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Deadlight Jack

(The Faceless One #2)

Mark Onspaugh (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 104 ratings · 49 reviews

Worse things than gators lurk in the Louisiana swamp. . . . The author of The Faceless One fuses the twisted imagination of Fritz Leiber with the razor-sharp plotting of Joe Hill in this rollicking horror thriller.

Appearances can be deceiving. Take Jimmy Kalmaku. Anyone passing him on the streets of Lake Nisqually, Washington, would merely see an elderly man. But Jimmy ...more

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Kindle Edition, 277 pages

Published January 3rd 2017 by Hydra (first published January 26th 2016)

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Nov 01, 2016 Sci-Fi & Scary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: request-netgalley

Off-beat and unexpectedly entertaining, Deadlight Jack delivers a delightful supernatural horror read. George and Jimmy, African-American and Native American respectively, found themselves teaming up after becoming friends in a nursing home. (Yes, a nursing home. Both our main characters are well past middle age.) They’ve already solved one case together, one that nearly killed them. They didn’t expect they’d find themselves embarking on another adventure. At least not so soon. But then George’s Off-beat and unexpectedly entertaining, Deadlight Jack delivers a delightful supernatural horror read. George and Jimmy, African-American and Native American respectively, found themselves teaming up after becoming friends in a nursing home. (Yes, a nursing home. Both our main characters are well past middle age.) They’ve already solved one case together, one that nearly killed them. They didn’t expect they’d find themselves embarking on another adventure. At least not so soon. But then George’s grandson disappears, and it’s clear there’s more than just human evil at work.

The main characters are old farts, they know it, and they’re fine with it. They’ve both had experience with the supernatural. Neither has had a great life. Jimmy was the shaman for his tribe that turned away from the old ways when he lost something precious. George wasn’t strong enough to be the dad that his family needed him to be. He’s determined to change that. Neither has the ability to give up (or sometimes even use common sense) when someone they know is in danger. So, when George’s grandson disappears, the old men have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It should be noted that they (well, more-so George than Jimmy) enjoy flinging racial slurs at each other.

The pacing in Deadlight Jack is pretty near perfect. Though there’s not a lot of kick-butt action scenes (main characters are just a tad old for that!), there’s a wonderful sense of atmosphere and building tension. The author does a great job of sinking you quickly into the world of the bayou. The mugginess, the slowness, and the sense of danger lurking under the surface. The evil is absolutely un-apologetically evil. There’s no sad back story here. It just enjoys pain and suffering.

Deadlight Jack also has a touch of the surprisingly whimsical in it. Help comes from an unexpected place, and take the form of something you’d never imagine. It could seem ridiculously ill-fitting, but it doesn’t. Instead, because you’re already immersed in this world of odd occurrences, it just makes you grin a bit. I definitely want to go back and read the first book in this series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review consideration. ...more

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Apr 06, 2017 Veronica rated it really liked it

When I requested "Deadlight Jack", I had no idea that it was the second book in a series. As it is, that does not matter in the least because this book works very well as a stand alone novel.
George Watters is African-American and Jimmy Kalmaku is a Tlingit shaman. They have been best friends for a very long time and both have a connection to the supernatural. When George's young grandson disappears in the Louisiana bayou, George and Jimmy fly across the country to rescue the young boy and come ...more

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Sep 20, 2016 Mommacat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

This was a well thought out scary book that is very much a standalone novel though second in a series.

DEADLIGHT JACK is quite simply a man who is not a man that steals children in the bayous of the South. Our heroes are a Native American and an African American who use mythological powers to battle Jack and others like him.

There are so many things that I liked about this book. First the author took his time building the story. There was no need to read the first book first. The characters were n ...more

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Jul 07, 2017 Morgan Scorpion rated it it was ok

This book came as a massive disappointment to me. If I had been rating the first chapter alone, I would have given it a five. Professor Foxfire was by far one of the scariest villains I've encountered in the world of books. Unfortunately, familiarity caused this impression to wear off. Before long, the book deteriorated into soap opera, and although there was a fine supernatural tale in there too, it was marred by whimsy, and by a Deus ex Machina ending. I say ending, but with the defeat of Prof ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Rakel rated it liked it

Posted on my blog MiRakelBooks.com Deadlight Jack Review

description

When I asked for this book on Netgalley I didn’t know it was a second book in a duology. But after reading a few reviews on Goodreads that said this book can be read as a standalone, I choose to read it because the synopsis sounded very interesting. They were right, you can read this book without reading book 1.

In this book we read about the two best friends George and Jimmy. They are two men in their 70, living together and fighting supern ...more

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Sep 30, 2016 Julia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, horror

Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh is a follow up to his 2013 novel The Faceless One. Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters are back for another battle against the paranormal. Although those two characters are the same, this can be read as a stand alone novel. You do not need to have read the first one to enjoy the second.

George's grandson Donny vanishes while on a family vacations to Louisiana. He has been taken by Deadlight Jack, aka Professor Foxfire, a supernatural being who feeds off the pain and s ...more

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Sep 19, 2016 Autumn rated it really liked it

An very thrilling read. I am about to go grab a copy of The Faceless Ones and will put Onspaugh on my list of authors to watch.

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Nov 04, 2016 J.M. Cornwell rated it it was amazing

From the Pacific Northwest to the Louisiana bayou, Mark Onspaugh's latest tale begins with 4-year-old George Watters and ends with Tlingit-Inuit Shaman Jimmy Kalmaku, ghosts, revenants, and all the horrors that Professor Foxfire musters against the 70-year-old Jimmy and George. Professor Foxfire is only one of the many names of the nightmare that is Deadlight Jack who lures children away from their families to feed the swamp lights and Jack.

George Watters lost his father in World War II and then From the Pacific Northwest to the Louisiana bayou, Mark Onspaugh's latest tale begins with 4-year-old George Watters and ends with Tlingit-Inuit Shaman Jimmy Kalmaku, ghosts, revenants, and all the horrors that Professor Foxfire musters against the 70-year-old Jimmy and George. Professor Foxfire is only one of the many names of the nightmare that is Deadlight Jack who lures children away from their families to feed the swamp lights and Jack.

George Watters lost his father in World War II and then very soon after lost his grandfather. That was when Deadlight Jack first appeared to lure 4-year-old Georgie Porgie pudding and pie away from his family and into the swamps of bayou. If not for George's grandfather, George would have been lost to his mother and brother to provide a tasty meal for Jack. George's mother and his aunt got in Jack's way and, with George's grandfather, drove Jack and his green and yellow will o' the wisp lights back into the shadows. Jack would not be held off forever, not with such a one as Georgie Porgie nearly within his grasp.

Seventy-year-old George Watters is a wise-cracking, smart-mouthed jokester given to teasing Jimmy Kalmaku with every Indian reference he can remember -- and George remembers a lot. For all the ribbing and jokes, George and Jimmy are close friends. They have already defeated the Faceless One who nearly destroyed a family and dragged Jimmy and George into the abyss for good measure. Jimmy has a wild talent and is a favorite of the Trickster, Raven of Tlingit legends. Being a favorite of the gods is a heavy burden to bear, one Jimmy is used to. George is no unwelcome passenger on the journey into the darkness and neither are strangers to the unseen world. George and Jimmy are friends and comrades in arms, though neither are ready for the journey that will lead them into George's forgotten and tumultuous family troubles when George's grandson, Donny, disappears while on a camping trip in Louisiana.

Jimmy prepares to visit his son's family to celebrate his granddaughter Molly's birthday in Boston when the calls come. Donny reaches out and shatters George's dreams with his terror and fear. Jimmy is visited by Dabo Muu, another messenger from the unseen world, in a vision that sends both friends far from their home on 152nd Street. When Jimmy calls Molly to explain he will not be there for her birthday, Molly tells her grandfather he will need to help George and that she will help as she can. Molly shares the wild talent with her grandfather, unknown to her parents, and Raven has also enlisted Molly in his service.

The journey into George's past and his family troubles is no picnic, but neither is the task of finding Donny and defeating Deadlight Jack, especially when the energies that Jimmy knows best will be of little help so far from his cooler northwestern home. The real journey is still ahead as George is confronted with a past he cannot remember and a daughter who is still angry that George was never there for her.

In creating a world where two men of different backgrounds and cultures become so intimately entangled, Mark Onspaugh illuminates the good and the bad in his characters. The world George and Jimmy inhabit is as rich and complex as the Louisiana bayous where much of the action takes place. The cover of Deadlight Jack is a pleasant fantasy beside the horror and evil unleashed on an unsuspecting world going back centuries and rooted in the myths and legends of a much darker past than the average person realizes or is willing to see. All of the characters, from George's bitter eldest daughter to delightfully precocious Molly are revelations. Jimmy's shamanic heritage and George's amazing gifts are the heart of gold at the core of this dark and bloody tale of the world that marches beside the reality most people are willing and able to see. Strength and magic blossom in the most wonderful and unexpected ways. I cannot wait to read what else Onspaugh has written and has yet in store for the future of this mismatched and ultimately wonderful pair of modern wizards.

5 stars and I only with the scale went up to 10. A rich and satisfying journey that awakens an unforgettable magic in all of us to follow an unlikely pair of friends into the shadows where evil dwells. ...more

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Aug 15, 2018 Nevada rated it liked it

Deadlight Jack was a unique and interesting read. A trickster god wreaking havoc in the swamps of Louisiana. The setting lends itself to that gorgeous cover, it's one of the best self-pub covers I've ever seen.

I truly enjoyed George and Jimmy, two old men that met in a convalescent home back in book 1 and saved the world together. (I have not read book 1 and was able to follow the plot of book 2 just fine.) George is an irrespresible appreciator of women. Jimmy is a reluctant shaman. Both are he ...more

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Nov 04, 2016 Clinton Sites rated it it was amazing

This is not your normal horror novel - I'll never look at swamp lights the same.

This is a continuation of another novel by this author - but in the sense the protaganists are the same in both novels.
The author captures the sense of deep friendship that comes from shared troubles. The novel starts gently for a horror novel, but simultaneously ramps up the chills and fears that we bring from our childhoods.

The authors writing is consistent from start to finish with what rings for me as true resear ...more

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Jan 01, 2018 alan l jarbeau rated it it was amazing

Love those novels with Louisiana locations.

I really enjoyed the novel immensely. There's times I feel my ancestors must have originated from Louisiana,as I seem to be drawn to stories relating to this state. I Loved the constant banter between the two main characters jimmy and George . It provided not only a degree of humor at times ,but also a degree of reality to the story as a whole. I also loved the character who played the villain Deadlight Jack .The character seems like it could actually b ...more

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Dec 13, 2017 James H. Jaqua rated it really liked it

Pretty creepy.

A strange tour through the big swamp, where an evil spirit causes all sorts of misery to those who enter therein. The old guys, George and Jimmy, turn out to be the heroes, especially George. Jimmy, a Thlinget, gives him much support and encouragement. All the children add to the story.

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Jun 16, 2017 Katie Weigle rated it it was amazing

Better than the first one even!

The writing and characters are great and the first book was a great read as well, waiting for the third to come out and will be enthusiastic to read it!

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Jul 10, 2018 Elizabeth Dodd rated it it was amazing

Quite an amazing read!
If you appreciate American Gods by Neil Gaiman, this may be just what you need.
Seemingly ordinary people who have extraordinary depths.
When is age "old" and when is it "timeless"?
Certainly not your everyday book. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. ...more

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Jan 10, 2017 Dave rated it it was amazing

Review originally published at Book of Bogan.

Hans Christian Andersen meets the denizens of Swamp People in this dark, and disturbing pseudo-fairy tale set in the Louisiana bayou.

Deadlight Jack brings together a cast of interesting characters, drawn into a world beyond the one we ordinary folk see around us. The two main roguish protagonists access abilities, and insight which some might see as being magical. The men are set on a quest to rescue a child who has been taken by a devious, will-o-the ...more

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Mar 08, 2017 Deborah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, own, to-review, 201-300-pages

3.5 stars

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May 15, 2017 Annette Murray rated it really liked it

What's not to love about two old guys that busted themselves out of the old folk's home and fight evil? ...more

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Jul 24, 2018 Kelly rated it really liked it

The second in what I like to call "The charming old codgers" series does not disappoint. Another interesting, creative little horror story. ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Danni rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2018

Can't wait for more stories with Jimmy & George. ...more

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Dec 26, 2016 Jolie rated it really liked it

This is not a book to read at night.

Repeat.

This is not a book to read at night.

I generally don’t really creeped out by books but this one, well it creeped me out….big time. Take the cover for instance. The dude’s one orange eye and the salamander are creepy. Then add the swamp and the creepiness factor just goes up.

Now, this book starts off after the events of The Faceless One. Jimmy and George are living together, but not together if you know what I mean. After saving the world in the first boo ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Patty rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, read-in-2016

Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters are best friends, but neither one is the typical horror novel hero. They're both in their seventies, Jimmy is a Tlingit man from a small village in Alaska, and George is a black man from Georgia. They first met and became friends in a nursing home, in the previous book. I didn't actually realize that this was the second book in a series when I started reading it, but I had no problem following along.

Jimmy and George's quiet life is disrupted when George's grands Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters are best friends, but neither one is the typical horror novel hero. They're both in their seventies, Jimmy is a Tlingit man from a small village in Alaska, and George is a black man from Georgia. They first met and became friends in a nursing home, in the previous book. I didn't actually realize that this was the second book in a series when I started reading it, but I had no problem following along.

Jimmy and George's quiet life is disrupted when George's grandson goes missing while hiking with his mothers in a Louisiana swamp (his parents are a lesbian couple, which was treated with such amazing nonchalance that I actually didn't notice the first few references and had to go back and check. I don't know if it was a bigger deal in the first book, but I loved how normal and unremarkable it was treated here). George is determined to save his grandchild, but he first has to deal with his estranged children and the lost memories of his own childhood. The boy turns out to have been called away by Deadlight Jack, aka Professor Foxfire, a monstrous creature who dresses like a circus ringmaster and has the face of whatever kindly man the onlooker prefers. He controls the will-o-the-wisps, the ghosts of alligators, and fire-setting salamanders. He lures away small children, leading them to wander the swamp until they fade away into ghosts hungry for blood and life. There's elements of real folklore here – bits and pieces of various urban legends – but combined into a new whole that made for a fantastic villain.

The writing reminded me a lot of Stephen King, as well as the way the supernatural horror reflected the characters' troubled relationships and internal struggles. My favorite part, however, was the friendship between George and Jimmy, which is absolutely adorable. Here they are after getting lost in the swamp:
He tried not to think about George hurt or worse, he just concentrated on looking for signs that the man had been this way. He couldn’t see anything, and wondered if he was going the wrong way. Should he rely on his intuition?
Please, if there is anyone to help me, please . . .
Jimmy cleared his mind, hoping for some revelation.
He heard something then. Something sad and yet wonderful.
George swearing.
He picked his way past a collection of cypress stumps, all ragged and looking like ancient fairy castles in the beam of his flashlight.
There was George, his pant leg snarled in a bramble.
“Goddammit,” he said.
“George,” Jimmy said, hoping not to startle him, but George jumped.
Jimmy came closer. “It’s me, it’s Jimmy.”
George squinted at the light. “Jimmy?”
Jimmy felt close to sobbing. “It’s me, old man.”
“Old? I’m not the one who sent love letters to Cleopatra,” said George, trying valiantly to put on a brave face, but Jimmy could tell he had been scared to death.
Jimmy helped George free himself. His clothes were torn and muddy and his hat was gone.
“You lost your hat,” Jimmy offered.
“Thank you, Mr. Holmes, did you bring Dr. Watson with you?”
“No, but I brought you some food and water . . . and a flashlight.”
George’s look of gratitude was so pitiful that Jimmy was sure he himself was going to start crying and embarrass George even more. Instead, he made a business of finding the sandwiches in his bag.

SO CUTE, RIGHT? Overall it wasn't the deepest or most stylistic of books, but I enjoyed its unusual characters and well-done horror. I'll be seeking out the first book in the series and looking forward to sequels in the future.

I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. ...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Paula rated it it was amazing

I reviewed this book for NetGalley.

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Jan 06, 2017 Polly Krize rated it really liked it

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will definitely be searching for the book The Faceless One to discover the previous adventures of Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters in their battle against the paranormal. Truly frightening, the character of Professor Foxfire aka Deadlight Jack, aka ? is on a par with Leland Gaunt in King's Needful Things for evilness. The luring of children is a powerful theme, and I would not want to read this in the dark of night. Recommended. ...more

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Mar 07, 2017 Marisa Shepherd rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. It had great characters, a compelling story and had me hooked. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

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Feb 18, 2017 Mr Robin Smith rated it really liked it

It’s Louisiana in 1946 and little Georgie (age 5) had been told by his Grandpa not to go near the swamp at the bottom of the garden on his own; now Grandpa has died but in the night comes a knocking on his window and Grandpa is there with a man called Professor Foxfire, who claims to be a friend. However Professor Foxfire is no friend and wants to lure Georgie away through the window to join his band of ghost children living in the swamps; the ghost of Grandpa can’t help, but fortunately Georgie ...more

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Sep 27, 2016 Rubi rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars

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Nov 05, 2016 Rachel rated it it was amazing

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is actually a sequel, hopefully second in a series - because it is fantastic. Even though it is a sequel I did not feel lost, but it also didn't give away so much about the first book as to spoil it. I'm actually going back to the first book now. (And can't wait for more!)
The characters and the supernatural powers are reminiscent of Stephen King. In fact, I think that main character George could be I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is actually a sequel, hopefully second in a series - because it is fantastic. Even though it is a sequel I did not feel lost, but it also didn't give away so much about the first book as to spoil it. I'm actually going back to the first book now. (And can't wait for more!)
The characters and the supernatural powers are reminiscent of Stephen King. In fact, I think that main character George could be Dick Hallorann (character from The Shining) in an alternate life, and the powers that George and Jimmy have remind me of what Hallorann referred to as "shining".
George and Jimmy have a unique relationship. They are roommates who met in a retirement home and moved out together, after apparently saving the world in the first book, Onspaugh's The Faceless One. Jimmy is a former Shaman, and George has powers that he tries to ignore. Their banter is hilarious, but it is also clear they share a brotherly relationship and would do anything for each other. And when Deadlight Jack shows up, he tests them both to the ultimate limits.
The idea is that deities for various religions and cultures exist in another plane, and interact together with regard to humans. Deadlight Jack is magical and fantastical and horrible and creepy all at the same time. His character is very well-drawn. Though vile and cruel, Deadlight Jack has the power to appear handsome and friendly to people as the kind of person they would most trust. To children, he appears as a magician or a ringmaster luring them away from their homes and families to feed on the fear and grief he incites in them as they waste away. He commands animals, both living and dead, ghosts, and illusions. Deadlight Jack is truly terrifying.
I loved the interactions between Jimmy and George and the various spirits and entities that aid them on their way to save George's grandson from Jack.
The story kept me reading, non-stop. Based on the ending, I hope there are more adventures to come for Jimmy and George! I highly recommend this story to any fans of Stephen King, or Dean Koontz, and to fans of supernatural/fantasy fiction. ...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

George and Jimmy, old farts on another mission to save the world

Jimmy Kalmaku, the last shaman of the Tlingit Eskimo village of Yanut, Alaska, and George Watters, his African-American friend (both in their seventies), now live in their own small house in Lake Nisqually, Washington.

Their story first started in THE FACELESS ONE and they had both been shuffled off to a retirement home in it. If you haven't read this first book, you should. It's not absolutely necessary in understanding the happeni ...more

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Sep 14, 2016 Marissa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

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

This was an interesting mix of humor, horror, family struggles, magic, and Native American mythology. Basically, a little boy goes missing, his family searches for him, and meets some very unsavory characters along the way. The protagonist, Deadlight Jack, truly is the stuff of nightmares. The author did a fantastic job building the gruesome, creepy world that he rules deep in the swamps of Louis ...more

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Sep 21, 2016 Ionia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What struck me immediately in this novel, was that the bad guy, is truly bad. I love when an author can evoke terror in the first chapter of the book and keep that building until the end. I hate when an evil character seems one dimensional, and that was not the case here.

I love the older horror books from the 1970's and early 80's and this book had that feel. In this novel, one should be every bit as afraid of the things they cannot see as they should the things they can. I also liked the main ...more

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