I have to start by saying that I came late to this party. The book Nightmare is the third in what is apparently going to be a long and enjoyable series. Nightmare begins after book two Midnight has ended.
(God, I am so clever…not)
Nightmare opens with Jack Nightingale, ex-cop, private eye and inheritor of his biological satanic worshipping father’s house and it’s occult book collection being woken up and arrested at an obscenely early time in the morning. *How’s that for summing up the main character in a single sentence.*
Nightingale is accused of shooting a black gang member in the back of the head in Brixton. Their evidence is the clinically brain dead victim saying Nightingale’s name while he is in a coma. And so begins Jack Nightingale’s third adventure in a world inhabited by bad people, demons and ‘experts’ in the occult.
The beauty of this book was that I could pick it up and read it without having read the other two books in the series. The action moves quickly and snappily. I immediately got connected with all the main characters and found myself cheering Jack on.
Stephen Leather is one of those unique authors that has that all important ear for dialogue. I would go so far as to put him in the same category as Elmore Leonard, who is a master at dialogue. Leather’s characters talk like real people. And more importantly, since most of them live and work in London, sound like they belong there.
English: Elmore Leonard, Miami Book Fair International, 1989 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
He also has gotten the ‘gangster speak’ down pat. At one point in the book Jack has to deal with a drugs gang and the lingo is spot on.
The book is busy. Not only does Jack have the police trying to pin a murder on him he also has a drugs gang who want him dead. He has two demons who want his soul and want him to make him pay up for a deal made in book two Midnight.
I felt that Jack Nightingale could be a real as you or me. He drinks, he smokes and he loves Chinese food. He is also smart and resourceful. But above and beyond all that, he carries on with his life and job despite having more crap dumped on top of him than most people could endure.
Unfortunately the ending, which was nail biting up to a point, yanked me right out of the moment. It was a device I had seen used in the films Bedazzled and Constantine . Okay, it worked for the story, but, if I’ve seen it before it takes a little bit out of the punch.
Still it was not enough to put me off the story, it just took a little out of the ending. It definitely did not put me off enough to not want to read the first two books in the series and want another new one to read. Preferably sooner rather than later.
So If I used a star system (I don’t), this book would have still gotten a good four and a half stars out of five. But since I don’t use a star system, I’ll just say it’s a flipping good read and one that I would recommend to anyone.
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Thanks for the cool review! Glad you enjoyed it. I’m just about to start on the fourth book in the series!
Wow! Thanks for…the thanks! You are most welcome, I really enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to number 4! Cheers!
I have read all 3 of Stephen’s books, and in my opinion his story lines are captivating, if the storyline of all 3 in the Jack Nightingale stories were combined it would make a brilliant film in the Hitchcock mode, can’t wait for the follow up.
I agree totally. Stephen tweeted the other day that it looks like number 4 is on track for September! Dying to read it!