Book Review: NIGHT BLEEDS INTO DAWN by Graeme Reynolds

NIGHT BLEEDS INTO DAWN by Graeme Reynolds (Horrific Tales Publishing, October 2024) Kindle Edition, 298 pages. #BOD7ZXGWVJ  

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

From Graeme Reynolds, the acclaimed author of the High Moor Trilogy, comes a lightning-paced supernatural thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Detective Jack Carlton thought he had hit rock bottom until an opportunity came knocking at his door. But what seems like a chance to redeem himself quickly turns into a dangerous game of survival. Trapped in a situation he can't escape, Jack must uncover the truth behind a brutal crime at King's College. 

The evidence is impossible; the only witness is catatonic, and time is running out. As the night bleeds into dawn, Jack must confront the darkness lurking within the city's depths and within himself. Will he be able to solve the case and save those he holds dear? Or will he become another victim of the supernatural forces at play?

For fans of occult detective mysteries, supernatural suspense thrillers, British horror novels, demonic possession books, and novels such as The Dresden Files, Charlie Parker Novels, and the Robert Hunter Series. 

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

A great, fast-paced read with plenty of suspense and thrills with a main character that's so down-on-his-luck you immediately empathize and then end up loving him. Happy to learn this is the beginning of a series - - I'll definitely read the next one. 

This one pushed a lot of my buttons in the right way. I love hard-boiled detective fiction, and NIGHT BLEEDS INTO DAWN blends that genre with extreme horror for a very satisfying mix. While Jack Carlton may lack the finely-tuned high observational skills of Phillip Marlowe, he has a wry way of sharing his point-of-view, often cynical and often funny. I like pulpy, noir detectives like Marlowe, Sam Spade, and Max Allan Collins' Quarry - - and Jack Carlton fits right in, reminding me a bit of Mike Hammer. 

Put him in a situation where supernatural elements are suspect and things just get even crazier. The demons remind me of Lovecraft's cosmic Old Ones as well as creatures straight out of the Dungeons & Dragons monster manual. Several scenes reminded me of Clive Barker's Hellraiser film. There's also a bit of John Constantine/Hellblazer in Jack Carlton.

There are plenty of gory scenes with decapitations, eviscerations, exsanguination, and buckets of blood, which add much color to the proceedings. Recommended.  FOUR STARS.