Nightfall (Nightingale Book 1) by Stephen Leather (MOBI)

Description

These are the words that ended Jack Nightingale’s career as a police negotiator. Now a struggling private detective, the chilling words return with a vengeance when Jack inherits a mansion with a priceless library—and a terrifying warning from a man who claims to be his father.

Nightingale quickly learns his soul was sold at birth and a devil will come to claim it on his thirty-third birthday, which is just three short weeks away. It’s a hard pill to swallow. He doesn’t believe in Hell and probably doesn’t believe in Heaven either. But when people close to him start to die horribly, he is led to the inescapable conclusion that real evil may be at work. And if he doesn’t find a way out, he’ll be damned for eternity.

Dripping with brooding intensity, unrelenting suspense, and surprising wit, United Kingdom thriller master Stephen Leather’s first book in the Nightingale series is a riveting, heart-stopping mystery with extraordinary range and power.

User’s Reviews

From Booklist “Jack Nightingale, a British cop turned private investigator, is dumbfounded when he learns, all at once, that he was adopted when he was a newborn; that his real father has recently died, leaving Jack his deserted mansion; and, oh yes, that his real father sold Jack’s soul to a devil (not the devil, just a devil) when Jack was a baby, and soon someone or something will come to collect. Leather approaches this fantastic story as though it were a traditional private-eye thriller. At first, Jack is skeptical—well, who wouldn’t be?—but as he checks out the mansion and looks into the history of the man who claimed to have been his real father, he begins to believe (of course, the inexplicable deaths of people close to him are also pretty good signs that something is afoot). This is a very good genre-bending novel. Leather’s choice to write it as if it were a straight thriller seems entirely appropriate, grounding the story in reality and making the fantasy-horror elements that much more frightening. Quite popular in Britain, Leather is relatively unknown on these shores. That deserves to change, and if this novel finds its audience—Graham Masterton fans should love it—his profile stands to be boosted dramatically.” — David Pitt

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This book is rather hard to categorize, as it has some of the themes of a horror novel, but no actual horror, and a down-to-earth, realistic style in terms of characters’ reactions to events. It was somewhat dark, but a very enjoyable read, with one exception for me that likely won’t matter to you. I hate cigarettes. I mean I HATE them! And the damn protagonist lights one up on nearly every page. That would usually make me abandon the story. It’s a testament to how readable this book is that I finished it anyway. The last time I was able to enjoy a book with a constantly-smoking lead character was The Dragon Tattoo series. This was nowhere on a level with that (an all time favorite of mine), but was well above the average four-star book. Although this book is the beginning of a series, it is entirely self-contained so there is no need to commit beyond this. Recommended entertainment and I might even decide to read the next one. But DAMN I hate the SMOKING!!!

⭐ An interesting start to a series, and I appreciate the whole supernatural cop thing, certainly not the first time someone’s done it but it’s still nice. The book does suffer a bit from a lack of action, and from an almost unreal amount of denial from the main character. How many people have to kill themselves in front of you/tell you you’re going to hell in a possessed voice before you accept the fact that something freaky is going on? However, the author does provide a bit of a reason for this, so while annoying, it doesn’t ruin the novel. In addition, there’s obviously a bit of romance that I’m hoping will be expanded on in later books, but is hardly touched at all in this one, except for when explicitly mentioned by the characters themselves. It’s obvious that this book was planned as the start to a series, and I’m hoping this book was a good start to a really good series, but I suppose we’ll have to see how the sequels stack up.

⭐ I’m not sure why it took me so long to finish this book. Very intriguing cast of characters, London and vicinity is the setting, and the paranormal is the plot. Graeme from orderofbooks recommended Stephen Leather books some time ago, and I ordered it right away. Started it pretty quickly as well, but several other books interrupted until the last few days when I could concentrate on this one. Good read. I will wait on the next for a while, but I’ll definitely be reading it.

⭐ I actually finished this book over 12 hours ago, but then I crashed and went to sleep. So here’s the review. this is the plain-text only version; to see the formatting and links, please visit my blog, Now is Gone (a link to which can be found in my profile).Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Occult DetectiveReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Fans of fast-paced and darkly humorous urban fantasyTrigger Warnings: murder, suicide, pedophiliaMy Thoughts: After reading Once Bitten a couple years ago (review linked here where formatting allowed), I went through Stephen Leather’s available books and added a number to my wishlist. When Midnight, the 2nd book in this series, came available through Vine, I saw it was on my list and grabbed it and then bought this book (first in the series). My point is I enjoy this author’s writing style and expected something that was dark but with a touch of humor, and that was exactly what I received. The story is fast-paced and furious, often quite dark and nasty, but with unexpected bits of humor to lighten things just when it is most needed.The only major problem I had was that there was some sloppiness in the editing department. Not spelling and grammar, but problems with inconsistencies in the plot. For instance, Jack explicitly says several times that the master bedroom in Gosling manor has been cleaned perfectly, leaving no traces of blood spatter or chalk, yet when he finds the CCTV viewing area and looks at it through the CCTV cameras, he describes seeing the outline of the body and the chalk on the floor. At another point, when he first meets Rebecca, she opens her mouth and he describes her mouth as having no tongue, only ulcerated gums, yet two paragraphs later her tongue is described as being coated and later she actually speaks. These sorts of things should have been caught and fixed well before publication.But not everyone is likely to have noticed that, I suppose; it’s just one of those things I noticed. There was also a comment that really started me thinking. Someone said, “Apparently quite a few people who dabble in the occult top themselves.” Weirdly enough, this sort of attitude seems to be fairly wide-spread, because I had a doctor tell me as much at one point. A lot of people seem to think that people who are involved in the occult or supernatural or consider themselves Pagan because despondent as a result (for some reason). I don’t think that’s the way things work at all. I think people who tend to be despondent about how the world is tend to turn toward the occult and supernatural and Paganism as a place to belong, as a place where they won’t be constantly judged and have fingers pointed at them and told they are going to hell. I think these people are just a lot more likely to take their own destiny into their own hands and decide to move on to what comes next sooner out of a hope that it is better than the mess this world is in. That’s what I think.Anyway, this is a book that is more focused on a male readership, I think. The pace is fast and the characters are developed, but the plot is mostly focused on action and not talking, and that’s just fine with me. I really enjoy these sorts of stories, and I’ll probably end up buying the final book in this series for myself to read before too much more time passes. In the meantime, I’ll be moving on to the 2nd book in the series, Midnight, next.Disclosure: I bought this book for myself. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: `You are going to Hell, Jack Nightingale.’ They are the words that ended Jack Nightingale’s career as a negotiator with the Metropolitan Police. But two years later, when Nightingale is a struggling Private Eye, the words come back to haunt him. Nightingale discovers that he was adopted at birth and that his real father, a confirmed Satanist, sold Nightingale’s soul to a demon from Hell. And on his thirty-third birthday – just weeks away – the demon is coming to claim its prize.

⭐ I usually steer clear of zombies, witches, vampires, and anything else that smacks of the occult because it is just not my kind of reading material. So, when I saw the second of this book series on the Kindle Daily Special, I was dubious that a book about demons was going to be anything more than a re-run of the Exorcist – which is still not my kind of reading material. However, I was in the mood to be adventurous, so I found the first book of the series, and downloaded a sample – and I was HOOKED! I devoured all three books in the space of a weekend.It is basically a story about a private detective who, upon his father’s death, discovers that his soul has been sold to a demon before his birth. The other reviewers do a great job of fleshing out the details of the story, so I won’t duplicate their efforts – what I will do is tell you what I found to be absolutely un-put-downable about the series. The characters are very well developed, and there aren’t so many that you lose track of who is who. The detective’s reaction the subject of his soul sold to a demon before birth just like you and I would (“absolute nonesense!”), but the author very skillfully builds the story, and before long, it doesn’t seem so far fetched after all! All of the characters have flaws and good sides (even some of the demons!). Probably the most entertaining aspect of thee books is the author’s ability to grip your attention with non-stop action, and alternate humor with terror – I am not sure I have seen anything like it, except maybe the Harry Potter books/movies. I found myself alternately giggling to myself and gripping my Kindle with white knuckles through all three books – what an enjoyable read!

⭐ Jack Nightingale was a police dept. negotiator dealing primarily with attempted suicides. There was one particular case which affected him badly, he resigned and became a private eye.He and his secretary are the only members of his bare bones investigative team. The guy drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney. He finds himself torn between his birth roots and people close to him dying violent deaths. Yet, Jack is a likeable guy.The book starts off very well, ensuing chapters give a sense of mystery. We then find the crux is Satanism. The book revolves around the subject of Satanism. I found the subject “Over the top”, but its well written and the characters are very likeable. Some twists and tongue in cheek humor helps it a lot. This, being the first book in the series, has a cast of characters which are surprisingly well developed at this point.

⭐ Entertaining and a quick read but nothing special. I got this on a voucher deal and I don’t regret it, but I won’t be continuing the series. There wasn’t much in the way of mystery, or character development. Nightingale is a smoker! A detail so shocking, we must be told every single time he lights up. As far as plot, Nightingale is told something unbelievable about himself, and he doesn’t believe it, despite mounting evidence (and bodies), until it is proven. That’s about it.What I found tiresome were the endless arguments about how ridiculous it is to believe in the supernatural. Sure, I would expect that early in the book, but as the evidence mounts I would think the characters could give it a rest. By chapter 65 (yes, 65), 90% of the way through the book, I don’t want to hear any more about how devils couldn’t possibly exist. It’s obvious that in this world, they do. The repetition gets boring.I’m finding it easier to list the negatives than positives, but it was generally entertaining overall and I did find myself wondering how the story would end and how Jack would get out of his contract. Just not enough to go on with the series.

⭐ This review can also be seen on horrornovelreviews(dot)comNightingale is a former police negotiator turned struggling private eye. As our story opens, Jack is hit with some life-changing news: he was adopted and his real father just committed suicide. Jack now finds himself heir to a giant decaying manor that holds one of the largest occult libraries in the world. As an extra bonus, it also contains a final message from his deceased father in which he explains that he sold Jack’s soul to the devil at birth and that the forces of darkness are coming to collect on his thirty-third birthday. Thanks a bunch, dad!Making matters even worse – said birthday is only a few days away! What starts off as a sick joke takes on a darker connotation when the people around Jack start dropping off like flies and random strangers point out that Jack is bound for warmer pastures. Once the terrible truth sinks in, Jack realizes that time is running out and a nail-biting race against the clock is set into motion.Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller authors, and he writes across genre: there is crime, spy and horror fiction in his oeuvre. His range is clearly on display in Nightfall. Leather has a facility with the crime genre and the occult touches pop because they are seamlessly woven into hard-boiled crime mystery. The book makes for a propulsive read, managing to be both suspenseful and a whole lot of fun.More importantly, Nightingale is a classic hard-boiled PI who gets under the reader’s skin. We like this guy and even when the story gets a bit repetitive toward the middle, Nightingale’s maverick charm keeps us engaged. The novel really picks up steam in the final section and successfully builds to a rousing finish – we want to know whether our hero can outwit the devil and escape eternal damnation.Nightfall doesn’t break new ground, isn’t terribly frightening or disturbingly graphic. It has an urban fantasy flavor (think of a toned down version of John Constantine with less hardcore violence and scares) but is highly engaging and offers some intriguing glimpses into occult ritual. The freshest part in terms of horror is the subculture of occult book collectors that the novel explores – millionaires who made deals with dark forces and now spend their dying days biding their time inside protective pentangles, hoping to renege on the pacts they made in their foolish youth.Nightfall is the first book in a series (there are three more volumes available, Midnight, Nightmare and Nightshade with Last Light, the fifth volume, scheduled for early next year). If your taste runs toward more hardcore fare, Nightfall may be a tad too tame. For my part, I enjoyed the book immensely and went ahead and ordered the rest of the series – can’t wait to see what spooky troublemakers Nightingale encounters next!

⭐ I almost didn’t finish Nightfall. The first part of the book, the part shown off in the free Kindle sample enticed me. It wasn’t much further in, however, that the book started to drag for a bit. There’s a lot of establishment early on which slows things down, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed the end if Leather hadn’t established the world and people around Jack Nightingale so thoroughly. By the last third of the book, I didn’t want to put it down.Jack Nightingale himself is a bit of a cliché; he’s an ex-cop whose career ended under controversy and ended up as a struggling PI. What makes him shine is that the character is charming. He’s witty, intelligent, and competent. He sets his logical mind towards solving the mystery around the appearance and suicide of a man claiming to be his father, the sudden windfall (and debt surrounding it), and supposed curse. He is a rational man who doesn’t believe that his father could have sold his soul. However, as people start dying around him, he is shaken. I found this easy to relate to; no matter how logical we may be, circumstances like Jack’s would likely shake our foundations.When people around Jack start to die, he begins to question everything even as the police begin to suspect the body count that surrounds him. He very much begins to believe that devils might be real, and one might come collecting for his soul.By the end of the book, I was very invested in the character, and I must say that it was worth the slog towards the beginning.Bottom Line: read the free sample. If you like it, it’s worth powering through a little dry material. The good far outweighs the bad in this novel.

⭐ Nightingale is a former police negotiator working as a private detective. Why he’s a FORMER cop is explained in painful detail in the introductory chapters, but I don’t want to spoil the the story with too many details. His life now is much different and Nightingale is a changed man. Most of his casework is unfaithful spouses, but it pays the bills most of the time. His current hum drum life of drudgery all changes when he’s told that he has inherited a large mansion from a deceased father he never knew existed. This isn’t the life Nightingale asked for or ever wished for.”Your going to hell Nightingale” or is he. what follows is an unorthodox tale about devil worship and demons from the perspective of an astute cop and non-believer. The story challenges our understanding of right and wrong, while also exploring themes about the meaning of life and the inevitability of death. It also ponders whether who we are is influenced by the environment we grew up in, or is dictated by birth,Nightingale learns that there is a lot about his past, and his life that was different from what he knew growing up. This well written story was riveting, and had equal parts paranormal and police procedural. Nightingale is a flawed human being with his heart in the right place. he is helped by a secretary, who though young and attractive, is ultimately overqualified for the position she works. Why does she work for me, Nightingale wonders on more than one occasion. Their relationship in this book is one of the more interesting elements of the story. Whether it will evolve into a romance is uncertain, though it is clear they both have feelings for each other. He is also helped by a cop buddy friend from his former life.I don’t want to give too much of the story away, just know that I found Nightingales journey of discovery to be fascinating and the philosophical elements interesting and provocative. It’s not just a story about self-discovery, but a journey into the unknown and uncertain. It’s also a story that is at times heart-wrenching. Regardless, I look forward to the second book.

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