Teenagers are being possessed and turning into sadistic murderers. Priests can’t help, nor can psychiatrists. So who is behind the demonic possessions? Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate, and finds his own soul is on the line.

When you pick up a book without having read the earlier books, you usually feel too lost to continue on. This is one of the few exceptions to the rule. Despite never having read any of the previous books, there were only a few small occurrences that made it obvious this book was part of a series. This is extremely impressive as most authors are incapable of making their books work well as a standalone or as part of a series. But would I suggest you read this book even if you haven’t read the rest of the series?

The answer is no. As well as the author did with this book, I have a sneaking suspicion I would have enjoyed it better or more thoroughly had I read the previous books. So my recommendation is to not skip the rest of the series, especially if you want to understand the something said near the end of the book.

As for the subject matter, it’s so odd to me, but as I was reading the book I realized I really am not a fan of occult books. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it really bothers me when something as simple as a prayer to God can expel a demon from this world. It’s such a weird feeling to experience, because the story is well written, steady paced and interesting. Add onto that, my love for the paranormal and you’ve got one confused reader. But the moment the holy water came out, my mind wanted to check out. Clearly this is just a personal preference of mine and it’s one that surprises me. I’m a huge fan of things that are dark, creepy and even sometimes, inexpiable. So a book about demons should be right up my alley.

As a whole, this is a really decent book and had it not been for my strong (and out of the blue) reaction to the subject matter, I would have gladly rated this book as a four star book. If I have to give the book a rating, I’d rate it a 3.5 (rounded up to 4) just because at the end of the day, not every book is going to be for you and for me, this isn’t my kind of book. But I’ll admit, I am the type of reader who despises reading books out of order and the subject matter didn’t seem to be the right fit for me. However, you will probably have a much better experience, because it is a good book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I can recognize that the fault lies with me and not the story.

So if you enjoy a good thriller or are a fan of books about demons and possession, this is a series you will really enjoy. If I can find the time, I am going to attempt to read the first book in this series in order to see if it was (maybe) the fact I hadn’t read the other books, that bothered me most.

Rating

Amazon

Pick up your copy on Amazon: New York Night by Stephen Leather