Book Review: Lastnight by Stephen Leather

Lastnight by Stephen Leather, Kindle Edition, January 2014, Hodder & Stoughton.

Jack Nightingale #5

A killer is murdering Goths with relish – skinning and butchering them. The cops aren’t getting anywhere so Jack Nightingale’s nemesis, Superintendent Chalmers, asks him for help.

Nightingale discovers that the murdered Goths had one thing in common: a tattoo connected to the secretive Satanic child-sacrificing cult called the Order Of Nine Angles.

As Nightingale closes in on the killers, the tables are turned and he finds himself in the firing line, along with his friends and family. The Order will stop at nothing to protect their secrets and Nightingale realises that there is nothing he can do to protect himself. Nor can he run, for the Order has connections across the world. It leaves him with only one way to stop the carnage – and that’s to take his own life . . .
   -Book description by Amazon.com

Overall Enjoyment Rating: 7 gold stars

I was excited to read the latest Jack Nightingale novel, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Leather has woven the world of Nightingale into a very entertaining and dangerous place, filled with gangsters, Satanists and cops. The trouble he gets himself in is usually paranormal in nature, but also criminal.

The series has been built nicely and all the characters are well rounded and real. Jack is a hero like no other, part hardboiled chain smoking P.I., part spell casting wizard – he makes me want to smack him and then hug him all at the same time. My favourite character would have to be Proserpine and her faithful collie, and I was so happy when she popped up! I would adopt that dog in a heartbeat if I wasn’t so sure it would eat me for breakfast.

Of the Jack Nightingale series, the previous book rated a 10 star review from me, and I lauded it to the heavens, and was hoping this book would gain the same reaction. The main reason it didn’t was the start seemed to be very slow – Jack going around and talking to the families and getting the first clue seemed to drag on, but once I got to 50% through, there was no stopping me. However, that first part of the book did deter me momentarily. Also, the paranormal aspect was introduced so much later in this novel than others, and I really do like seeing Jack navigate his way around a world he doesn’t understand.

I really hope there is a follow up novel, and that Jack isn’t really well… Dead. Please, don’t be dead. Hell wouldn’t be a good place for Jack, because I think they would punish him by forcing Jack to quit smoking and I can’t imagine Jack without his Marlboros.