You’re Going to Hell, Jack Nightingale

I’ve just finished reading Nightfall by Stephen Leather. It is billed as the first in a series of Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thrillers and I honestly can’t wait for the next one.

I must admit that the first time I picked up the paperback in the bookshop, I was intrigued, but not exactly knocked out by the blurb: Jack Nightingale — ex-police negotiator turned struggling private detective inherits mansion from a father he has never heard of. Said father also leaves him a DVD telling Jack that his soul was sold at birth and a demon is coming to collect in three week’s time. Not exactly grounded.

But what a good read it is. The main character is engaging without digging too deep and he has a dry sense of humour. (He’s also a ManU fan, so a good guy, obviously) There is a beautiful, young assistant, but the anticpated legover moment fails to materialise and the two do no more than flirt throughout.

There are quite a few deaths by unusual means, but the narrative is neither gruesome or gartuitous, and the plot hangs together pretty well. If I had one niggle it was that you could see dénouement coming a mile off. And you could see that Stephen Leather has an eye on follow-up already.

But the thing that struck me most was that I felt I was reading a screenplay. This would make an okay film or a better tv drama series as you can almost imagine either from the video above or by exploring the website.