As a reporter for True News, a national supermarket tabloid, Hope Adams has a nose for trouble. For half-demon Hope, it's a talent she comes by honestly. While covering a story with a promising werewolf twist, Hope is approached by Benicio Cortez, CEO of the powerful Cortez Cabal. Benicio asks Hope to help him sort out some minor gang trouble in Miami by infiltrating a gang of young supernaturals who've been giving him trouble. Since Hope owes the Cabal a favor, she jumps at the chance to settle the debt. Besides, the assignment could be fun. Hope feeds off chaos and an undercover assignment with a gang could give her a harmless outlet to work off a little steam.

Once in Miami, Hope passes the gang initiation and fits in with no problem. The gang runs a trendy nightclub and is excited to have Hope with them. As a rare expisco demon, Hope's talent for "reading" people is a valuable tool for a gang that targets and robs the uber-wealthy patrons who frequent the club. The chaotic lifestyle is a good fit for Hope and she allows the freedom it brings to wash over her like a drug. But like all addictions, the coming down part is a bitch. Two gang members are kidnapped -- one is a young magician Hope has become involved with -- while a third member is murdered. It seems the Cabal is sending a message to the gangs to back down.

Reeling from shock and worry, Hope finds herself counting on a man who's proven himself to be less than dependable -- ex-lover Karl, a loner werewolf and jewel thief who walked out on Hope months before. Karl joins Hope in her search for the missing gang members. It's a search that leads them straight to Cabal headquarters and the Cortez family. The evidence seems solid, but Hope and Karl are part of a world where nothing is as it seems. Their investigation uncovers a plan that could change the supernatural world as they know it. Hope and Karl find themselves not only fighting for their lives, but the lives and life-work of those they hold dear. The structure of the supernatural world will crumble around them if they can't find and stop the madmen responsible.

PERSONAL DEMON is another great read from one of the masters of urban fantasy. Fast-paced plots and concise, well-drawn characters define Armstrong's work. Her world- building and continuity are flawless. I never miss one of her stories.