After Dark

by James Leck

Fifteen-year-old slacker Charlie Harker is stuck in the sleepy town of Rolling Hills for the summer, helping his mom renovate his great-grandfather's creaky old inn. It's not entirely dull, thanks to Charlie's new neighbor Miles Van Helsing, who insists there's paranormal activity happening in Rolling Hills. Charlie chalks it up to Miles being the town nutcase. But many townspeople are falling prey to a mysterious illness, and wisecracking Charlie quickly gets wise?: there's something sinister going on in Rolling Hills.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Zombies, Fantasy, Vampires, Canada, Paranormal

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2015

About the author

James Leck was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in 1973. At the time, his hobbies included eating, sleeping and pooping his pants. Since then, much has changed.

He has worked as a high school teacher in Canada, Japan and Kuwait, and has had the good fortune to travel extensively. Some of his favorite stories from his travels include the time he accidentally ordered an entire chicken (and only a chicken) for his dinner in Korea; the time all his clothes, backpack and towel were dragged out to sea by a rogue wave in Guam; and the time he accidentally paid $40 for a bottle of apple juice in Oman. His travels have taught him to expect the unexpected and to roll with the waves life sends you.

Three things influenced him to write the Jack Lime mysteries: Scooby-Doo, Inspector Jacques Clouseau and Sherlock Holmes. However, Jack is based on the hard-boiled detectives of the 1940s and '50s. James always loved those mysteries because the detectives didn't solve the crimes through brilliant deduction, but rather through sheer determination and grit.

His latest book, After Dark, is a small salute to the great horror stories and movies he read and watched growing up. Charlie Harker, the hero in After Dark, has a passion for sleeping in, napping and avoiding work at all costs, and James has to admit that these qualities might be based on his own quest for absolute laziness during his summer vacations growing up.

Currently, James lives in Dartmouth with his wife and two children. He still enjoys sleeping and eating but has moved beyond pooping his pants.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has a refreshing main character who is all sarcasm and no tact, a great twist on the idea of zombies and vampires, and took far too long to get to the beef of the story.

That's it in a nutshell. I loved our two main boys, the loopy one and the sarcastic one. I loved how the people infected is sort of like an invasion of the body snatchers slash vampires slash zombie scenario. I even liked the cliffhanger it ended on. It just was too late. No really, nothing happened in the story until I was halfway through. I distinctly remember because when I finally got to that pivotal scene, I tilted my book to see how thick the pages were that I had left versus what I'd read already. And it was almost exactly half. Had it happened any sooner, this would have gotten a solid 4 stars out of me. As it stands, only 3. The cliffhanger just adds insult to injury by not even finishing the story that took so long to coalesce.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really understand why I liked this so much??? There wasn't a whole lot of substance, it was a basic teen horror book, but yet I had so much fun... If it weren't for the slightly bland ending, this would have been 5 full stars.

[Milania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just continues to surprise you. It holds suspension, and keeps you guessing! Charlie, a 15 year old boy from Choke academy, is from a rich family due to his dads sucess. Charlie and his sister move to Rolling Hills with their mom into an old motel owned by Charlies old uncle who is going crazy. A mysterious boy that Charlie meets the same night he moves into the old motel seems to think there are supernatural things going on in this town. Everyone in town thinks he is mental but Charlie decides to think about what the boy had said. Him and this boy investiagte the neighbourhood and try to crack the case.. but it just gets worse and more of the town is infected as the days go on...

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. If I hadn't read other paranormal comedies I would have rated this higher, but Hold Me Closer Necromancer, Croak, and Eat Brains Love are all vastly superior.

[Nathan F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Dark, by James Leck, is an dark thriller set in the town of Rolling Hills. The main character is Charlie Harker, a teenager who’s family is staying there for the summer in order to renovate a small inn, as they are nearly broke. Charlie is bored and does not want to spend his summer in a boring town, doing housework, stuck with his vegan sister, Lillith, and his famous movie star brother, Johnny.

This all changes when one of neighbors, Miles van Helsing, runs into the inn one night screaming that zombie-like humanoids are chasing him. “Turn the lights off!” Miles hissed, crouching down. “They’ll see us!” (pg.26) Miles is well known as the local crazy person, reporting UFO sightings and supernatural activity almost all the time. So, naturally, Charlie thinks he’s just making things up at first. “Well, that’s a scary story, Miles,” I said, getting up. “Good luck with everything. If I see Mr. and Mrs. Baxter running around in their underwear, I’ll be sure to get out of the way.” (pg.63)

But soon, Charlie begins to have experiences of his own. “Is that a human skull?”(pg.169)Then he starts to wonder what really goes on after dark...

[Ashley]

This book was very different but I would recommend it. A 15 year old boy and his family had to redo his family’s inn all summer. Charlie (15 year old boy) wasn’t happy at all about redoing the inn because that was not his ideal summer. Charlie already had negative thoughts on this town as it is and mysterious actions weren’t gonna help his thoughts. Certain people in this town were acting different and Charlie’s friend Miles was trying to figure out why and sucked Charlie into it. Miles tried to speak out about these mysterious events but no one would believe him. Miles dragged Charlie to the Baxter’s house, which was the people who were acting weird, and tried to get to get proof. The Baxter’s ended up chasing them, they turned into zompires at night( zombies and vampires). People in the town started to get infected and but no one noticed it was going on. Charlie had to find a way to live. If you have free time I would encourage you to read this book.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy in a Goodreads Giveaway

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this book... On one hand, the premise sounds really fun -- a retelling of Dracula set in the modern day, but with teens & set in a sleepy resort town!! Like, that sounds really fun to me!

I don't think there was anything particularly WRONG with the book, but it didn't particularly suit my tastes. It felt kinda in-between Middle Grade & YA, and honestly, if I were reading this as a middle schooler or early in high school i would have LOVED it. But as an adult the characters weren't quite as fleshed out as I'd enjoy. I did enjoy the humor tho -- the main character is at times insufferable & irritating, but he is pretty funny.

[Natalie Figueroa-Sealey · Rating 4 out of 5]

the theme is trust. when Miles arrived they didn't trust him when he said he was getting chased by a creature. but latter charlie had started helping him and they go out together to find out the mysteries of the little town their in. he started trusting him and the became friends that go and solve mysteries together.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to see a young protagonist with a cynical sense of humour. Overall I enjoyed the story but was a little disappointed with the ending, great lead up then crash. Thanks for the copy which I received through a giveaway.

[Banjot Sidhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bedtime read aloud with my daughter. She laughed uproariously through the first chapter. We had a lot of good laughs, enjoyed the pacing of the novel and the fun characters. I would recommend this book as a read aloud to teachers. I guarantee your students will enjoy it!

[Christa Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, except for the bad ending at the end. I mean, great cliffhanger, but honestly all horror stories have cliffhangers and no sequel. So yeah.

[Madyson Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book hope they make a second

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Japanese game show host

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read a-loud to my students. The dialogue was well written and the pace kept the story flowing.

[Tandis Mahmoodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to do this for a book club and let me tell you we were gagged at the ending, it needs a second book!!

[JennRenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant little surprise for me. I was offered a chance to read it by the publishers and really hadn't heard much about it before then. I like the cover. Its simple and it really fits well with the book. Its got a bit of a funny side but also its horror. So the cover fits well. The book was funny, corny at times, not to creepy but enough to be considered horror. It was a fun book to read, especially this time of year.


Charlie Harker's life gets uprooted when his mother moves him to her childhood small town and decides they are going to renovate an old inn that the family took over. This is a very weird small town. The first night back he meets a crazy uncle, a paranoid teenage conspiracy theorist, and the fun doesn't stop there. There is definitely something creepy and weird going down in this small town and of course Charlie is right smack dab in the middle of it all.


I want to start by saying this book was fun. It is not to be taken seriously and its meant to be corny and a little off but I really liked it. I liked the simplicity of the story... zombies, vampires... zompires. It was classic but yet original. There was no big romance, no love triangle, no family issues to hash out. Just a goof off kid that doesn't like to work, be involved, or try hard, that gets dragged into the middle of a supernatural takeover. Its pretty cool.

I felt there was a handful of very interesting, well woven together characters. I enjoyed every one of them and feel they all brought something to good to the production. They were all pretty snarky, sarcastic, and little bit out of their minds but they were all different too. Each with a distinctive voice.

Charlie Harker cracked me up. I usually don't like the care free lazy, good for nothing characters. But he grew on me. He changed a bit towards end. He finally steps up when he figures out something is definitely off and his family and the town is in danger. He is lazy and he doesn't like to help most of the time but when it comes to his family... he was on it. He didn't want anything to happen to them and he was pretty awesome in fighting for them.

Miles Van Helsing was my favorite character. Just plain insane, nutty, crazy, out of his mind, living in a world of his own.... but for once in his life he gets something right and basically saves the town with the help of Charlie. He was super funny and quite interesting. I just adored him.

The entire story was just fun. Like I said original enough to be enjoyed, light enough not be to creepy and just some good ole fashion monster fun.





I really really enjoyed this book. A great fun book for the Halloween season.

[Shelumiel Delos Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.*

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

Wry and engaging, After Dark pokes fun at tropes of the genre with irreverent tone and a smart-alecky protagonist.

Tenth-grader Charlie Harker is so ready for summer, a "time for sleeping and swimming and watching three really bad horror movies back to back to back." But Ma has a better idea: move to the old hick town of Rolling Hills and renovate the family's decrepit inn. And right on Charlie's first night, he meets Miles Van Helsing, the town's resident conspiracy nut. As the two spend more time together, Charlie begins to suspect that Rolling Hills, after all, might not be too boring. Nor safe. Leck's latest novel finds its strength in its MC. Nothing gets me to stick to a book better than an interesting character and Charlie is exactly that and some. He's hilarious and endearing and curious but also afraid and lazy. He's a person. The author triumphantly mixes sarcasm with sincere dopiness.

After Dark also benefits from its self-awareness. It owns its ridiculousness, and that's the most amusing part next to the narrative voice. Almost every investigation Charlie and Miles undertake—ironically yet effectively juxtaposed with commentaries from the former—often ends up being an episode of the horror movie Charlie mocks. It would be tacky except our hero is very tongue-in-cheek. Plus, there are several winks at gothic cult (Miles's last name is Van Helsing, there's a character called Igor) as well as family drama. The family drama, however, is decent at best, paltry at worst.

Moreover, the book is effortlessly atmospheric. Rolling Hills's sleepy-town-ness is palpable, the kind that teleports you back to your childhood days watching Goosebumps. The kind that exudes old school horror movie vibe. Albeit, more eerie and less scary. And the monster of the story, the "zompire," is a nice twist on two of today's most celebrated undead. In fact, I can see After Dark being a massive hit with a younger audience. Because I feel like the resolution was a bit flimsy, at least for my taste. And with a denouement that both surprises and does not surprise, a sequel is not unlikely but unnecessary.

Light and thoroughly enjoyable, be sure to include "read After Dark" in your to-do list.

[Krystin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Harker is about to begin summer vacation and is preparing to leave his boarding school when the first sign of sure doom arrives. His mom is wearing jeans. When he gets in her new…pick up truck?… he discovers instead of flying to one of their estates or taking a family vacation to Hawaii or the Caribbean they will instead be driving to a small town in the middle of nowhere to fix up an inn. And they won’t be supervising, no, THEY will be doing manual labor. WITH THEIR HANDS. And then living there. The second sign of sure doom is when he meets Miles Van Helsing, who tells him there is paranormal activity in the town. People are getting sick. They have headaches, sluggishness, and light sensitivity in the daytime and there are strange attacks by inhumanly strong and fast creatures at night. The final sign of sure doom is when his brother appears out of nowhere riding in the car of the hottest girl in Rolling Hills, Johnny Harker the famous actor. Otherwise known as Jaysin Night, Vampyre Hunter. What is going on in this town? And can two wise-cracking wise guys get to the bottom of it before the whole town goes crazy?

I have to admit that when I got my ARC (courtesy of Kids Can Press) and read the cover description I rolled my eyes, turned to my husband, and said “Oh my God, it’s VAMPIRES”. I repeated this ritual about every 15 pages for the first few chapters until I was too absorbed to acknowledge my husband, the cats, or the oven.

This book is for middle schoolers, about ages 10+, and while the story is well written you can tell it is for that age range in some of the over embellishment and distinct personality types. It is high action, a good book for the reluctant reader, and has some serious plot twists going on (SPOILER ALERT: It wasn’t even vampires! Boy did it get crazy!). While the town wasn’t described in great detail the author left it up to you to use your imagination, creating a great dichotomy between the old timers and young upcomers of this developing hidden gem. It’s written with a great sense of humor, getting me to laugh out loud on more than one occasion, and ended with one doozy of a cliff hanger. It’s definitely primed for a sequel and I can’t wait to read more.

If you or your tweens are less Twilight and more Sam and Dean, After Dark is available for purchase on August 1, 2015!

(I received a copy of this book as a courtesy ARC. Review originally appeared on my blog on 7/27/15.)

[Sarahkmartinuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through netgalley in return for a review. The book is aimed at young adult/teenagers. The blurt says

"Fifteen-year-old slacker Charlie Harker is stuck in the sleepy town of Rolling Hills for the summer, helping his mom renovate his great-grandfather's creaky old inn. It's not entirely dull, thanks to Charlie's new neighbour Miles Van Helsing, who insists there's paranormal activity happening in Rolling Hills. Charlie chalks it up to Miles being the town nutcase. But many townspeople are falling prey to a mysterious illness, and wisecracking Charlie quickly gets wise?: there's something sinister going on in Rolling Hills."

This book is a quirky take on a vampire story. There is also a character in it who is called Igor. The vampires are not vampires in a traditional sense but I get the impression that it is a mutation caused by a type of virus. I found the main character quite entertaining and humorous however, I did not find myself glued to the book it was just ok. I was disappointed by the ending as it is obviously going to be part of a series of books but I would have liked it to have more of a decisive ending. Do I feel inclined to read the next book? Probably not is the answer, however, I can see it appealing to younger readers in the age range of 12-15.

[Tatiana Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book! It was really such a fun read, I found it hard to put it down! I like how it was very fast paced right off the bat.

Charlie Harker is a fast talking, slightly snarky, teenaged boy. His school year is up, and vacation time is upon him. But instead of the relaxing by the beach vacation he was expecting, Charlie gets to renovate an old inn with his twin sister, mom, and Hollywood star older brother. Not exactly what he wants to be doing, and he lets it be known. The small town the family finds themselves in seems pretty normal at first, but when the town conspiracy theorist comes into Charlie's life he starts to notice something weird is going on...

If you enjoy a little bit of mystery and suspense, mixed with some comedy and horror, then this would be the perfect book for you! I enjoyed it very much and I hope there's a follow up coming soon!

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one as an advanced readers copy from Netgalley. The main character, Charlie, is a smart, charming, smart-alecky kid who is hoping to spend his summer loafing and having a great time, but his mom has other ideas. She's purchased an inn in a remote town and is planning to renovate it and run it to make money. Right away, things are a bit scary because a boy about Charlie's age comes running up saying that things are chasing him. At first Charlie doesn't believe him, but the longer he spends in town, the more he believes the crazy guy, Miles, is right. People are acting strangely-vacant eyed during the day and predatory at night. The ending leads you to believe that there will be a sequel.

[Alex Moss]

It was good overall and I liked the theme.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sort of horror novel following Charlie, who just moved with his family and siblings to a new town. In that town, people seem to be the victims of a very mysterious and scary illness and Charlie and his newly-found friend Miles try to find out more about it.

Honestly? This book was nothing special. In my opinion, it was just another mediocre horror story. It wasn't outstanding or special and the idea behind it is nothing new. It wasn't very suspenseful either. But it wasn't bad, and it was fun enough reading it, but I wouldn't re-read it.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Dark is most suited for younger readers, like those in middle school. The main character, Charlie, is snarky and funny but the story begins too abruptly. I would have liked a little more backstory, especially since he's in a new place. This is clearly fantasy but some things that happen in the book are too unrealistic like his uncle disappears and no one worries. Also, Charlie runs off with who are practically strangers. As an 18 year old, I felt that this book was too juvenile for me but did remind me a little bit of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which I enjoyed. This is a fast and light read.

[Ela The Queer Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had younger siblings or cousins they would get it for their birthday. Why?

First Charlie’s character was rather amusing to me; this spoiled brat who has to adjust to a new life and then he has to save the world, so to speak. He is afraid, he complains, he is real.

And second there is no slow story building, so you don’t have to read 100 pages for something to finally happen. It is appropiately scary, too.


I was provided by NetGalley with this ARC in exchange for a honest review. Thank you.

[Majanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/mini-rev...

Charlie is a refreshing character, sarcastic to a fault, but charming in his own way and I’m sure kids will love him. Miles Van Helsing is pretty awesome too, and the whole take on vampires/zombies is a great twist, but it all takes too long to get started. The start of the book is quite slow, and it takes too long for the action to get going. It’s a light read, humorous and enjoyable, but not really that suspenseful.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Charlie Harker learns he will be spending the summer in small town Rolling Hills helping his mom renovate an old inn, he is dreading the upcoming boredom. Charlie is anything but bored when he discovers a mysterious virus is turning everyone into Vompires. This creepy story is filled with humor, suspense and lots of corniness. Readers 10 to 14 will want to be the fun loving, mischievous Charlie.

[Syd · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot wasn't bad. Felt like a Disney Halloween movie (think My Babysitter is a Vampire or Bunks), not too scary just a little creepy and fun. In fact it would probably would work better as a short movie.

The characters were always just on the wrong side of annoying. The faux-English boarding school talk at the start nearly made me put down the book for good. I had to convince myself to keep reading it. Thankfully it's short and mostly fast paced.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Jack Lime series from this author & was excited to read something new. This is a great book for tween/young teen boys who want a bit of zombie/vampire action mixed with a snarky, slacker teenage boy and a cast of oddball characters. Really fun read & it looks like a book 2 is in the works.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting story about Charlie, a fifteen year old boy. His summer plans are not what he thought they would be. This story is full of questions, twists, and suspense. It keeps the reader interested. Great for boys and girls alike.
Reviewed through NetGalley for an independant, honest review.