Summon the Demon (The Takers Series)

Rating:
Summary: not the best of Josh and Fanny, but still welcome
Review: I still remember the first moment I saw "The Takers" on the book rack at a grocery store. I was on a camping trip and when I saw it, I had to own it. I stayed up all night, reading it with a flashlight. It was everything I hoped it would be, and the knowledge that it was but the first book of a series whetted my appetite for more. I routinely scanned the rack for the next installment, and was not disappointed with River of Gold.
Then...nothing. When it became apparent that Mr. Ahern had ended his relationship with Gold Eagle books, I feared the worst: Josh Culhane and Fanny Mulrooney were lost forever.
Since, I have learned that the Aherns still love "The Takers" and have revisited the characters once or twice in other formats. When I discovered "Summon the Demon" it was a no-brainer; once again, I had to have it.
I was initially disappointed that the novel isn't in print, especially since the audiobook is an abridgement, but I recently picked up the ebook version and my initial feeling is that the cuts were made in all the right places. Even in the condensed audiobook, there is occasionally Too Much Information, but thankfully, the tapes stick mostly too the story. Those new to the Aherns may not appreciate the overabundance of details with respect to firearms or tobacco rituals--heck, I'm a fan and I still just kind of gloss over the stuff. StD is not as much fun as the first two novels in the series and the writing is a lot sloppier, perhaps the result of the novel skipping the normal editorial process, but its still good to visit with my favorite action-adventure couple and I can only hope that there will be more.