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A review by lilyn_g
Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh
5.0
Off-beat and unexpectedly entertaining, Deadlight Jack delivers a delightful supernatural horror read. George and Jimmy, African-American and Native American respectively, found themselves teaming up after becoming friends in a nursing home. (Yes, a nursing home. Both our main characters are well past middle age.) They’ve already solved one case together, one that nearly killed them. They didn’t expect they’d find themselves embarking on another adventure. At least not so soon. But then George’s grandson disappears, and it’s clear there’s more than just human evil at work.
The main characters are old farts, they know it, and they’re fine with it. They’ve both had experience with the supernatural. Neither has had a great life. Jimmy was the shaman for his tribe that turned away from the old ways when he lost something precious. George wasn’t strong enough to be the dad that his family needed him to be. He’s determined to change that. Neither has the ability to give up (or sometimes even use common sense) when someone they know is in danger. So, when George’s grandson disappears, the old men have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It should be noted that they (well, more-so George than Jimmy) enjoy flinging racial slurs at each other.
The pacing in Deadlight Jack is pretty near perfect. Though there’s not a lot of kick-butt action scenes (main characters are just a tad old for that!), there’s a wonderful sense of atmosphere and building tension. The author does a great job of sinking you quickly into the world of the bayou. The mugginess, the slowness, and the sense of danger lurking under the surface. The evil is absolutely un-apologetically evil. There’s no sad back story here. It just enjoys pain and suffering.
Deadlight Jack also has a touch of the surprisingly whimsical in it. Help comes from an unexpected place, and take the form of something you’d never imagine. It could seem ridiculously ill-fitting, but it doesn’t. Instead, because you’re already immersed in this world of odd occurrences, it just makes you grin a bit. I definitely want to go back and read the first book in this series.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review consideration.
The main characters are old farts, they know it, and they’re fine with it. They’ve both had experience with the supernatural. Neither has had a great life. Jimmy was the shaman for his tribe that turned away from the old ways when he lost something precious. George wasn’t strong enough to be the dad that his family needed him to be. He’s determined to change that. Neither has the ability to give up (or sometimes even use common sense) when someone they know is in danger. So, when George’s grandson disappears, the old men have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It should be noted that they (well, more-so George than Jimmy) enjoy flinging racial slurs at each other.
The pacing in Deadlight Jack is pretty near perfect. Though there’s not a lot of kick-butt action scenes (main characters are just a tad old for that!), there’s a wonderful sense of atmosphere and building tension. The author does a great job of sinking you quickly into the world of the bayou. The mugginess, the slowness, and the sense of danger lurking under the surface. The evil is absolutely un-apologetically evil. There’s no sad back story here. It just enjoys pain and suffering.
Deadlight Jack also has a touch of the surprisingly whimsical in it. Help comes from an unexpected place, and take the form of something you’d never imagine. It could seem ridiculously ill-fitting, but it doesn’t. Instead, because you’re already immersed in this world of odd occurrences, it just makes you grin a bit. I definitely want to go back and read the first book in this series.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review consideration.