Jill Kismet series

The Jill Kismet series Written by Lilith Saintcrow.

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / Noir UF

Brief Series Description or Overview[]

Each book focuses on the rise and fall of an evil and violent creature in Santa Luz, including a rogue were, several psychotic hellbreeds, and a wendigo. (The author includes a glossary of demonic terms in each book.) Battle scenes are graphic and brutal. Although Jill is nearly immortal, she sustains an incredible number of horrible injuries and spends many conscious and unconscious hours healing from various traumas. ~ from Fang-tastic Fiction: Lilith Saintcrow: JILL KISMET SERIES

Lead's Species[]

Demon Hunter – human who bears a demon mark giving her certain powers

Primary Supe[]

Demons

What Sets it Apart[]

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

First Person narrative told by Jill Kismet, protagonist.

Books in Series[]

Jill Kismet series:

Night Shift (2008)
Hunter’s Prayer (2008)
Redemption Alley (2009)
Flesh Circus (2009)
Heaven’s Spite (2010)
Angel Town (2011) ~ Final Book

Other Series by Author onsite[]

World Building[]

Setting[]

Santa Luz—city in the American Southwest

Other Places:

Sanctuary: a kind of neutral 'Switzerland' Wiccan space—owned by Galina.
Monde: Perry's bar/club
New Mexico city:
New York:
Chaldean:
Helletöng:
Pontiac:
Florida:
Barbancourt:

Supernatural Elements[]

Types: demon hunters, weres, shifters, demons, Wiccan, wendigo, diseases that cause vampirism, were cougar, rogue were, hellbreed mark, Excorcist,

several psychotic hellbreeds, hellfire, Chaldean Elder Gods, ,

Magic: exorcism, spiritual extermination, voodoo, fire magic ,

Glossary:[]

Hellbreed: (demon, aka 'breed) various denizens of Hell—Blanket term for a wide array of demons, half-demons, or other species escaped or sent from Hell.
Traders: humans who makes a deal with a hellbreed, usually for worldly gain or power.
scurf: a Hellbreed, vampires — Also called nosferatim, a semi-psychic viral infection responsible for legends of blood-hungry corpses
Nosferatu. someone infected by the scurf virus.
Arkeus: A roaming corruptor escaped from Hell.
Hellfire: The spectrum of sorcerous flame employed by hellbreed for a variety of uses.
Hunter: A trained human who keeps the balance between the nightside & regular humans; extrahuman law enforcement.
OtherSight: Second sight, the ability to see sorcerous energy. Can also mean precognition.
Possessor: An insubstantial, low-class demon specializing in occupying and controlling humans.
Sorrow: A worshipper of the Chaldean Elder Gods.
Talyn: A hellbreed, higher in rank than an arkeus or Possessor, usually insubstantial due to the nature of the physical world.
Posessor: Demons who can possess

Groups & Organizations:[]

World[]

✥ Her world isn’t futuristic either like Dante’s, but a darker version of our own, set in our own timeframe. In Jill’s world there are a whole host of things that go bump in the night, chiefly demons-or hellbreed-and she is the Hunter who is there to protect the innocent, or avenge the innocent who became demon fodder. ... Unlike the genetically advanced (yet essentially clean) manipulative demons of Dante’s world, these demons are evil repulsive, smelly, rotting things wearing a human skin. They are more like the evil demons of traditional human legend. ... Vampires exist in Jill’s world, but they are not vampires as we would know them. Called the Scurf, they are blood hungry corpses, the result of a semi-psychic viral infection. ~ I Love Vampires

✥ Jill Kismet ("Kiss") is a psychic and a demon hunter in Santa Luz, a city in the American Southwest. Trained by her late teacher, Mikhail, Jill works as an occult consultant with the local police department. As the liaison between the paranormal community and the police, Jill’s job description includes exorcism and spiritual extermination. Jill’s police department contact is Montaigne (“Monty”), who provides human backup and tries not to know too much about the dark side of Jill’s supernatural adventures.

Jill’s nemesis is Pericles (“Perry”), the powerful hellbreed (demon, aka 'breed) who runs the supernatural part of town. On her right wrist, Jill wears Perry’s hellbreed mark (in the shape of puckered lips—a kiss), which gives her demonic strength and near immortality, but also tries to pull her to the dark side. Jill accepted the mark with Mikhail’s blessing to attain strength enough to make her town safe from even the most powerful dark forces.

Each book focuses on the rise and fall of an evil and violent creature in Santa Luz, including a rogue were, several psychotic hellbreeds, and a wendigo. (The author includes a glossary of demonic terms in each book.) Battle scenes are graphic and brutal. Although Jill is nearly immortal, she sustains an incredible number of horrible injuries and spends many conscious and unconscious hours healing from various traumas. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: Lilith Saintcrow: JILL KISMET SERIES

Hunter's Prayer: Thou Who hast given me to fight evil, protect me. Keep me from harm. Grant me strength in battle, honor in living, and a quick clean death when my time comes. Cover me with Thy shield, and with my sword may Thy righteousness be brought to earth, to keep Thy children safe. Let me be the defense of the weak and the protector of the innocent, the righter of wrongs and the giver of charity. In Thy name and with Thy blessing, I go forth to cleanse the night. — Hunter's Prayer ~ Shelfari quotes

Protagonist[]

✥ Jill Kismet is a truly great UF heroine, torn between her dark and light sides and always conflicted as to what path to take in her life. She is driven to protect her city, but she doesn't always make the "right" decisions as she does so, and she must live, or die, with the dark consequences of her actions. Perry torments Jill constantly, always rooting for her dark side to surface, so Jill's life is always fraught with danger and uncertainties. Jill’s love interest is Saul Dustcircle, a Native American were-cougar, who arrives in Santa Luz in book 1 in search of his sister’s killer. Although Saul is a powerful supernatural, he is also a house husband, doing all of the cooking, cleaning, and decorating of the couple's home—almost too gentle for a fierce heroine like Jill. ~ Fang-tastic

✥ Jill Kismet could still have been too awesome for words if it wasn’t for her demonic benefactor lurking in the background every time she uses her power. Perry (Pericles) is the demon giving Jill enough juice to fight the forces of darkness. He makes the story far more tragic, as no matter how much good she does, she’s damned by the power he gives her. ~ GR reader

✥ Like Dante, Jill Kismet is a kick-ass female protagonist from the early Anita Blake school of thinking. Dressed in leather, wielding assorted swords, guns and knives she has a demon mark to give her superhuman powers although she had to trade for that power with the chief hellbreed in the city. She rushes in where angels would fear to tread, impetuously killing and burning out demons where she finds them. No one gets to hurt her people—but her motives are often vengeance rather than justice. ~ I Love Vampires

Sidekick[]

Saul Dustcircle / What: were-cougar / Sidekick-to: Jill Kismet / About: Native American, love interest / Book First Seen: Night Shift (2008)

Character Chart[]

resource to fill out chart: Jill Kismet Series

Characters	What	About
Jill Kismet ("Kiss")	Night hunter, trader	psychic and a demon hunter in Santa Luz; Night hunter & destroyer of all things hellhound, trader and demonic;
Saul Dustcircle	Native American were-cougar	Jill’s love interest
Perry, Pericles	Hellbreed, demon	Jill made pact for demonic power and protection;
Mikhail	Night-hunter, teacher	Jill's former Night-hunter trainer; Jill's lover;
“Monty”, Montaigne	police detective	provides human backup and tries not to know too much about the dark side;
Galina	head 'Wiccan', Sanctuary owner	Sanctuary owner and head 'Wiccan' in the neighbourhood - a kind of neutral 'Switzerland' Wiccan space
Arkady	Hellbreed	from New York
Cenci	Hellbreed	human daughter of Arkady
Avery	Excorcist	employed by the Santa Luz police department;
Rosie	Prostitute	killed by the beast
Diamond Ricky	Pimp
Father Guillermo	Priest
Theron	Bouncer	Bouncer in the Monde, Perry's bar/club

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Or, in Source Mode: copy-paste rows.

Lili Saintcrow — Lilith Saintcrow — Author

Author[]

Lilith Saintcrow

Website: Lilith Saintcrow – glass apples and spilled rubies
Genres: Urban Fantasy, YA Urban Fantasy, Suspense Thrillers

Bio: Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. She lives in Vancouver, Washington, in a house full of stray cats and children.

Full Bio: About Lili – Ragged Feathers

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Artist: Calvin Chu — source: Bibliography ISFdb: Cover: Night Shift — Full isfdb list

Other Contributors:[]

Audio Book Narrator: — Source:
Editor: — Source:

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Orbit
Author/Book Page:

Night Shift: Paperback, 352 pages, Pub: July 1-2008—ISBN 0316001783
Hunter’s Prayer: Paperback, , Pub: —ISBN
Redemption Alley: Paperback, , Pub: —ISBN
Flesh Circus: Paperback, , Pub: —ISBN
Heaven’s Spite: Paperback, 320 pages, Pub: November 1st 2010—ISBN 0316074179
Angel Town: Paperback, 207 pages, Pub: October 25th 2011—ISBN 9780316192

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—Night Shift (2008): Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night. Not everyone tries. But Jill Kismet is not just anyone. She's a Hunter, trained by the best—and in over her head. Welcome to the night shift... Night Shift (Jill Kismet, #1)

✤ BOOK TWO—Hunter’s Prayer (2008): Another night on the Nightside...An ancient evil looms over Santa Luz. Prostitutes are showing up dead and eviscerated. And Jill Kismet just might be able to get her revenge against an old enemy. There's just one problem. Someone wants Jill dead--again. And if they have to open up Hell itself to kill her, they will. "Sometimes, even when you're Jill Kismet, you don't have a prayer." ~ Hunter’s Prayer #2~ Goodreads

✤ BOOK THREE—Redemption Alley (2009): Some cases are unusual - even for Jill Kismet. When her police contact asks her to look into a "suicide", she suddenly finds herself in a labyrinth of deception, drugs, murder—and all-too-human corruption. The cops are her allies, except for the ones who want her dead. The hellbreed are her targets, except for the ones who might know what's going on. Her city is in danger, time is running out, and each lead only draws her deeper. How far will a hunter go when her city—and her friends—are on the line? Just far enough. — Step into Redemption Alley... ~ Redemption Alley #3~ Goodreads

✤ BOOK FOUR—Flesh Circus (2009): The Cirque de Charnu has come. They will clean out the demons and the suicides, and move on. As long as they stay within the rules, Jill Kismet can't deny them entry. But she can watch--and if they step out of line, she'll send them packing. When Cirque performers start dying grotesquely, Kismet has to find out why, or the fragile truce won't hold and her entire city will become a carnival of horror. She also has to play the resident hellbreed power against the Cirque to keep them in line, and find out why ordinary people are needing exorcisms. And then there's the murdered voodoo practitioners, and the zombies. An ancient vengeance is about to be enacted. The Cirque is about to explode. And Jill Kismet is about to find out some games are played for keeps… ~ Flesh Circus #4 ~ Goodreads

✤ BOOK FIVE—Heaven’s Spite (2010): Jill Kismet has no choice but to seek treacherous allies ? Perry, the devil she knows, and Melisande Belisa, the cunning Sorrows temptress whose true loyalties are unknown. Kismet knows Perry and Belisa are likely playing for the same thing ? her soul. It's just too bad, because she expects to beat them at their own game. Except their game is vengeance. Nobody plays vengeance like Kismet. But if the revenge she seeks damns her, her enemies might get her soul after all...?Packed with nonstop action?a compelling tale.? - Romantic Times on Flesh Circus. ~ Heaven’s Spite #5~ Goodreads

✤ BOOK SIX—Angel Town (2011) (Final Book): Jill Kismet is back from the grave in this explosive conclusion to Lilith Saintcrow's urban fantasy series. She wakes up in her own grave. She doesn't know who put her there, she doesn't know where she is, and she has no friends or family. She only knows two things: She has a job to do: cleansing the night of evil. And she knows her name. ~ Angel Town #6~ Goodreads

First Sentences[]

Night Shift — Prelude: "Sit. There." A wooden chair in the middle of a flat expanse of hardwood floor, lonely under cold fluorescent light. / Chapter one: Every city has a pulse. It's just a matter of knowing were to rest your finger to find it, throbbing away as the sun bleeds out of the sky and night rises to cloak every sin.
Hunter’s Prayer — It's not the type of work you can put on a business card.
Redemption Alley — Right before dawn a hush falls over Santa Luz.
Flesh Circus — Just outside the Santa Luz city limits, the caravan halted.
Heaven’s Spite — How fast does a man run when Death is after him?
Angel Town — Prelude: In the shifting wood of suicides that borders the cold rivers of Hell, what is one tree more or less? / Chapter one: I shivered, pushed the door open. My feet left bloody prints on faded blue-speckled linoleum.

Quotes[]

✥ Here is Jill as she muses on the different ways people react to monsters:

"Some hunters say it's not the big weird that wallops you the hardest. It's the just-slightly-off, the subtly wrong. Because it echoes inside your head and builds until you want to scream. I've lost civilians to both. Some people crack....Some go screamingly, eye-clawingly, gratefully insane when faced with something that breaks all their base-level assumptions about how the world works. Still others take the whole enchilada, seem okay, then walk home and ventilate themselves. You just can't ever tell. You can only visit the grave afterward and feel the horrific tightness in your chest that means you didn't do a good enough job protecting them." (Angel Town, p. 150)