Jack Carlton is a private investigator on the skids. His liver, his bank account, and the local loan shark’s goons all want his attention, but he’s living in a lovely state of denial, dodging any such confrontations. Until a woman walks into his office with an offer he cannot refuse. For a nigh impossible to resist amount of money, Margret Wells wants him to investigate clearing her daughter’s name as the party responsible for a local tragedy.

Alice Wells is the only survivor of a prep school massacre, and she was found over one of the bodies with one of the murder weapons in her hand. However, whether she was responsible for the deaths or whether she was found soon after saving her own neck is the difficulty. And it’s not like she can be asked, since she is currently in a cataleptic state in the hospital, following the traumas she endured. It seems like an easy small fortune, and that money is enough to get rid of his debts and maybe pave the way to redrawing the terms of his divorce and thereby gaining some visitation time with his daughter, Stephanie.

Margret’s solicitor is ready to hand over all the information they have. However, when Jack meets him, well, he almost ends the deal before it even really begins. Margret is being represented by none other than Stuart Hartington, a sleazy legal eagle who ruined Jack’s career on the police force. He stands to ruin what little respectability and career he has left.

However, after a dalliance with a lovely woman with an agenda leaves Jack without the downpayment, he’s stuck looking into the affair. And it will lead him along incredibly strange avenues. What seems like a regular case of mass murder turns into a far weirder crime when he discovers occult significance and a history of demonology among some of the victims. And the deeper he digs, the closer Jack comes to the ugly truth that he’s been chosen for this task for more reasons than his questionable professional credentials or talent for investigation. Dark forces are working behind the scenes, and they have diabolic plans that involve Jack, his pub mates, his ex-wife and daughter, and the privileged Wells family. Can Jack Carlton discover the ugly truth before it puts him in a casket? Graeme Reynolds weaves together occult horrors, demonic lore, weird crime, and violent mayhem into the page turning suspense yarn, Night Bleeds Into Dawn.

Although the subtitle on the book is A Supernatural Thriller, the cover sports a promise of more such dark adventures by also declaring this to be “a Jack Carlton novel.” Right there, we know a few things without even reading the first page. Jack Carlton will survive the book in some form, the author will be doing some heavy lifting with this novel to put into place elements that subsequent volumes will build upon (giving us the ground rules for a series, in other words), and with only one hero’s name on the cover everyone around him is likely to be endangered. Though Reynolds’ book is a sleek and short one, it delivers on all three of these promises nicely, still manages to tell a standalone story with a coherent beginning, middle, and riveting end, as well as offering up a cliffhanger in the epilogue to make us eager for the next book.

There are connections to the author’s other works, notably nods to his first trilogy of horror novels, the werewolf themed High Moor books. However, such nods and easter eggs are sweet offerings to the fans and regular readers. Those earlier books are not required reading to enjoy this book. However, if Night Bleeds Into Dawn’s mix of crass dialogue, propulsive plot, creative mayhem, and pulpy horrors appeal, then there are several books waiting to be discovered in the author’s back catalog to tide us over while waiting for the next entry in this series.

I first encountered Reynolds not through those books, but the standalone horror book Dark and Lonely Water. That volume featured a single mother reporter trying to take care of her daughter while getting to the bottom of river ghost mystery. I was taken with the book’s ease with suspense and action, its clever characterizations, and its downbeat qualities. In my consideration of that book, I likened Reynolds’s writing style to that of James Herbert’s extreme brand of horror (e.g., The Rats, The Fog, The Dark, or The Spear). Those same qualities are on display here, but Reynolds very much makes the material his own. Night Bleeds Into Dawn is not merely a nod to the kinds of pulp horror material that found its way to prominence in the 1980s, it’s got enough contemporary values and elements to update the old while doing away with the hoary clichéd situations. Not that there’s aren’t familiar tropes for the author to play with.

When we meet him, Jack Carlton isn’t merely down on his luck, he’s at the bottom of the barrel. This is a character with debts no honest man can pay, overwhelmed by mundane threats to his livelihood, his body, and his spirit. Adding in the supernatural stuff takes him out of his familiar lifestyle, injecting enough of a metaphysical threat to put the rest in perspective. And when he discovers a sinister case of an unresolved possession at the heart of the tragedy he’s looking into, he finds himself stepping far, far from his comfort zone. However, Reynolds wisely keeps all the earlier threats in play while introducing the new ones, juggling the divine, the mundane, and the profane quite nicely.

The author has built an intriguing mythology here. It is slowly revealed to Jack via a variety of information sources, so the worldbuilding is less of an information dump than an accrual of clues for the larger mysteries he is involved in. One of my favorite characters is his pub pal Billie, who once had stories to tell about werewolves that none of her local friends took at all seriously, but who is connected to at least part of the truth underlying the Wells Case.

Reynolds has a talent for the extreme. While Night Bleeds Into Dawn is not necessarily wall-to-wall blood and other bodily fluids, the narrative is no stranger to the sanguine shades than it is to coarse language and gritty dialogue. However, Reynolds also shows a penchant for humor as a release valve mechanism in the prose. He will turn up the pressure, bleed it off a tad with a wry comment, and then return to building back into tense regions.

Horror fans of more literary efforts might not be served too well by the draught Reynolds keeps on tap. However, readers in search of a thrilling tale of a private dick (who happens to be rather dickish, indeed) plunging into the deep end of crime and supernatural depravity will find plenty to enjoy in Graeme Reynolds’ inaugural volume of Jack Carlton’s adventures. With touches of pulp horrors, occult thrills, clever suspense, and gory violence, there is much to enjoy here.

This was a really well done supernatural thriller, it was everything that I wanted based on the description. It was a great start to the Jack Carlton Thriller series and it left me wanting to read more in this series and from Graeme Reynolds. Graeme Reynolds has a strong writing style and it used the overall feel perfectly.

I loved this thriller! I’m a huge thriller fan and this one went above my expectations and I’m so glad I was able to read it. It was sooo spooky and I couldn’t put it down!

This was a great read. Creepy and captivating. I was drawn in from the beginning and kept my attention the entire time. I definitely recommend this one.

Solid horror/supernatural thriller! Page turner from the very start. Has great gory scenes that are well written. Had a few laughs throughout from Chris. Looking forward to more from this author!

Solid horror./thriller. A strong protagonist. This is for lovers of gruesome horror. Gets into the nitty gritty of the occult. I found this book to be entertaining and am looking forward to more from this author.

Creepy, insidious, and relentlessly gory horrorfest! Leave the lights on and don't make any plans. Almost claustrophobic in the impending horror that is unrelenting and pushes you to the end. Some dark humor adds a dash of chuckles to the gasps. A winner for all horror fans, not for the squeamish.

Not for the faint of heart, Night Bleeds Into Dawn is a page turner full of supernatural horror and humor. Private Investigator Jack Carlton finds himself biting off more than he can chew when he takes on a multiple murder case. Things go from bad to worse real fast. I didn’t expect to like Jack as much as I did but I found myself invested in his character after only a few chapters. He’s witty, flawed, and real. The author’s prose is what really drew me in though. The descriptions made me feel like I was right there living through the crazy demonic experiences with Jack. There were also so many twists and gruesome scenes that kept me from ever getting bored. This is the perfect quick read for someone looking for a gory and fast paced story! Thank you to BooksGoSocial for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A gory book. A supernatural mystery that is quite graphic when you get into it. I enjoyed it.
4 stars form me

Here’s the thing. When I request ARCs from Netgalley, I look at the cover and read the synopsis. Then, I promptly forget about them. So, when I start reading the book, it’s like I come in blind — sometimes, I even forget the title.

That is why I was caught off guard by the events that happened in Night Bleeds Into Dawn. What I initially thought was only a mystery thriller turned out to be a gruesome supernatural horror mystery that will capsize your world. It’s bloody, violent, gory, and outright deranged, but you won’t be able to resist reading ‘til the end, no matter how you try.

I mean, the character of the main protagonist Jack Carlton leaves a lot to be desired. He’s the kind of MLC you’d love to hate, but the story which is told in his POV will show you that despite all his shortcomings, he gets things done — albeit drunkenly.

As soon as things start happening in this book, which is sooner enough than you’d think, you’d be disgusted and creeped out. Not to mention that you’d definitely have shivers running down your spine while you flinch your way through it all.

So, if you love supernatural horror and gore, Night Bleeds Into Dawn is a book for you. The first evidence will eat you right up and will have you reading more and more and more.

I don't usually read P.I. stories, but this one goes into the dark corners of the occult and supernatural in a way that is worthy of a damn good Horror writer.

In the first chapter we meet Jack, a typical down and out P.I. with a lot of debts and not too much business coming in. The situation is cliché, complete with alcoholism, but wait... only someone desperate for a job would take on the nasty multiple murder case that drops into Jack's lap. After an old nemesis guarantees Jack can't afford to walk away from the job, he quickly finds himself over his head.

I love the way the story unfolds in layers, putting events into perspective. I also love the author's skill at getting fine details into the narrative seamlessly, painting a full picture, whether it's description or the reason an old jacket isn't quite adequate against the cold weather.

This is not a book for the squeamish. While the violence isn't exactly gratuitous, it is messy in a way that only pure evil demons can manifest. As things started spiraling out of control, I couldn't help but think to myself that with Horror books, nobody promises a happy ending. Things could get progressively worse and end on a devastating note.

The twists and turns came heavy and fast as the book passed the halfway point. First all is lost, then everyone is saved, then it's all hopeless again and hard decisions have to be made.

The book will leave you breathless. A plausible reason is given for why Jack got drawn into the case, but that, too, is subject to changed circumstances.

All I can say without giving spoilers is that Graeme Reynolds can always be trusted to give you a wild ride. Any Horror fan will want to read this one.

Night Bleeds Into Dawn by Graeme Reynolds is a possession story with a twist. Full of gruesome scenes, shocking moments that will make you gasp and a thrilling climactic fight scene: this story has it all.
I was really caught up in the story and invested in the character of Jack and I can’t wait to read more of him. I think there were an extra character or two who didn’t add much to the story, but they were all well developed characters and I loved Graeme’s writing style. I will be reading more from him.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC.
I'm not normally a fan of the paranormal genre, but this book was a fun read. There were some gruesome parts that I skimmed over, but the the likeable characters, the humor and the mystery of it all definitely held my interest. I also really liked the cat!
Definitely recommended, even for the faint of heart, like me!