Night of Demons

Raine's Landing #2

by Tony Richards

Centuries ago, the Salem witches founded the village of Raine's Landing, then cloaked it in magic to hide it from sight. Many of their descendants still practice the supernatural arts--and no one who lives here can ever leave.

Now evil has breached its boundaries once again . . .

A serial killer with a corrupt and twisted soul, Cornelius Hanlon has freely entered Raine's Landing, undeterred by the ancient magical safeguards. And when he chooses the town's oldest adept as his first victim, the maniac inadvertently gains possession of a powerful "gift" more terrible than anything he could have sadistically dreamed.

Ex-town cop Ross Devries and his Harley-riding sometime-partner, Cassandra Mallory, have no supernatural abilities. But they are the last line of defense in this village of secrets and shadows--facing a psychopath who now wields the power to bend the living and the dead to his will.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2009

About the author

My latest book -- from UK publisher Endeavour Media -- is a bit of a departure for me. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... -- takes the Great Detective all over the world, from the States to Africa to the Far East, taking in locations in Europe and the Caribbean along the way. How did I come to write these 13 new mysteries? It's explained in my blog, below.

I'm a writer mostly of supernatural fiction, author of a series of fantasy thriller novels set in the magic-filled town of Raine's Landing, Massachusetts. Currently, that series is up to #6 -- WITCH HUNTER --.with a seventh on the way.

But I write regular crime fiction too, with numerous tales published in AHMM, and a second novel featuring my ex-FBI agent turned private detective, Matt Barrett, is now out from Cemetery Dance Publications. It's called THE TRIBE. (The first novel was THE DESERT KEEPS ITS DEAD).

I've seen to publication almost 100 short stories, enough to fill 8 collections, the latest being THE UNIVERSAL AND OTHER TERRORS (Dark Renaissance Press), and my work has appeared in Asimov's SF, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Weird Tales and numerous top anthologies including Year's Best Horror.

Reviews

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for Dark Rain, read years ago and have the ppback


NoD Had more descriptive action over story than I'd prefer but the characters/setting/storylines are so enjoyable I'm looking forward to the next!

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raine’s Landing discovers a terror the town has never seen before, when an insane serial killer obsessed with the Apocalypse, finds his way into their cursed town. Ex-cop Ross Devries is called into action once again, and still with the label of Defender given to him by Amashta, an ancient shaman woman. The characters do grow in this fast-paced, funny, and captivating sequel. Woodard Raine is just as powerful and certifiably insane as before, but surprises me and Ross at the end. When the smoke/fog demons rampage across town killing, Lehman Willets is more of a help to the community. The Little Girl is still just as mysterious as she was in Dark Rain, but behaves a little out of character in this book. And, Cassie will experience her dark and troubled past, while living with the continuous heartache of loosing her family, causing her to face her inner demon. But the question is, will she still be there backing Ross, or not? The real trouble starts when the Shadow Man gets his hands on the Wand of Dantiere, making him more powerful than the town’s adepts combined. But, the wand is Millicent Tollburn's, once Cornelius Hanlon has had his special fun with Lucas Tollburn. Everyone is shock to learn that Lauren, a FBI agent hunting down the serial killer, is able to come into Raine’s Landing more easily than she is at accepting that magic and the things going on around her really do exist. The inner demons of the townspeople are easily brought to the surface, and the End of Days is near in Raine’s Landing. But, how do you defeat the most powerful wand known, held by Death himself, on a Night of Demons?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Raines's Landing setting from Tony Richards. The premise of the book is that the original witches from Salem holed up here centuries ago and eventually bred with the local population producing a town where magic is prevalent, and where a curse prevents anyone from leaving. Those entering the Landing are few and far between, those staying generally have malicious intent. In the first volume, "Dark Rain", the malevolent Saruak caused chaos before he was defeated by resident good guy Ross Devries and sidekick Cassandra Mallory. In this volume, a serial killer who hears voices finds his way into the district, picks up some very bad magic, and the town has another battle on its hands.

I was slightly disadvantaged as I read this at my call centre job between calls, so didn't get completely into the flow of the book. Having said that, it is an action-packed easy read. There are no deep philosophical musings here, and it's easy to pick up from when you put it down. Comparing it to the earlier book, the menace here is more dangerous, but because of the state Hanlon (the killer) evolves into, you have less personality on show to root against. The two heroes do a sterling job, aided by various adepts, and the various transformations are intriguing. Sometimes the prose is a little workmanlike, but as I say, this is a simple page turner and on that level it works well.

It will be interesting to see a third in the series, as two characters are left with unresolved problems although this is a standalone book in its own right.

[Brian Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd in the 'Raine's Landing' series and a FAR better book than Richards' first effort. Obviously the 1st book in a series can be weighed down by our introduction to the setting, characters and mythology, but often there is a certain magic in that as well. While I had no issues with Richards' handling of such things in "Dark Rain," it was the actual editing that gave me pause - or lack of it. Fortunately, the author appears to have fired his former editor and "Night Of Demons" excels because of it.

The mythology of the series is explored a bit deeper, as well as the characters themselves. The book's villain, while as epic as the antagonist from the first, is more layered and interwoven to the plot. And the plot itself is far more fascinating. Richards makes this tale more personal, more intimate, and you leave the book truly wanting more.

This is what Modern Dark Fantasy SHOULD be. After reading this 2nd book in the series, I'm officially hooked. I'll be following the author, eagerly anticipating more journeys into Raine's Landing.

[Tony-Paul Vissage · Rating 5 out of 5]

: Kudos, Tony! I enjoyed every page of Night of Demons and all I can say is, it matches its predecessor in tension, good characterization, and sheer excitement. Ever since I read Dark Rain, I’ve been looking forward to reading its sequel. I even said so in my review of that book. Now, I’ve had my chance and I wasn’t disappointed. Night of Demons can be best described as Law and Order meets the X-files, and then it escalates into sheer terror and mayhem. Now of course, I’m begging for a third book.

[Morgan Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting, fun read. Good characters, page turning action. Some things a little predictable and about half way through the book, the reader looses insight into the villains. All you see are the actions and how the "good guys" are dealing with the threats.

[Clayton Bye · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/20...

[Krys Yarbrough]

VERY disappointed as his first book in this series was REALLY good. I could'nt get passed chapter 7, couldn't get into it! So sad...

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. A good mix of magic.

[Erica Giambrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had promise, but it didn't really have an ending... It was good... Meh