Book Review
Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin
Publisher: Pocket Star
Publication Date: October 21, 2013
Format: eBook - 384 pages / Kindle - 4104 KB / Nook - 5 MB
ISBN: 1476746893
ASIN: B00C0CPCU4
Genre: Horror / Thriller
BUY THE BOOK: Nightlife
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.
Book Description:
An action-packed debut horror novel from talented new writer Matthew Quinn Martin, Nightlife pits a feisty bartender and a mysterious loner against bloodthirsty terrors as alluring as they are deadly.
Nightclub bartender and serial heartbreaker Beth Becker might be a cynic. But when her best friend goes missing Halloween night, Beth knows it’s up to her to find out what happened.
Her quest will take her on an odyssey through the crumbling city of New Harbor, Connecticut. Along the way she meets a homeless prophet warning of something he calls the “Night Angel”…a bloodthirsty creature that has been feeding on the forgotten. And she will form an unlikely bond with a hunted stranger who knows all too well what is stalking the streets at night.
He reveals to her to the hideous truth about the nightmare creatures that have haunted mankind’s imagination for eons––creatures the world calls vampires. Together they are the only hope for New Harbor, but to defeat what lurks in the shadows they are going to have to conquer something far stronger than fear––their own desires.
Book Excerpt:
Beth was alone. She looked down at the wallet still in her hands. Behind a scratched plastic window was a picture of her and Ryan, both of them smiling at her from happier times.
Had he gone missing the same as Zoë? What was happening? She shook her head. Maybe she’d finally gone around the bend. Could she really have just seen a man get shot, bleed white, and then liquefy into nothingness—and all because of a box of salt?
“Get a grip, Becker.” She reached for the nearest bottle, not even sure what was in it, and poured herself a full glass. “You’re seeing things.” She was about to take a sip when she heard the sound of footsteps from the shadows. She turned to spot a faint outline form in the blackness, almost as if it was born from it. It was a man, and the slightest flicker gleamed from his eyes as he moved into the light. Beth’s glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor as she saw just who it was. “Ryan!” she called out, rushing over. “Oh, my God, Ryan!”
But something about him made her stop just shy of the slick spreading out on the floor where the corpse had been lying only minutes before. She looked at Ryan. Something wasn’t right. His hair was different, longer, the way he wore it back when they’d first started dating. He was dressed in clothing he’d thrown out years ago. The same clothing he’d had on in the photo in her wallet. His gaze landed on her, and in that moment, Beth had never wanted him more. Those eyes—so inviting, so mesmerizing, so . . . hungry. He shifted closer. He had yet to speak a single word.
“Ryan,” she said. “I was so worried.” But even as she spoke the words—even as she felt that if she’d just let him take her in his arms, all her troubles would disappear—she knew something was terribly wrong. She started to inch backward. “Ryan, why don’t you say something? You’re scaring me.”
He sniffed the air, almost gulping at it. Then he cocked his head at an angle that didn’t seem natural—or even human. Suddenly, he leaped for her, covering the three yards between them in a single bound.
She dodged. He missed her by inches. But he now stood between her and the door, cutting off any possible escape. He moved closer, hands grasping for her. Beth ducked around a table and shoved forward with all her strength, crushing him against the wall. Ryan screamed. It was that same high-pitched wail she had heard coming from the man who’d been shot. The one Jack said was “hardly a man.”
Ryan pawed at the table, sending it flying end over end as if it was made of papier-mâché. Planks splintered against the brick wall. Beth swept up a board. She hit him hard, right across the face. The board cracked in half, and her hand sang with a dull thwack. It did nothing. He simply shook it off and stepped forward, closing the gap between them as he pegged her against the bar. His hands clamped down on her. His grip was like quick-drying cement. She couldn’t move.
Beth’s knees began to give out as a heady brew of terror and desire overtook her. She felt the hard press of his hand pushing back her head, exposing her throat. She felt herself giving in. She wanted to go where Ryan had gone, to see what he’d seen, to become whatever it was he’d become.
Had he gone missing the same as Zoë? What was happening? She shook her head. Maybe she’d finally gone around the bend. Could she really have just seen a man get shot, bleed white, and then liquefy into nothingness—and all because of a box of salt?
“Get a grip, Becker.” She reached for the nearest bottle, not even sure what was in it, and poured herself a full glass. “You’re seeing things.” She was about to take a sip when she heard the sound of footsteps from the shadows. She turned to spot a faint outline form in the blackness, almost as if it was born from it. It was a man, and the slightest flicker gleamed from his eyes as he moved into the light. Beth’s glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor as she saw just who it was. “Ryan!” she called out, rushing over. “Oh, my God, Ryan!”
But something about him made her stop just shy of the slick spreading out on the floor where the corpse had been lying only minutes before. She looked at Ryan. Something wasn’t right. His hair was different, longer, the way he wore it back when they’d first started dating. He was dressed in clothing he’d thrown out years ago. The same clothing he’d had on in the photo in her wallet. His gaze landed on her, and in that moment, Beth had never wanted him more. Those eyes—so inviting, so mesmerizing, so . . . hungry. He shifted closer. He had yet to speak a single word.
“Ryan,” she said. “I was so worried.” But even as she spoke the words—even as she felt that if she’d just let him take her in his arms, all her troubles would disappear—she knew something was terribly wrong. She started to inch backward. “Ryan, why don’t you say something? You’re scaring me.”
He sniffed the air, almost gulping at it. Then he cocked his head at an angle that didn’t seem natural—or even human. Suddenly, he leaped for her, covering the three yards between them in a single bound.
She dodged. He missed her by inches. But he now stood between her and the door, cutting off any possible escape. He moved closer, hands grasping for her. Beth ducked around a table and shoved forward with all her strength, crushing him against the wall. Ryan screamed. It was that same high-pitched wail she had heard coming from the man who’d been shot. The one Jack said was “hardly a man.”
Ryan pawed at the table, sending it flying end over end as if it was made of papier-mâché. Planks splintered against the brick wall. Beth swept up a board. She hit him hard, right across the face. The board cracked in half, and her hand sang with a dull thwack. It did nothing. He simply shook it off and stepped forward, closing the gap between them as he pegged her against the bar. His hands clamped down on her. His grip was like quick-drying cement. She couldn’t move.
Beth’s knees began to give out as a heady brew of terror and desire overtook her. She felt the hard press of his hand pushing back her head, exposing her throat. She felt herself giving in. She wanted to go where Ryan had gone, to see what he’d seen, to become whatever it was he’d become.
My Book Review:
I usually don't read books from the horror genre, but since Halloween is one day away, I found myself in the mood for a good horror thriller, and Nightlife by author Matthew Quinn Martin did not disappoint me. Set in the college town of New Harbor, Connecticut, the story revolves around a legendary bloodthirsty creature who has been preying upon the unsuspecting townspeople, and an unlikely trio of strangers who embark on a quest to hunt the creature down.
After a close encounter with the evil creature, homeless Vietnam Vet Gil Gibbons proclaimed himself to be a prophet with a message to spread to the residents of New Harbor: beware of the Night Angel. Inside a church, Gil comes across Jack Jackson, a haunted loner who is on a vampire hunt for the killer of his girlfriend twelve years ago. Gil anoints Jack as The One who will destroy the Night Angel. Meanwhile streetwise bartender Beth Becker is searching for her roommate Zoe Rakoczy, who disappeared from the bar on Halloween night. When Gil, Jack and Beth meet, they team up and embark on a dark harrowing quest to hunt down the Night Angel (vampire).
In his debut novel, author Matthew Quinn Martin weaves a dark riveting tale that keeps the reader sitting on the edge of their seats in suspense. This slow building horror story gradually sucks the reader in (well it is a vampire story, lol) and gains momentum as the unlikely trio embark on a quest to hunt down the bloodthirsty Night Angel. I really enjoyed following Gil, Jack and Beth on their quest, each of them were intriguing characters with troubled pasts. I couldn't help but cheer them on as their action-packed adventure takes them into the bowels of New Harbor in search of the legendary vampire who has terrorized the townspeople for so long. The author does a great job of balancing the darkness of the storyline with humorous dialogue and interactions between the characters, but just when the reader gets comfortable, the author weaves in some more gory twists and turns that keeps them on their toes.
With an intriguing cast of characters and a dark storyline filled with enough gruesome bloodsucking gore and suspenseful creepiness that will raise the hair on your arms, Nightlife is the perfect story to read if you like to get a good scare on!
RATING: 4 STARS ****
About The Author
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Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin ~ Virtual Book Tour Page: Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours
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I was looking for something to download for Halloween and this sounds like just the perfect fit! Thanks for sharing your review with us.
ReplyDeleteHi Lance! Thank you for stopping by and posting your kind comment. Nightlife was a riveting horror thriller, hope you enjoy it. :)
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