the Tappers and disappearances became more frequent.
And then we met Tessie, the wife of a London society man. Tessie is fearful of her husband and hires Spencer and Bart to investigate. They soon uncover some very dark activities and the trio end on fighting both demons and humans in a battle to survive.
The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is a dark, gothic tale with plenty of humour and heart. One to read and enjoy.

[Tony Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking little read of a book with the main characters being a humorous pair of rogues set in Victorian London. The story flowed nicely and kept my interest the whole way through. On to book 2 now!

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable romp. It's not usual to get protagonists who are pretty inept at what they're attempting to accomplish, but it was fun to read. And the author was good at creating the atmosphere of the period, as well as the imagery of the demons and other entities "haunting" the city.