The Long Nights

Let's start with the basics.
Firstly, I loved this book. An easy 5/5 read for me. If you like genre blended reads, in particular a blend of paranormal, urban fantasy, neo-noir detective works and horror then I recommend you pick up The Long Nights and give it a go. It is such a good read.
Tom has quickly become a writer I must read whatever he writes!
It's also no surprise that this novel was an SPFBO 8 Semi-Finalist and a 2021 Indies Today Awards Runner's up in Horror!

The Long Nights follows Joe Kellerman who has a special gift, and he uses it to hunt down the victims of a recently deceased killer who has been stalking the streets and killing young women. Why is he hunting down the killers victims if the killer is already dead, and his victims are also seemingly dead? That's because the killer is a vampire, and his victims are beginning to wake as vampires themselves.

Joe Kellerman is a fascinating protagonist, one who is flawed and troubled, struggling with his ability and his desire to find the other victims before its too late. Tom's writing really makes you feel Joe. You feel the pain, the exhaustion, the struggles over what's real and what's not. You feel his guilt and his doubts, his frustration and confusion.
So what makes Joe so special? Well he can enter the minds of others and dips into the memories of the killer in search of his victims.

The antagonist of this novel, is a deceased vampire, the head of a killer, Adrian. But as Joe dips into the memories, and his view of reality becomes more and more obscured, we start to wonder if the villain is playing games, patiently waiting for Joe to make a mistake. Adrian is fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

Tom's writing continues to evoke such strong images and feelings. A simple scene of returning home alone and bruised becomes a moment of greater reflection, of tiredness I feel for myself and of concern that perhaps Joe is starting to slip.
A scene visiting an old friend becomes a trip down memory lane and you can practically here the tension in the room sizzle between the characters.
This dark mood is pervasive throughout and is a character in its own right, as it exists in Carthage City, the investigation, the memories, and in Joe himself.

I will admit you must be paying careful attention. Tom does not hold your hand and lets you, the reader, figure it out for yourself.

The horror of the novel is like a dark blanket that permeates the whole thing. It gradually pokes its ugly head out, showing itself gradually as you are unaware of what is really going on. I didn't find it to be as terrifying as the world indicates, but it still leaves a distinct impression of vampiric terror. There is enough gore and horrendous violence here to satisfy.

I have a few small pieces of criticism (which did not detract from my overall enjoyment). Sometimes the jump in scene between characters is hard to distinguish what is actually going on or whose perspective we are seeing. Just a little bit more clarity would help keep me on track and not have to flick back to make sure I didn't miss anything.
And even though it is slow paced, sometimes it becomes a bit too slow in a few parts. However, these are few and far between.

Music Recommendation: 1 Hour of Dark and Mysterious Ambient Music for Writing and Creativity. (I know this is an odd choice, picking an hour piece from Youtube, but I found it fits with the vibe perfectly).

I believe The Long Nights could be perfectly adapted into an indie horror game or horror film directed by Robert Eggers or Ari Aster.

So if you enjoy anything about what I've said,
Go and give The Long Nights a chance.
Step into this dark world and take the plunge.
I know I enjoyed it!
I hope you will too!
I cannot wait to read the next Joe Kellerman novel!