Review: The Long Nights by Tom Mock
Blurb:
A cry of pain, hard and desperate, tore through Carthage City one night …
The Nightwalker Killings: bodies drained and tucked away in the abandoned corners of Carthage City Oldtown. The oddity of their stalled decay was a mystery … until the latest victim woke in a fury of teeth and claws.
Joe Kellerman, a young telepath working with a group of occult “Specialists,” finds himself face to face with the vampire known as the Nightwalker—at least, what’s left of him. To stop the vampire's contagion of death from spreading, Joe searches the killer’s memories to find his missing victims before any more wake to feed.
But as an alluring photojournalist with a history of blackmail starts to suspect his involvement in the Nightwalker case, Joe is stretched thin between past mistakes and his search for the missing, where every face he sees is a life seemingly doomed to a bad end. Maybe that's why he keeps having visions of a girl in yellow sneakers from the killer's past—the fleeting hope that someone made it out alive.
Is there anyone left to save, or has Joe finally gone too far into the dark to find his way out again?
Review:
‘The Long Nights’ by Tom Mock had been on my radar for a while. It has a simple yet very compelling cover, alongside a premise that grabbed my attention straight away – a dark urban fantasy noir with a ‘Jack the Ripper’ style vampire serial killer and a psychic detective in a low magic, 90s retro city setting. I mean… doesn’t get more intriguing than that, right? To top it all off, it’s a SPFBO8 Semi-Finalist and has also won the 2021 Indies Today Awards: Runner-up in Horror. Adding it to the TBR was a no-brainer for me, and when it was available on NetGalley for a limited period, I wasted no time in requesting a copy. I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to review this stunning debut.
What’s it about?
The Nightwalker Killings. Brutal yet equally unusual, they have rocked Carthage City to its core. The killer? A deadly vampire that stalks and kills its prey with no mercy whatsoever; dubbed appropriately – The Nightwalker. The victims, with their life drained from them (quite literally), are a puzzle, until one of them decides to “wake up” as something entirely not human… and all Hell is about to break loose…
Joseph “Joe” Kellerman (whose 1st person POV we follow throughout) is an amateur artist with a gray past. His day job? Independently employed: Consulting services under M.S. Specialists. But that’s the “fancy” way of putting it really. Joe is a psychic detective with a most handy talent – telepathy. Part of a group of “specialists” working under Marvin “Marv” Stone, Joe and his counterparts deal in stuff that is beyond human nature – the occult.
If there was one thing that could be absolutely damning about our work, it was all the dead ends. When your part was done, that was it. There was never any follow up, no possibility for closure. We drifted in, did the deed, and drifted out again like ghosts. Maybe that was for the best, but then again maybe not.
Operating out of The Blue Room, a club/resto-bar owned by Marv, Joe and the group’s immediate task is not only to put an end to the killings, but more importantly, to get to all the victims before they too end up turning into vampires, resulting in subsequent havoc and bloodshed. Easier said than done.
Nobody knows, because nobody’s seen anything, and he doesn’t leave anything behind. No messages, no trinkets, and nobody so far who says some maniac tried to grab them. Just bodies. It’s like he walked through the wall and snatched them away.
Joe and team have no other choice but to try and dive deep… way too deep into the killer’s mind if they are to stop the vampire epidemic from spreading. How many victims did the Nightwalker manage to “infect” and where in the city are they spread out? How much longer before one or more of them “turns”? Time is running out for everyone involved, and Joe must not only put up a fight with the Nightwalker and his corrupt, deceptive, and ever elusive mind, but also battle his own inner demons if he is to succeed against a stone cold killer that lurks deep in the shadows…
“Sometimes you find things in the dark that you wish you hadn’t.”
“People need to know what kind of world they live in.”
The good:
The writing stands out big time, and in more ways than one. Considering the author has a Masters in English, I’m not at all surprised! Incredible writing in every sense of the word. The prose is really smooth, and flows along very well. It can get a tad bit difficult to grasp at a few instances, but pretty much perfect apart from that.
The character work, especially of both Joe and the Nightwalker, was exquisite! Loved the depths/layers present, and it was really fun to read. Also very much enjoyed the company of the occult “specialists” (wished they had more “screen time” tho!).
The plot seems pretty straightforward at first, but soon turns out not to be! Very much enjoyed it, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat to find out what was gonna happen next.
There isn’t too much worldbuilding/lore present as such, but I really liked the way the whole setting of Carthage City was depicted. Loved the vibes of the gray/bleak world that we find ourselves in, which was also quite atmospheric at times. And oh, how can I forget about the “magic library” full of memories?! A concept which was very well executed! (you’ll have to read and find out about it for yourselves!)
The horror/supernatural element was great and very well written.
The deadpan humor was nicely placed too, and the banter between characters was great!
The “not so” good:
Honestly, I have no complaints whatsoever. This was a top, top read from start to finish.
Standout dialogues/quotes/text:
“They are in the light what we are in the dark. Diminished. How good would you be in the woods on a moonless night? Not very. You’d be no good at all. And if you found yourself being hunted, you’d fall to pieces.”
“You see, there isn’t a vampire that walks the earth that didn’t start its life as a human being. They feed on us because they are us, our monstrous shadow. That’s why daylight, because the sun is life itself, everything that we are, and the vampire is man turned dark.”
There comes a point when you’ve just seen too much. A man loses touch with what makes him different from the monsters. Give him a push and he’ll kill everything he used to love.
Other info.
A ‘Jack the Ripper’ reference was present (no surprises here!). In all honesty (and I can’t quite point out as to why), but I absolutely enjoy the “pop culture” elements of Victorian-era London/England centered around the likes of Jack the Ripper, foggy streets, gaslights, steampunk, etc. and similar such stuff. No wonder I added this straight to my TBR!
Note: Mature themes are present (blood/gore, profanity, etc.). Not suitable for younger readers.
Final thoughts:
‘The Long Nights’ by Tom Mock is quite a STUNNING debut by all means. Exquisitely written from start to finish, with superb character work, a fast-paced plot, and an incredibly well-realized setting to top it all off. Loved the horror/supernatural element, alongside the deadpan humor at the right moments. With a solid start like this, I honestly can’t wait to return to these characters and this world. Dark, horror, urban noir fantasy done right, I would most certainly say (the awards and accolades speak for themselves). This is no doubt going to be on my top reads of the year for sure. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you give it a look, and add it to your TBRs without further ado. NOT TO BE MISSED!
