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Congregations Of The Dead
It’s one of the hottest summers on record and a storm is brewing over the small town of Wellman, Georgia.
Still reeling from the horrific events of the previous October, all Sheriff Carl Price wants is to get back to a normal life. Unfortunately things aren’t working out. He’s got the Brennert County’s DA breathing down his neck for answers about what happened in Crawford’s Hollow. He’s been served with a lawsuit by the Blackbourne family. And just after he witnesses a child abduction, the one person who always puts his life into a tailspin shows up to add to the pressure.
Meanwhile, against his better judgment, Wade Griffin agrees to look for a teenage girl who’s gone missing. It’s not his kind of case, but he’s trying to establish his private investigations business and perhaps abandon his past as a mercenary. But Griffin’s luck isn’t any better than Price’s and he ends up crossing paths with the man behind most of the organized crime north of Atlanta.
Both lawmen have their plates full, but then they learn that there is something abroad in the night. Not the supernatural menace they dealt with before, but something even darker. Just what is the secret of the charismatic Reverend Lazarus Cotton and what is he hiding in his small mountain church?
Once again, Griffin and Price must call upon all their deadly skills just to stay alive and even in the middle of a pitched battle against things that shouldn’t exist they are reminded that sometimes the darkest evils reside within the human heart.
Congregations of the Dead is the hard hitting follow up to Blind Shadows, again mixing hard-boiled crime fiction with blood chilling horror.
Still reeling from the horrific events of the previous October, all Sheriff Carl Price wants is to get back to a normal life. Unfortunately things aren’t working out. He’s got the Brennert County’s DA breathing down his neck for answers about what happened in Crawford’s Hollow. He’s been served with a lawsuit by the Blackbourne family. And just after he witnesses a child abduction, the one person who always puts his life into a tailspin shows up to add to the pressure.
Meanwhile, against his better judgment, Wade Griffin agrees to look for a teenage girl who’s gone missing. It’s not his kind of case, but he’s trying to establish his private investigations business and perhaps abandon his past as a mercenary. But Griffin’s luck isn’t any better than Price’s and he ends up crossing paths with the man behind most of the organized crime north of Atlanta.
Both lawmen have their plates full, but then they learn that there is something abroad in the night. Not the supernatural menace they dealt with before, but something even darker. Just what is the secret of the charismatic Reverend Lazarus Cotton and what is he hiding in his small mountain church?
Once again, Griffin and Price must call upon all their deadly skills just to stay alive and even in the middle of a pitched battle against things that shouldn’t exist they are reminded that sometimes the darkest evils reside within the human heart.
Congregations of the Dead is the hard hitting follow up to Blind Shadows, again mixing hard-boiled crime fiction with blood chilling horror.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
225 books767 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 8, 2021
“The man that wandereth out of the way of wisdom shall abide in the congregation of the dead.”—Proverbs 21:16
Second novel by authors James A. Moore and Charles R. Rutledge starring sheriff Carl Price, ex mercenary P. I. Wade Griffin, ever-loving witch Caron, and former English literature professor turned supernatural monster hunter Carter Decamp, is another solid action-packed hard-boiled crime/supernatural horror mash-up with our cast of characters dealing with vampires (no spoiler at all, just look at that cover) just a few monts after events of the bloody Halloween detailed in Blind Shadows.
Just after three and the day was getting hotter and hotter. The thermometer said the temperature was a mere ninety-three degrees, but Carl knew better. There was the humidity to consider and that brought the heat index up to a little over one hundred degrees. “Just south of Hell,” he mused. That was what his father used to say when the worst part of the summer came around
Just a nearly perfect summer read if you are into detective/cop buddies tales, small town horror, H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos (dimension-hopping Great Elder Ones worshipping Blackbournes from book 1 are still around, and a couple of famous forbidden tomes suddenly pop-up in the same page), and viicious un-sparkly vampire tales.
He looked at the body. Either three adolescents had either literally folded a man over himself until his spine broke and his internal organs ruptured in the process, or they had just found him that way. In any event it was almost four in the morning and kids had no reason to be out. Carl made his phone calls. The air was still and hot and damned sticky.
I've found a few typos, but not so many enough to ruin this funny ride of a read for me.
Had a murder not far from here last night. A few kids were seen leaving the area where the body was found. According to the eyewitness they were pale. According to what I saw, they were also strong. Very strong.” He let that sink in for a few seconds. “Sound like anyone you might know?”
Higly recommended series and I already have book 3 A Hell Within: A Griffin & Price Novel on my kindle waiting to be picked and read.
“So let me get this straight,” Decamp said. “You find out there are vampires in an old church and you and your sheriff buddy get a can of gasoline and burn the place down.” Griffin said, “We couldn’t just leave them there could we?” Decamp said, “No, I suppose you couldn’t.”
December 7, 2013
I have to say, I liked this book even more than its predecessor, BLIND SHADOWS. There was really no place to pause during the action, and a certain character from many of Jim Moore's other books, also got several mentions. :) The storyline was fairly straight on this one, with a few minor side stories added in. The characters of Wade Griffin and Sheriff Carl Price are a great combination. Their supernatural encounters somehow manage to differ from every other story that you've read out there, challenging your thoughts at every turn.
The ending left a few unanswered questions, leaving room undoubtedly for another adventure in their midst. However the plot of this story could easily be read as a standalone, leaving only a few questions in regards to hints of the supernatural events that occurred in their town the Halloween before.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Highly recommended!
The ending left a few unanswered questions, leaving room undoubtedly for another adventure in their midst. However the plot of this story could easily be read as a standalone, leaving only a few questions in regards to hints of the supernatural events that occurred in their town the Halloween before.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Highly recommended!
January 15, 2014
Loved it.Looking forward to more novels by these two. Excellent humor/horror combo. Very highly recommended.
October 17, 2017
Congregations of the Dead is a fast-paced crime thriller with both real-world and supernatural criminals being pursued by small-town sheriff Carl Price and his best friend, private investigator Wade Griffin. The supernaturals are vampires: evangelical vampires, a whole church-full of them, and they believe their form of “eternal life” is a gift from God. This is an action-packed novel that works well as both crime fiction and as horror literature. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series, A Hell Within, due to be published in late 2017.
August 14, 2017
"Add all of those parts together and you have a rip-roaring tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you read it."
See here for the full review:
Congregations of the Dead
See here for the full review:
Congregations of the Dead
March 7, 2014
The authors, in their 2nd book, have taken the protagonists featured in the 1st book, and have dropped them in the midst of another horrific adventure (with a side-role for the adversaries featured in the previous book, as well). The story is more fast-paced, the dialogues are more enriched with the southern drawl and laconic humour, and the characters remain true to their images that we, the readers of the first book, have juxtaposed upon them. The in-jokes referring to the works of the giants also abound, while the whole picture gets adequately complicated by incorporation of contemporaneous crimes. Unfortunately, despite all its strengths, the novel leaves too many threads dangling (perhaps for the 3rd book) that left me irritated and compelled me to drop a star. But that really shouldn't stop you from enjoying this book (Miskatonic still might be having a few copies). Recommended.
September 6, 2014
Really, really cool good ol' boys detective/cop team of Georgian tough guys taking on a group of vampires. REAL vampires, too, not these stupid sparkly things so common in teenage romance novels.
HIGHLY recommended.
HIGHLY recommended.
March 11, 2013
Outstanding sequel that adds to the original and cries out for more to come.
November 7, 2019
“The man that wandreth out of the way of wisdom shall abide in the congregation of the dead.” – Proverbs 21:16
I bought Congregations of the Dead over a year ago on a bit of a lark because it was cheap. Which isn’t to sale that it didn’t sound right up my alley. A country noir/urban fantasy/horror mashup with significant pulp influences? (A secondary character is named Carter DeCamp in an obvious homage to Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp and Manly Wade Wellman’s characters Silver John and John Thunstone seem obvious influences as well.) What I didn’t realize is how dang good it would be.
Congregations of the Dead is the second in Griffin & Price novel, and I was a little thrown off at first as Moore and Rutledge tied up loose ends from the first book. But other than that hiccup, I found this an easy entrée into the series. I will definitely be picking up the other books though.
Carl Price is the sheriff of Wellman, Georgia, a rural county in the mountains. Wade Griffin is a mercenary-turned-private investigator. Both men are more than competent in the scrap, but they aren’t ready for what has come to Wellman. It involves the sort of preacher who you don’t want to invite into your house, if you know what I mean.
I loved this book. It is a genre mashup, as I mentioned above, and it works on each level. As a country noir, it reminds me a lot of Brian Panowich’s books (also set in north Georgia and following a rural sheriff). As an “urban” fantasy, the action and worldbuilding are top-notch. As a horror, it has some great atmosphere and set pieces (Griffin and Price’s first foray into the church is particularly chilling). And you know I love a book that wears its pulp influences on its sleeve. This book doesn’t just make me want to read the other Griffin & Price books. It makes me want to pick up a collection of Wellman’s John Thunstone stories and for my Haffner Press collection of Silver John novels to hurry up already.
I bought Congregations of the Dead over a year ago on a bit of a lark because it was cheap. Which isn’t to sale that it didn’t sound right up my alley. A country noir/urban fantasy/horror mashup with significant pulp influences? (A secondary character is named Carter DeCamp in an obvious homage to Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp and Manly Wade Wellman’s characters Silver John and John Thunstone seem obvious influences as well.) What I didn’t realize is how dang good it would be.
Congregations of the Dead is the second in Griffin & Price novel, and I was a little thrown off at first as Moore and Rutledge tied up loose ends from the first book. But other than that hiccup, I found this an easy entrée into the series. I will definitely be picking up the other books though.
Carl Price is the sheriff of Wellman, Georgia, a rural county in the mountains. Wade Griffin is a mercenary-turned-private investigator. Both men are more than competent in the scrap, but they aren’t ready for what has come to Wellman. It involves the sort of preacher who you don’t want to invite into your house, if you know what I mean.
I loved this book. It is a genre mashup, as I mentioned above, and it works on each level. As a country noir, it reminds me a lot of Brian Panowich’s books (also set in north Georgia and following a rural sheriff). As an “urban” fantasy, the action and worldbuilding are top-notch. As a horror, it has some great atmosphere and set pieces (Griffin and Price’s first foray into the church is particularly chilling). And you know I love a book that wears its pulp influences on its sleeve. This book doesn’t just make me want to read the other Griffin & Price books. It makes me want to pick up a collection of Wellman’s John Thunstone stories and for my Haffner Press collection of Silver John novels to hurry up already.
February 24, 2015
Congregations of the Dead is the second novel by James A. Moore and Charles R. Rutledge featuring the duo of sheriff Carl Price and private investigator Wade Griffin.
Price and Griffin are investigating real world issues – missing girls, forced prostitution and other dark, unsavory elements of humanity. Tangentially, they clip the world of the supernatural and find themselves facing a vampire and his congregation, as well as real world criminal organizations.
Add to that an ex-wife (for Price,) watchful enemies and the smothering heat & humidity of a Georgia summer, and our heroes are quite piled upon by the time we reach the crescendo of this tale.
I really like the vampires in this story. I really enjoyed the twist of Reverend Lazarus Cotton as a Holy Roller, fire & brimstone revival preacher who earnestly believes his vampirism is a gift from God. Fry, his human servant foil, was a great sociopath character (and, I love the tribute to Dwight Frye/Renfield in his name.)
Classic vampire tropes are used to solid effect. The “native soil” angle was very well played, and the rats...- oh, those rats. I don't want to say anything else for fear of spoilers.
If you enjoyed the first outing, Blind Shadows, you'll enjoy Congregations of the Dead, too.
Price and Griffin are investigating real world issues – missing girls, forced prostitution and other dark, unsavory elements of humanity. Tangentially, they clip the world of the supernatural and find themselves facing a vampire and his congregation, as well as real world criminal organizations.
Add to that an ex-wife (for Price,) watchful enemies and the smothering heat & humidity of a Georgia summer, and our heroes are quite piled upon by the time we reach the crescendo of this tale.
I really like the vampires in this story. I really enjoyed the twist of Reverend Lazarus Cotton as a Holy Roller, fire & brimstone revival preacher who earnestly believes his vampirism is a gift from God. Fry, his human servant foil, was a great sociopath character (and, I love the tribute to Dwight Frye/Renfield in his name.)
Classic vampire tropes are used to solid effect. The “native soil” angle was very well played, and the rats...- oh, those rats. I don't want to say anything else for fear of spoilers.
If you enjoyed the first outing, Blind Shadows, you'll enjoy Congregations of the Dead, too.
January 1, 2016
This book is great! There is not only a good twist the the vampire premise, but the book is full of action. I highly recommend it and can't wait to read what these guys do next.
March 22, 2019
Action and the Occult in small-town Georgia
Call it occult noir or hard-boiled supernatural thriller, this Griffin and Price adventure from authors James A. Moore and Charles R. Rutledge is an exciting read full of action and creepiness.
Call it occult noir or hard-boiled supernatural thriller, this Griffin and Price adventure from authors James A. Moore and Charles R. Rutledge is an exciting read full of action and creepiness.
June 4, 2020
Exciting read!
Big fan of the "horror/Southern Gothic/action story" genre variety that these authors have cooked up! Definitely appreciate all the Lovcraft references. A real treat for anyone who appreciates good, exciting horror stories.
Big fan of the "horror/Southern Gothic/action story" genre variety that these authors have cooked up! Definitely appreciate all the Lovcraft references. A real treat for anyone who appreciates good, exciting horror stories.
May 19, 2025
Dynamic duo vs “Christian” vampires
I liked the 1st in the series and also enjoyed this one. Interesting spin with “Christian” vampires. Lovecraft inspired the 1st and Stoker inspired this one. Gods action horror.
I liked the 1st in the series and also enjoyed this one. Interesting spin with “Christian” vampires. Lovecraft inspired the 1st and Stoker inspired this one. Gods action horror.
October 25, 2017
I really wanted to like this - but seriously, it was just OK
October 6, 2018
Great fun! Southern horror with a twist.
June 13, 2021
Excellent!
I really dig the Wade Griffin, Carl Price and Decamp adventures! Good team, a lot of action, monsters and magic. Like a modern Lovecraft tale.
I really dig the Wade Griffin, Carl Price and Decamp adventures! Good team, a lot of action, monsters and magic. Like a modern Lovecraft tale.
March 24, 2015
Another good tale of Carl and Griffin, only this time it's fighting against a holy roller and his vampire followers.
Not as good as the first novel in the series, but still a fast paced fun read. My biggest complaint is that they need a better editor - lots of errors throughout the entire book.
Not as good as the first novel in the series, but still a fast paced fun read. My biggest complaint is that they need a better editor - lots of errors throughout the entire book.
July 1, 2014
A pot-boiler of a horror story, with unambiguous characters who have a penchant for dispatching monsters.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews