The Watch

by Tyner Gillies

“First class…riveting…I made the mistake of opening it and I didn't get a lick of work done until I'd finished it.” –Jack Whyte, International Best Selling Author. “…[a] thrilling story…a page-turner right to the end. Tyner Gillies presents his debut novel with a fresh voice—an exciting new Canadian talent!” – kc dyer, Author and Director of the Surrey International Writers’ Conference Will the Guardian Awake before the Demon Rises? Resolution Cove was a small, sleepy tourist town, or so Constable Quinn Sullivan thought when he transferred there after spending five years in a crime infested city. It was to be the perfect place to consider his future career; low crime, nice people, easy shifts, and finding the girl of his dreams. What more could he ask for? Something is happening in Resolution Cove. Violent crime, committed by sane, reasonable people is on the rise. There is no discernible connection between the crimes except for insane ramblings of ‘eyes in the dark.’ In a house, in the south end of the city, stirs an ancient darkness that threatens to destroy the tranquility of Resolution Cove. Feeding upon its victims’ terror, it must eliminate the emerging Guardian or else be banished into the netherworld to await a new time and place to strike. Autumn Donnelly knows what is plaguing the city. Her family has helped previous Guardians destroy the beast in times past. Now she must convince Quinn of the truth before evil blankets Resolution Cove, destroying the sleepy town in a confluence of Hell on Earth.

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2012

Reviews

[Linda Poitevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a fairly solid thriller and an enjoyable read, though I did have a couple of problems with it. First, I would have liked to see the language significantly toned down. Yes, cops swear (a lot, to be honest), but I found the amount and colour of the language used in the book to be more than a little distracting. It wasn't necessary to the story, and I think that Gillies limits his audience with keeping it as strong as he has. Second, as one who has worked in the RCMP as a civilian member (dispatch) and who is married to a cop, I had issues with some of the relationships between the officers in Gillies' book. In particular, the animosity between the major crimes unit and the uniformed officers...in my experience (and that of my husband), it just doesn't exist. Rather, they rely on each other and work together without the rivalry Gillies describes. Despite its shortcomings, however, the story did pull me in and hold my attention. Recommended for fans of supernatural fantasy.

[Karen Dales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest and truthful here. Yes, I was the editor for this novel, but man oh man was I thrilled to edit this incredible book. It's rare for a novel to keep me in suspense and on the edge of my seat, but The Watch did so. Many times I FORGOT that I was editing it, so sucked into the narrative I became! I'm not going to give any spoilers here, but I'll say this, Tyner Gillies' The Watch is an awesome story that I never grew bored to read, and I read it multiple times!

[Ellen Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Watch is a wonderful combination of two of my favourite genres: fantasy and crime. The book itself I must classify as fantastical crime, not only because of its fantasy elements—hello, demon in the basement—but also because the book is fantastic.

Constable Quinn Sullivan has stumbled into a hero’s journey after being transferred to the Resolution Cove police department. Quinn has only been in Resolution Cove a short time when he is forced into a rivalry with a demon he doesn’t believe exists. As violent crime increases in the sleepy little town, Quinn questions why he is the first to arrive at each of the suspicious crime scenes.

You can read more of this review, and others, on my professional book review blog Scribbles, Quibbles, and Scrawlings: http://sqsreviews.com/book-reviews/cr...

[Amy K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising start, with interesting characters and an out-of-the-ordinary setting, Gillies' debut novel suffers from lacking firm line-editing. (Some of the grammatical errors are glaring.) That said, there's enough good to enjoy that it's possible to overlook the rough patches, and I recommend this book if you like a good spooky story with some solid character-building.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the mix of cop and fantasy (reminded me of my fav: Frank Peretti). Fast paced and believeable characters, if not a little stereotypical.

[R. Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that combines the paranormal and crime scene investigation! Tyner definately shows his experience as a police officer and delves into the world of putting the clues together to solve a mysterious string of murders...what you don't realize until your drawn into his world is that there is something much more sinister in the small Canadian town of Resolution.
His characterizations are fresh, descriptions are vivid and the story is compelling! You will not want to put it down.
I cannot wait for the next book from Tyner Gillies!

[Shawn Bird]

I enjoyed this modernization of the Dudley Do-Right myth of the Canadian RCMP as saviour of the innocent. I was somewhat taken aback when the fantasy angle appeared, and set it aside for a few hours while I came to terms with it. Gillies's inside knowledge of policing was so gritty and realistic I wasn't prepared for the fantastic to appear! It was quite the conceptual contrast. All in all, a good quick read for those who enjoy realistic police drama and fantasy, and don't mind a lot of cursing.

[Ania Kyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gillies combines just enough real-life policing with a touch of the mystical to subtly keep the reader's interest on every page...
This good cop vs. ancient evil story pulses along with fresh characters and gritty detail, presenting a solid conflict that could realistically exist in our own back yard.
A fantastic, thrilling book to read on a dark, rainy weekend - looking forward to the sequel!
~Ania, Mission, BC

[Lara Lacombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great debut from a promising author! The suspense is gripping, the pacing is tight, and the dialogue really makes the characters shine. Overall, an ideal blend of suspense and action, with just the right amount of paranormal thrown in for good measure.

I enjoyed this book, and look forward to additional work from this author!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book! It took hold of me from the beginning with humour and edge of your seat reading. You can't help but love Quinn and his friends. There's always something special for me to read Canadian books with cities I know and can relate to, brings me in even more.

[Kathleen Ladislaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a first work, this was a great effort. The main character, also the hero of the story is well developed and believable. I look forward to reading more from Tyner.

[W.L. Hawkin]

The Watch, Tyner Gillies, 2012
Dark Resolution, Tyner Gillies, 2015

Have you ever wanted to move to a sweet slow town as mellow as Mayberry but not that far south? I have. I’ve even scoped a few out. And so did RCMP Constable Quinn Sullivan when he signed on in Resolution, a small town on the coast of British Columbia several hours drive from Prince George. But the problem with small towns is that the romance doesn’t always mirror the reality. And some towns hide monsters.

When I started reading The Watch, the first book in this series, I thought I was reading a police procedural. Tyner Gillies is a real modern-day lawman and his novels open the closed doors of cruisers and stations, cop pubs and dank basements. His terminology is authentic. We meet “members” of the “Queen’s goons.” We feel the “burl of the hot shotgun barrel”. We hold our breath as Quinn “racks the shotgun” and “snicks the final shell”. Laced with gritty raw talk and subtle humour, we glimpse the world of the Mounties from the inside.

So imagine my surprise when a “humanoid shape with two sharp red eyes” appears from “the tumbled folds of rags” in Joe Robowski’s basement and I realize this is no police crime novel. This is something else. Urban fantasy? Horror?

As murders amass, Quinn Sullivan discovers he’s something else: a Guardian, a Warrior. Witch historian Autumn Donnelly presents him with homemade books that reveal the presence of demons in places of true and tragic evil—places like residential schools and witch trials—places like Joe Robowski’s basement. Gillies says on his website that The Watch was inspired by a personal experience:

I had about 3 months of service in the Force, when I was called to check an abandoned house for squatters in a distant corner of my policing district. I went out there, by myself, thinking nothing of it, as it was a type of call I’d responded to a dozen times before. I found the house, and went in with my flashlight to make sure no one was inside. It was a musty shambles, filled with garbage and broken furniture, as well as something I didn’t expect, and had never felt before or since.

I felt a presence, something dark and heavy, and whatever it was made it clear that I was not welcome. I found no sign of anyone squatting there, and could understand why, if they had felt the same thing I did. I got out of that house as quickly as I could, and thought about it for days afterward.

Gillies draws and holds his suspense scenes like a bow. The details of a three-minute fight keep me riveted for pages as Quinn and his Mountie partners track and fight the demon.

Quinn heaved against the reeking bulk but he was tiring quickly from blood loss and did not have the strength to shove the thing off. Slowly, the clawing fingers tightened at his throat and cut off his air. He thrashed and gouged, blinking wildly against the white flashes in his vision, and his adversary screeched in triumph as Quinn’s eyes fluttered closed.

There is a warm sticky sweetness that’s not blood running through this story. It’s love, and it’s the glue that holds this book and its dysfunctional family together. Newfie Dave McLeod with his dry humour and Corporal Charles Raife (who conjures images of Canadian actor Gary Farmer in my mind) are the guardian’s sidekicks and back each other to the death. Is this real Mountie camaraderie?

But what defines Quinn Sullivan is his sensitive side. He’s a lover. And when he returns home after three days of battle his first thought is: did anybody feed my cat?

Quinn Sullivan’s story continues in Book Two, Dark Resolution, when he is promoted to Corporal and sent to Cranbrook to discover why Inspector Green’s RCMP son carved symbols on his body and hung himself. Meanwhile, back in Resolution, Raife, Dave McLeod, Autumn Donnelly and Quinn’s girlfriend Carrie, are left to fight a demon with a taste for humans. Demons, it seems, form packs, alliances, and plans. “Old ghosts and broken hopes,” says Autumn. In these places demons hide. And this time the demon is after a child.

The child moved several steps closer to her father, her hands clasping a round medallion that hung from a leather cord around her neck. “I thought you said it would be safe here.” She looked up, tendrils of hair drifting across her face in a breeze that cut across the narrow campsite. “I thought you said we wouldn’t have to run anymore.”

Abby and her father have come to Resolution to find the Guardian. But, he’s not there. Will Quinn Sullivan return in time to save her from the demon?

Published http://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com October 2017

[Stephanie Galay]

I didn't read the blurb. After the first scene I was expecting a police procedural, instead Tyner Gillies takes you on a journey into the supernatural that feels all too possible. Protagonist Quinn Sullivan and his watch mates question reality and Quinn's sanity while trying to save Resolution Cove from a wave of violent crime unbefitting of the small town.
Packed with tension and very real characters, The Watch should be on everyone's summer read list.