This is a new author for me, and I was delighted to find that he will be at the Harrogate crime festival (which I will be attending) after I started reading it. This is a dark, serial killer novel, which has some excellent characters.

There is a man on death row, found guilty of being the ‘Music City Monster,’ after thirteen children are killed in the Nashville area. Author Lucas Cole, who wrote under the name Jack Cross, is found dead in a hotel room. His son, Nathan, returns home for the funeral and to see his sister, and comes into contact with old schoolfriend, Isaac, who is now a private investigator and works with lawyer Alison Bennett, who was also an old friend of Nathan. To add more to an already crowded storyline, we have another young girl who has gone missing in the area and Isaac becomes involved in the investigation.

Lucas Cole is now dead, but he has left behind a book for Nathan, ‘The Midnight King,’ which explores what happened when Nathan was a boy. However, with another child missing, is the man currently on death row really the murderer? Isaac becomes obsessed with finding the child and discovering the secrets of his friend, Nathan’s, childhood and why he left so suddenly.

This is a book packed with plot twists. The first twist really shocked me but, in a way, the author packs so much into this novel that the initial shock – which is really well done – gradually gets lost in a convoluted plot. That said, this was an enjoyable and fast paced read which I received from NetGalley.

A fantastic serial killer thriller!

This book is so well written I had to go back to the start to check I wasn't reading a true story!

A twisted familial tale, told in differing time lines, this book delivers a fresh new perspective in a crowded book space.

5 stars!

Tariq Ashkanani’s novel, The Midnight King, is as dark and stormy a book as I have read in a long time. It is a book which burrows its way into your mind and stays there, quietly festering until the poison it excretes muddles your senses and makes you wonder if there is any kindness left in the world. I loved it, but my goodness it is so dark and very definitely not for the weak of heart or stomach.

The Midnight King delves into the harrowing complexities of familial bonds and buried secrets. Set against the backdrop of a small town in the Nashville area, the narrative follows Nathan Cole as he confronts the dark legacy of his father, Lucas Cole—a celebrated author and secretly, a serial killer. Nathan returns home after seventeen years to bury his father, and re-unite with his sister, Kate He unearths a chilling manuscript, ostensibly a work of fiction, that reveals crimes that intertwine with his own past.​

Ashkanani’s writing style is evocative and unflinching, capturing the psychological turmoil of his characters with precision. His prose is lean and taut, propelling the story forward while digging deep into the emotional landscapes of Nathan and those around him. The inclusion of excerpts from Lucas’s manuscript adds a metafictional layer, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, and immersing us into the mind of a killer.​

The plot is intricately woven, balancing past and present timelines to unveil the depth of Lucas’s atrocities and their impact on Nathan and his sister. This dual timeline enhances the suspense as we piece together clues alongside Nathan and his old school friend, private investigator Isaac Holloway. Holloway has been hired by the parents of a missing girl, Chloe and tasked with finding her. The discovery of a ribbon belonging to Chloe among Lucas’s trophies intensifies the urgency, driving the narrative toward a gripping climax.​

Nathan is portrayed with depth and nuance, embodying the conflict of a man torn between loyalty and the need for justice. His internal struggles and guilt are palpable, making his journey compelling. Isaac Holloway, the private investigator and Nathan’s childhood friend, adds complexity to the narrative, with his own motivations and past intricately linked to the unfolding events. He is driven to investigate Chloe’s disappearance, but he can no longer stomach man’s inhumanity to man. Lucas Cole, though deceased, looms large over the story, his duality as both a father and a remorseless killer explored through memories and his dark and unsettling manuscript.​

The novel’s pace is relentless, with each chapter unveiling new revelations that heighten the tension. Ashkanani skilfully maintains suspense, ensuring that we remain engaged as the plot twists and turns. The atmosphere is imbued with a sense of foreboding, the small-town setting amplifying the claustrophobic feeling of inescapable past sins. The tension is further amplified by the moral dilemmas faced by the characters, particularly Nathan, as he grapples with the implications of his father’s actions and his own silence.​

The Midnight King is dark and disturbing. It is creepy, tense and often very surprising. Ashkanani’s characters get inside your head in a very unsettling way and I was worried for quite a while that I wouldn’t be able to get Isaac, Nathan and Kate out again. I’m still not sure I have.

Verdict: The Midnight King is psychological crime thriller at its best and its darkest. I don’t do trigger warnings, but if I did, this book would be festooned like a carnival float on Labour Day. It is a gripping thriller that delves deep into the shadows of familial ties and the haunting weight of secrets. Ashkanani’s adept storytelling, combined with well-drawn characters and a relentlessly suspenseful plot, ensured that this novel lingers in my mind long after I’ve moved on to another book. If you enjoy dark and disturbing psychological crime fiction, you will find The Midnight King to be a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Arc review-

I have never heard of this author before but when it popped up on a list from Goldsboro, I just had to read it myself. It sounded right up my alley.

A lot of thrillers and horror books lately have unfortunately been a miss and here I thought it was because I was becoming “numb” somehow to the spooks and terror; well I was so wrong, the stories were clearly just not like this one.

This book was horrifying, dark, dreadful and it broke my damn heart. I honestly didn’t see the twist coming halfway thru and my jaw hit the floor and I cried and cried, from there it didn’t let up. There are some major triggers here so please read the author note. This is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this one without a doubt.

This is very dark and at times a hard read. Nathan returns to his home town following his father’s death. His father was an author and Nathan finds a manuscript which appears to details his father’s crimes.
There are a few twists in the story which reads well, this is the first book I have read by this author. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

This is a disturbing but refreshingly different take on the usual serial killer in the family story. It gets under your skin and you end up feeling sorry for some of the characters while understanding their motivations. This is a very dark book, which isn’t for the faint hearted but I absolutely loved it. We encounter the son, the daughter, the private detective and through a manuscript left by the dead serial killer, we meet the serial killer too. All these stories are told within different chapters and different points of view. Very clever writing, great story and well paced. Tariq Ashkanani is one to look out for.

The twists and turns were so well done in this book, it had me gripped right away and I just couldn't put it down.

Yes, yes, yes!!

When I read a book, I want to feel something. If that book is a thriller or crime, then I want it to make me feel unsettled, terrified, or anxious. This book delivers and with so much more.

There's one scene in this book, oh my! It filled me with dread. The way it's laid out and what it leads me to think was going to happen was so clever. It made me sick to my stomach, I remember thinking to myself, 'Please don't let it be what I'm thinking it is'. Intense.

You see Nathan returning to his childhood home after his father has died. His father, being the famous author Lucas Cole. A father who was abusive and was the reason Nathan ran and never looked back until now. Returning sees Nathan's emotions resurfacing, one of guilt for leaving his sister behind and undealt with trauma from his childhood. There is something else that resurfaces, too. I really don't want to say too much about this one. I went into it blind and felt all the better for it.

My review is going to be short and sweet. I loved all of it. The characters are all flawed, all dark and twisted in their own ways. Full of twists that didn't disappoint me. Tons of tension and suspense, gritty and disturbing. The works!

This was everything I wanted in a serial killer thriller.

Go add this to your tbr... i loved it

Thank you, Viper, for my advanced copy.

oh wow. this book was everything and more you want from a crime novel. i will tell you it is for those of us dark folk that do like their crime very dark. i jest... but it really is the more traumatic side of crime novel but in the best way. and its written with such perfection you will not regret reading this.
what bought me to this book was its being recommended for those who love Chris Whittaker. and that in itself had me running straight to this book.
Nathan lived a very different life to the one portrayed to the world. as a young boy he and his sister lived with their dad. who was a pillar of the community, liked by all. but Nathan new better. and the reality was more horrific than anyone could imagine. so when he could, he ran. and hes lived with regret of that decision ever since. not least that he left his sister behind. and the guilt and trauma has followed him since then. its changes and moulded who he is now.
when his dads body is found Nathan....nope. sorry,im going to stop there. because this is sooooo much better when you get to know every part new. i dont want to give anything away, because you all deserve those what the and gasping moments as this story unfolds. and alot of it is in the blurb for the next bit. but please read this book. you will not be disappointed. the only sadness is that you will fear any book that comes next is now ruined by the calibre of this book.
this book not only follows the trauma response from victims and those who live amosgt the darkest people in our society. and how the ripple effect for all involved never ends without pain. or at least lots of issues that need care and support to work through. we also have the new and ongoing case of a missing girl that appears to be connected with his Natahns serial killer dad. was he still causing all this pain and harm so close to his death!? and what happens if Nathans secrets come out...or what happens if they dont?
read this book. you will love it!

I chose to read a free eARC of The Midnight King but that has in no way influenced my review.

Nathan Cole returns to the small town he grew up in following his father's sudden death. Nathan didn't have the easiest childhood. Lucas, his father, was a well-loved, much-admired, bestselling writer on the outside. But at home he was a cruel and unloving father. Lucas was also a serial killer. Nathan and his sister, Kate, were always aware of what their father was. But they did nothing about it. Whilst going through his deceased father's things, Nathan discovers an unpublished manuscript titled 'The Midnight King' hidden inside a box also containing souvenirs from Lucas's victims. The book claims to be fiction, not a confession. But Nathan knows the truth...

This is the third book I've read by this author and oh my goodness, the future of crime fiction is looking very, very bright with Tariq Ashkanani in it! Ashkanani's award-winning debut, Welcome to Cooper, took readers on a dark journey to the heart of Nebraska. With this latest book, The Midnight King, the author has ramped that darkness level up tenfold. Where to begin with this twisty read? I've seen a couple of reviews that say, 'the less you know about this book before making a start, the better'. As someone who automatically downloaded it without actually reading the blurb (knew it would be great!), I can wholeheartedly agree with that. I didn't know what to expect and that, for me, heightened the entire reading experience.

Just know that this is a multi-layered, multifaceted exploration of how a traumatic past can influence our present selves. Not only does Nathan discover the manuscript when he's looking through his father's belongings, he also finds souvenirs from his father's victims. One of which is a red ribbon. Nathan immediately knows who the ribbon belongs to; an 8-year-old girl who went missing a few days before Nathan's father died. Was Lucas still up to his old tricks in the days before his death? Tasked by the child's parents to find their missing daughter, disgraced cop, now private investigator and childhood friend of Nathan, Isaac Holloway starts to investigate the disappearance. Isaac is such a brilliant character. His connection to Nathan and the Cole family increases the already palpable tension throughout the book. Bloody marvellous!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Midnight King is like nothing I have ever read before. It takes the serial killer trope and adds multiple new dimensions. As a lover of the serial killer thriller (I've read quite a few over the years), I applaud Ashkanani for taking the story in a different direction. Those twists...*chefs kiss*. Absolutely shocking! I loved the characterisation. I've already mentioned how much I loved Isaac in particular. I loved how gripping the story is, how the reader can't predict how things are going to pan out. I loved the pace of the story with peaks and troughs to keep you thoroughly immersed from page one to the end. I loved the Nashville setting (Nashville!). All in all, I very much enjoyed the time I spent with The Midnight King, and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us next. Hugely tense, highly unsettling, totally irresistible and all-consuming. Skilled storytelling from an author to watch. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Midnight King. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Review will be published on 8th April 2025]

This is a dark, unsettling crime thriller with very intriguing characters and a serial killer at the core. The short chapters made it a quick read but it is also a difficult read due to the victims being children. The twist in the middle was unexpected and there is plenty of suspense. I didn't like the animal abuse, it was just a bit too unsettling for me and the ending left me feeling disappointed. It all felt a bit rushed for me but Nathan certainly is a great character who I will definitely remember! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Lucas Cole is a bestselling crime writer but he is also a serial killer. When Lucas is found dead in a hotel room, his son Nathan returns to his home town after many years. Here he finds the manuscript The Midnight King, his father’s account of his crimes and a box of trophies. From this he realises that there might still be a victim out there urgently waiting to be found.

This is my first story by this author and I hadn’t heard about his books prior to reading this one. I will most certainly be looking back at them now after finishing The Midnight King. This was a fantastically written thriller, that slowly builds up a harrowing atmosphere and ramps up the suspense. I like the thrillers I read to be dark and disturbing, something I probably shouldn’t admit, and this was definitely one that fits this criteria, at times making an uncomfortable read.

The characters were explored well and I gained an understanding of their flaws and history. I really enjoyed all the twists, there were some good ones. I will definitely be recommending this one, especially to those who enjoy dark, powerful, serial killer thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Well if you are looking for a dark, disturbing and very uncomfortable crime thriller then The Midnight King is perfect for you.

This is my first book by author Tariq Ashkanani and having read it in one day, I can say, without doubt, that I will be checking out his other books now.

I actually confess that I didn't even read the blurb before starting the book, it was the cover and the text "Husband, Father, Serial Killer" that drew me in and made me read it! Yes, I know, I'm a twisted, dark and disturbed individual.

Anyway, back to the book, the story is told from the view point of Nathan Cole, a damaged man who is returning to his childhood town, having fled 17 years ago when he discovered his father Lucas Cole is a serial killer. Having been found dead in a motel room, Nathan discovers an unpublished manuscript which seems to be a fictional account of all his crimes over the past 30 years, including "trophies" from all his victims. One of the trophies include hair ribbons that belong to a missing 8 year old girl who was abducted only days before his fathers death.

The other main narrator is Isaac, a private detective who has been hired by the missing girls parents to find her and was also a close childhood friend of Nathan when they were growing up and during school.

This is DARK, this is GRUESOME, this is DISTURBING and this is exactly what I LOVE in a crime thriller.

I totally recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

My thanks to Netgalley for my ARC copy.

First book I've read by this author. Enjoyable and engrossing characters. More please. Thank you for the ARC. 4/5

This is a dark tale and definitely not one for the faint hearted. It was, however, a compelling read and I raced through it in a couple of days but I can’t say it was enjoyable. Think “Silence of the Lambs” meets “ The Shining” and you’ll get my meaning.
This is a book about a serial killer and his family. Author, Lucas Cole, dies suddenly and his estranged son, Nathan comes back home to Nashville for the funeral. However Nathan knows all the dark secrets about his father who is a serial child killer. When he finds a semi autobiographical book that Lucas has written about his “career”, Nathan feels compelled to read it, particularly as a young girl has gone missing in the area and might still be alive.
This is an unpleasant story full of unpleasant characters. Even Isaac, the private detective, hired by the missing girl’s family has violent tendencies and a very large skeleton in his cupboard.
Isaac realises early on that all is not as it seems and desperately tries to find the missing child before it is too late, with very little cooperation from the police who regard him with disdain due to his past.
However when he receives information that she might be one of many child abductions and murders, he decides to investigate further and realises that the man in prison, on death row for the previous killings might not be the real “Music City Monster”
There are many twists and turns before the case is resolved and even the last pages reveal a number of dark secrets.
This story certainly made me think of what it must be like to live with such evil and how the families of killers must be seriously affected- obviously “The Midnight King” is an extreme example!
If you like very dark tales of murder, this book will definitely draw you in and hold your attention.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Okay. So, first things first - a word of warning. This is quite a dark storyline, so, if stories of child murder will be upsetting for you, then I would probably not recommend this book for you. This is the painful truth at the heart of this book. Whilst the act in itself does not really feature heavily, or gratuitously, within the book, there is no getting away from the fact that one of the characters is a serial killer, and that their story, and that of their family is, therefore, hard to read. If you can move beyond this particular aspect of the book, as abhorrent as it might be, then you will be reading something that is fascinating and grotesque in perhaps equal measure.

The serial killer in this particular novel is the recently deceased Lucas Cole. We are first drawn into his world via his son, Nathan, who has returned to his childhood home following his father's recent suicide. What his father was is not a revelation to Nathan, who has known since his childhood about his father's rather concerning obsession, and it is partly down to this that Nathan fled from his home as soon as he could. What is a surprise is that his father has documented his crimes in a manuscript, a fictionalised account of a serial killer whose hallmark is scarily similar to Lucas' own. Finding this manuscript, and items which belong to a recently missing young girl, lead Nathan in a quest to find out whether or not his father was responsible for one last crime.

I find it very hard to say that I liked or enjoyed this story - it is truly a dark read, even by the author's previous standards. But it is a very clever book. Tariq Ashkanani drew me in from the very opening of the novel, and using the story within a story aspect of Lucas's manuscript allowed him to really explore that nature of both killer and son in a way which was slowly revelatory. There is a clear thread in which we are forced to think about duplicity of character, and how easily a little charm and fame can shape people's opinions of someone, in spite of the fact the very core of their being is so different. This is true not just of Lucas, but of others within the book, but it is easy to understand how events, as they are explored in the fictitious retelling might have shaped the psyche of both Nathan and his sister, Kate.

This is not just Lucas and Nathan's story, and there is another character, Isaac Holloway, Private Investigator and childhood friend of Nathan and kate, who is called upon by the parents of the missing girl to try and find her. He was a very interesting character to spend time with. As troubled as Nathan perhaps, but in very different ways. A former cop, the pressure of his former career, and a particularly harrowing case have clearly affected him, and watching his navigate the difficulties of this new case was really interesting. The author has infused a real sense of authenticity within his character, avoiding the obvious stereotypes that could apply to such a personality, but still being able to draw upon his psychological fragility, and his uncertainty about being able to help the parents. I kind of liked Isaac, even though, much like Nathan he is a hard character to spend a lot of time with. Between them, they made for a very compelling narrative, for very different reasons, and I found I needed to know how things would work out for each of them.

The answer? Not as expected. Despite making the identity of the 'killer' quite evident from the start, Tariq Ashkanani is still able to deliver some very unexpected twists within the book. Revelations and actions that caught me unaware, and scenes that are able to shock even in the midst of an already taught and unsettling storyline. It is almost as though he has captured within this story the kind of morbid fascination that people derive from true crime documentaries. That need to know what really makes a killer tick, and how their actions might impact upon those who are closest to them, both knowingly and not.

A tough read at times perhaps, but still one I would recommend if you are able to take your crime fiction on the darker side of the genre. Murder should never really be pretty, but this one hits particularly hard.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 9 April:

The Midnight King, for me, was one of those rare reads you start and just from that first chapter you already know: oooh, I’m going to LOVE this one! And quite possibly hate it a little bit, too. And I was right. On both counts.

The Midnight King is without a doubt one of the darkest books I’ve ever read. And that’s saying something, cos I really do love dark books. I won’t go into detail, I wouldn’t want to spoil anything, suffice it to say that even with just a few explicit scenes but many even darker things referred to and hinted at, The Midnight King is not for the faint-hearted.

Fortunately, I am not faint of heart nor weak of stomach – not when it comes to fiction anyway – and I gobbled it up! I became addicted! I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading, dying to get back to it whenever life got in the way. And I had to tear myself away whenever duty in some form or other called. I’d been feeling a bit slumpy, sometimes a book just doesn’t work for me and my fatigue and brain fog make it worse, but then a book like The Midnight King comes along and reminds me why I love reading.

The Midnight King is a chillingly dark and twisted serial killer thriller. It is shocking but intelligent and I love how the nature vs nurture theme is woven into it. Suspenseful and engrossing, I hung onto every word and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. Worth the hype!

The Midnight King is out in digital formats, hardcover and audio on 10 April.

Massive thanks to Viper and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

I often say I prefer my crime fiction on the dark and disturbing side, with a dash of gruesomeness. But I don’t think I was quite prepared for the level 'The Midnight King' took me to. This is Dark and Disturbing with a capital D, folks.

Nathan Cole and his sister, Kate, grew up with a serial killer for a father. Seventeen years ago, Nathan ran away as far as he could. But now daddy-of-the-year, Lucas Cole, has been found dead, hanged in a dingy motel bathroom and Nathan retunes home. When he arrives at his childhood home, Nathan finds a manuscript Lucas wrote and a box of trinkets from his victims. The manuscript looks to be a fictionalised account of his crimes.

In a roundabout kind of way, it explains Lucas’s brutal deeds. Obviously, the man is psychologically damaged. But I don’t think it takes the insight of a psychiatrist to figure out where his actions come from. I almost sound like I’m defending him, but I’m really not. Both his somewhat fictional manuscript and the actual story Tariq Ashkanani was telling left me feeling awfully dirty and extremely ill at ease.

At its core, this seems like one of those fascinating nature versus nurture conundrums. Surely living with a serial killer leaves its mark, no matter how far you try to run. Nathan has lived with guilt for many, many years. He’s been keeping his father’s disgusting secret for so long, and now that he realises there may still be a child in danger somewhere, he’s stuck. Can he find her before it’s too late? Will he tell anyone the truth? Even if it means having to admit he was aware of what was happening?

This is without a doubt one of those books that gets under your skin. It definitely makes for some remarkably uncomfortable reading in that whole making-your-skin-crawl kind of way, and I dare say it’s not for everyone. I thought it was incredibly compelling and fascinating. Yet, I also feel in desperate need of a long, hot shower and an extended cuddle session with some cute and fluffy puppies. I can't possibly use the word "enjoy" here, considering the unsettling topic that is tackled here, but 'The Midnight King' is well worth your time if you get a kick out of the decidedly more harrowing and shocking side of crime fiction.

My first book by this author and I enjoyed it. Like other reviewers have said, it is very graphic not for the fainthearted. But the characters kept me reading. Thank you for the ARC. 4.5 rounded up.

Wow what a dark and shocking read ! This is the first novel I’ve read by the author and I was drawn into it from the first page. It’s told from the point of view of Nathan who returns home to Nashville to attend his father’s funeral and Isaac, Nathan’s childhood friend, a private investigator looking into the disappearance of a young girl, Chloe. It is interspersed with extracts from an unpublished novel written by Nathan’s father Lucas Cole which appears to be a fictionalised version of the murders he committed throughout Nathan’s childhood.
This is a very twisty and unsettling novel with lots of unexpected plot twists and I gasped out loud more than once. It’s so well written and the multi layered plot works really well. I loved the atmospheric Nashville setting which the authors describes so well. .
I’d highly recommend this excellent novel which I’m sure will stay with me for a while.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars.