There are few things that bring a good mystery to the imagination. This book reminds me of some of those things. I had no idea where this book was going with all its twists and turns until the end. That it did not drag itself down into pointless plot twists was a relief. This is the kind of book that keeps the mystery to a mystery protagonist going. If you thought the characters were getting stale or just not moving forward this is the book that brings you back to why you read these books in the first place.

The author is consistently good at weaving an interesting yarn. This is clearly another traditional whodunnit where the characters are revealed at the start and then one by one something happens that shifts the reader's loyalties. The Science fiction twist adds a different dimension as the alien presence provides another character that is added to the list of potential villains.

The writing style is easygoing and a pleasure to read. There are very limited scenes of tension. All violent acts happen off-stage with the characters being left to make sense of what has happened. Time passes very slowly and the reader is left to wonder if this is also a factor in what is going on.

The last few scenes are interesting in that they reveal a little of the background to the central characters. The denouement is not surprising in the revelation of the villain and the ultimate resolution does not provide a new twist. Nevertheless, it was a fine read

Ishmael returns in this somewhat formulaic, but readable "Country Murder Mystery". For fans of Simon Green and paranormal British fiction.

Beware of monsters - but you just might find that humans are more deadly.  Penny and Ishmael are sent by the Organization to protect a group of scientists studying a hole that is not a hole.  The question is, are they in danger from something from the other side of the hole, or from one of their crew. As always, the newest Ishmael Jones novel is deliciously creepy, with lashings of nebulous horror, plenty of bodies (who die in suspicious, possibly unnatural circumstances) and a dash of humor.  


When an archaeologist falls into a hole and disappears, a group of scientists are sent to investigate the issue.  Is it a doorway to another dimension? A path for potential invaders or a natural recurring event? Each of the scientists has their own pet theory, and squabbling as opposed to cooperation is the name of the game. Ishmael and Penny are an unwelcome distraction, at least until people begin to die.


Murder in the Dark is great fun to read.  The witty exchanges between Ishmael and Penny are always a treat, and the nebulous horror that comes from not knowing whether the cause of death is human or supernatural is chilling.  I definitely recommend Murder in the Dark, as well as Simon R Green’s other Ishmael Jones novels to anyone who likes mysteries served with a dash of Lovecraftian terror.


5 / 5


I received a copy of Murder in the Dark from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

I read the blurb about this and thought it sounded original and interesting, which it was. However, when the first line of the first chapter after the prologue, was ‘Call me Ishmael....Ishmael Jones....I sighed a little. Still I carried on, but oh my was I fed up with the word HOLE....it was used at least half a dozen times in just sooo many pages....I felt it ruined the flow of the story...Ishmael Jones and Penny are likeable characters, but part of the secretive Organisation whose boss is the Colonel? this could be an old episode of Dr Who....with the dodgy set too.

For example this is one paragraph.......’Paul moved in beside the Professor, and looked at the hole as though it was an equation that refused to add up. ‘The first time I scanned the hole, the readings made it clear the hole wasn’t actually there, as such. It’s not a hole in the hill. Mike already proved that by tunnelling beneath it. Basically, the hole is an overlay, imposed on top of our reality. If we were to dig up this particular piece of hillside and cart it away, I’m pretty sure the hole would still be there, hovering in mid-air.’

A good premise but difficult to get past those holes...


I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon R Green and Severn House for my arc of Murder in the Dark.
The Ishmael Jones series is my absolute guilty pleasure. They're short, easy reading, interesting, comically funny and totally out there. The sort of stories that shouldn't work but totally do!

Murder in the Dark was no different. To summarise this series for people who haven't read it before; Ishmael Jones was previously an alien who landed on our planet by accident in a crashed spaceship. The machines on the ship turned him into a human to allow him to survive on earth, and he was employed by 'The Organisation' in exchange for protecting him, they require that he 'investigates' or provides security at events which are high risk for weird and/or supernatural goings on. Which he does with his human girlfriend, the wonderfully fierce and sassy Penny. My best summary? Think Scrooby Doo for grown ups but Fred is an alien.

In Murder In the Dark Ishmael and Penny are asked to provide security at an archeological dig. Nearby to the dig is a hole full of darkness which has already killed an archaeologist. Now a team of scientists are investigating the hole and need protecting.

This book is packed with one liners, a little bit of spookiness, Murder, mystery and a touch of science fiction. What's not to love? I especially liked that we got to see a little more of Ishmael's past in this one and hope more gets revealed in the next!

This was creepy. I read it under a blanket half the time because I was alone in my house. I loved the end twist and how were are finding out more and more about Ishmael with each story. Penny is awesome and I can't wait for the next installment.

MURDER IN THE DARK By Simon R. Green

This book is about a half man half alien by the name of Ishmael Jones. He is given orders to investigate a huge black hole where an archaeologist has already disappeared. He takes along his partner Penny. While she is not happy with this adventure she tags along. Ishmael learns that others are getting killed inside this hole on the mountain and he must find out what or who is the cause. There are no witnesses and not one clue and he wonders if it is alien or human doing. This is one in a series of books about Ishmael but you would not need to read the others to catch on. The writer does a great job with history of the characters so that the reader catches up quickly. I felt that it was a little more sci-fi for me but still a great mystery and the ending was the best of all. It came together perfect and had me still reeling over it long after I finished it.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the Thor/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I give it a 4.75 out of 5 but for the sake of this rating I will round it up to 5.

I filed this book under 'Science Fiction' because although it is set up as a mystery, it is actually more SF. Which is great because Simon R. Green is one of my favorite SF authors. Usually he writes books full of very, very strange characters, planets, spaceships and the like. I can really recommend them, because they are also full of humor, science and even romance.

Back to Murder in the dark. The title says it all: people get murdered in the dark. On a cold dark hillside, a group of scientists meet their fate. Or not? Ishmael comes to the rescue although even he is rather surprised as to what appears to be the solution - and who the killer is.

A very nice read. Thank you Netgalley for this book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #SimonRGreen for the opportunity to read and review #MurderInTheDark, the new Ismael Jones and Penny Belcourt novel. It was a lot of fun to touch base with Ish and Penny again, having read others in the series.
Unlike the previous locked room mystery that In enjoyed reading in this series - Into the Thinnest of Air - this is the total opposite: people are disappearing into/being killed by a 'hole' that has appeared on a hill, almost in full view of others.
A scientific expedition has been sent by Black Heir and The Organization to investigate a hole that has appeared in a mountain, and has already swallowed one of the scientists. When three others die under mysterious and quite gruesome circumstances, Ishmael must prove whether it was an accident — or murder. But with no clues, no witnesses and no apparent motive, he has little to go on. Is there an alien predator at large, or is an all-too-human killer responsible?
In the climax we find out just whodunit, and we also get a glimpse into Ishmael's back story. All in all, if you're a fan of this series you will be a fan of this book. Highly recommended.

This was my first time reading Simon R. Green and I was not disappointed.

This book is clearly part of a series, but I found that it didn't impede the ability to follow the story at all, having not read any previous books.

This story sees Ishmael and Penny venturing out to the countryside near Bath, England with not much information given by the mysterious colonel other than, a mysterious hole has appeared in the hillside and they are to assist the Organisation placed scientific team. One person has already fallen victim to the strange hole, an archaeologist who was part of a dig team fell in and never returned. Once Ismael and Penny arrive, things start to get even weirder, the questions of what is the hole? What is it doing here? Who sent it? What does it want? build as the scientific team start to die one by one. Who could be doing it? Is it something coming out of the hole? Is it someone inside the camp? Or is it the hole itself? These questions sat with me right up until the end, and were the reason that I sat up until past midnight finishing this book. There's also the question of, which scientist's theory is correct? The best in their fields, they all have ideas on what the mysterious hole could be.

This is a slow burn story, but I find it worked well, it moved fast enough that it held interest and slow enough to drive you crazy wanting all of your questions answered. I found the characters well written, it is clear that there is more than meets the eye with Ismael Jones, and obviously, reading the rest of the series would bring some of this to light. However, it didn't confuse me not knowing the backstory of Ishmael, Penny, or the Organisation. The story telling was done well, creating the isolated, creepy vibe of being alone out in the English countryside with a strange hole and something stalking the characters through the night.

This was my first book by Green, but it definitely will not be my last. Very impressed.

Review: MURDER IN THE DARK by Simon R. Green

Another totally gripping paranormal/sci-fi thriller from an author who consistently delivers engrossing, compelling. and thought-provoking paranormal fiction. MURDER IN THE DARK is the newest in the Ishmael Jones Series, about the secretive agent for a hush-hush covert organization in the UK. I totally admire Ishmael, who can do no wrong in my eyes, and find his background fascinating. This adventure was particularly scrumptious in that it includes some revelations about Ishmael' s earlier history (and of course I managed to perceive Lovecraftian Mythos themes throughout). The denouement and conclusion are stunning, in an all-round superb novel.