# Practical Demonkeeping

By Christopher Moore · Pine Cove, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/practical-demonkeeping-e8c7bfe6/

Travis O’Hearn arrives in Pine Cove hoping to get rid of Catch, the demon who has kept him young while making his life miserable. Catch sees the California town as a supply of meals. The residents have plans of their own, and an unwanted demon gives them plenty to contend with.

## What makes it funny?

The local bar has changed its name from Head of the Wolf to Head of the Slug under pressure from animal-rights activists. A detective fears that failing to solve a case will leave him bagging convenience-store food. Their everyday preoccupations persist around the man-eating monster.

### The comedy at work

The trouble spreads through a town full of flawed people pursuing their own schemes. Travis wants freedom from Catch, while the demon’s appetite keeps complicating everyone else’s plans.

### Try this if…

A crowded cast and tangled supernatural complications are much of the appeal. Kirkus praises Moore’s amused treatment of the townspeople while finding the plot overly complicated.

### Good to know

People are eaten, and the cast includes characters dealing with alcoholism and past abuse.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Horror
- On the shelf: Creature feature
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Published: 1992

## A few distinguishing details

- An unwilling keeper trying to lose his man-eating demon
- A California town full of competing schemes

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-moore/practical-demonkeeping)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/christopher-moore-2/practical-demonkeeping/9781841494470)
- Book information: [Bibliographic record](https://obnb.uk/p14590055-practical-demonkeeping)