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The Pressure of Darkness
In October, of 1993 a small Special Ops team roped down in Somalia to assassinate a cult leader. The mission went horribly wrong. Their leader was killed, the medic shot in the spine. Only two of the D-Boys, Red Burke and Scotty Bowden, came away unscathed.
The aging soldiers now live in the LA area. Wheelchair bound 'Doc' is employed by the Coroner's office, Bowden is a steadily deteriorating cop on the take and Burke works both sides of the law to cover his wifeâ s medical bills. When famous horror novelist Peter Stryker is found dead, Burke is hired to investigate. Would a man would commit suicide by butchering his own body?
The bloody trail rapidly leads Burke to embrace an old lover, confront a vicious drug lord, and finally recruit his friends to stage one last mission against a mysterious cult with plans remake the world with a deadly virus.
"A dark, thrilling tale of murder and intrigue that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can."
--Crimespree Magazine
"The Pressure of Darkness is a dark and thrilling stroll along the knife edge. Highly recommended."
--Cemetery Dance
"Shannonâ s impeccable pacing and eye for the terrifying will leave the reader shaken and unsettled."
--Publisherâ s Weekly
"Easily one of the best thrillers of the year."
-J.A. Konrath
The aging soldiers now live in the LA area. Wheelchair bound 'Doc' is employed by the Coroner's office, Bowden is a steadily deteriorating cop on the take and Burke works both sides of the law to cover his wifeâ s medical bills. When famous horror novelist Peter Stryker is found dead, Burke is hired to investigate. Would a man would commit suicide by butchering his own body?
The bloody trail rapidly leads Burke to embrace an old lover, confront a vicious drug lord, and finally recruit his friends to stage one last mission against a mysterious cult with plans remake the world with a deadly virus.
"A dark, thrilling tale of murder and intrigue that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can."
--Crimespree Magazine
"The Pressure of Darkness is a dark and thrilling stroll along the knife edge. Highly recommended."
--Cemetery Dance
"Shannonâ s impeccable pacing and eye for the terrifying will leave the reader shaken and unsettled."
--Publisherâ s Weekly
"Easily one of the best thrillers of the year."
-J.A. Konrath
439 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2006
3 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Harry Shannon
68 books134 followersALL WORKS NOW ON KINDLE AND NOOK!
Harry Shannon has been an actor, a singer, an Emmy-nominated songwriter, a recording artist in Europe, a music publisher, a film studio executive and worked as a free-lance Music Supervisor on films such as “Basic Instinct” and “Universal Soldier.” He is author of the horror novels “Night of the Beast” and “Night of the Werewolf” in addition to “Daemon” (formerly “Night of the Daemon”). Harry also wrote the Mick Callahan suspense novels “Memorial Day,” (2005) “Eye of the Burning Man,” (2006) and “One of the Wicked” (Nov. 2008), as well as the acclaimed thriller “The Pressure of Darkness” (2006). His novel "Dead and Gone" (August 2008) has a movie version, screenplay by Shannon, and it is now on DVD via LionsGate. All of his early novels are now available via Amazon.com on Kindle, and some via Smashwords. His collection "A Host of Shadows" and the novella "PAIN" were recently published by Dark Regions Press. "CLAN" and "The Hungry" (co-written with Steven W, Booth) are also on Kindke and Nook. "The Dead Man: Kill Them All" we be released by Amazon.com via their new publishing company Thomas and Mercer. Harry can be contacted via his web site www.harryshannon.com. He is also a member of Top Suspense Group www.topsuspensegroup.com
Harry Shannon has been an actor, a singer, an Emmy-nominated songwriter, a recording artist in Europe, a music publisher, a film studio executive and worked as a free-lance Music Supervisor on films such as “Basic Instinct” and “Universal Soldier.” He is author of the horror novels “Night of the Beast” and “Night of the Werewolf” in addition to “Daemon” (formerly “Night of the Daemon”). Harry also wrote the Mick Callahan suspense novels “Memorial Day,” (2005) “Eye of the Burning Man,” (2006) and “One of the Wicked” (Nov. 2008), as well as the acclaimed thriller “The Pressure of Darkness” (2006). His novel "Dead and Gone" (August 2008) has a movie version, screenplay by Shannon, and it is now on DVD via LionsGate. All of his early novels are now available via Amazon.com on Kindle, and some via Smashwords. His collection "A Host of Shadows" and the novella "PAIN" were recently published by Dark Regions Press. "CLAN" and "The Hungry" (co-written with Steven W, Booth) are also on Kindke and Nook. "The Dead Man: Kill Them All" we be released by Amazon.com via their new publishing company Thomas and Mercer. Harry can be contacted via his web site www.harryshannon.com. He is also a member of Top Suspense Group www.topsuspensegroup.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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February 6, 2009The Pressure of Darkness
Harry Shannon
Five Star
Hardcover $25.95
Reviewed by Nickolas Cook
When a best selling horror author is found dead in a locked room after a night of self-mutilation, his dubious daughter hires ex-Special Ops agent, Jack Burke, to prove it wasn't simply a bizarre suicide, but cold-blooded murder. Following a trail of lies and ancient mysteries, Burke uncovers a conspiracy as bizarre as the author's death, while delving into his own shadowy past, layer by layer, until he must face his worst nightmares.
Harry Shannon, author of the Mick Callahan novels (MEMORIAL DAY and EYE OF THE BURNING MAN), knows how to grab the reader from the first page. In fact, the first twenty pages of his newest novel, THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, starts at a breakneck speed that hardly relents for the remaining four hundred pages, as he drops the reader head first into a Black Ops mission gone wrong. From there, the narrative whisks us from the recent past of the South American jungle to modern day California, revealing Burke's less than enviable present. Working as a leg breaker for a loan shark, and with his wife in the hospital after a car crash, medical bills mounting day by day, Burke agrees to take on a side job to earn some easy money. But he can't let the obvious attempt at a cover up rest- no matter how much cash is involved. Soon, he's up to his neck in hot water with the mob, a faceless animalistic killer, a lost love, and tarnished friendships that may prove his undoing.
It takes a special talent to pull in tropes from such diverse sub-genres as neo-noir, medical thrillers and horror into a seamless mesh, but Shannon delivers- in spades. This is an author who knows the value of imperfect characters. No one is unsoiled by the dirt of life in THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS. No one is safe. No one is immortal. Everyone is dangerous. Shannon trades on their foibles, using their greed, lust and deceit to drive the narrative. These are no mere automatons doing the keyboard dance. These feel like real people, reacting like real people.
Like I said: No one is safe.
Shannon gives us an odd mixture of eastern religion to underpin the tale- something that, at first, feels anomalous to the contemporary setting. But once Burke's nature is revealed, Shannon's anti-hero becomes almost an extension of those tenants, an avenging force to oppose those whom would misuse them for their own ends.
But there is another level to THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, one that digs into the fear of the everyman.
Death.
It's meaning. It's mystery. Life's value in the face of it.
Shannon shouts into that inevitable void, perhaps to hear a response from what awaits us on the other side. He tries to deconstruct the flesh from the spirit, and does an admirable job of giving his readers something to think about after the last page has been turned.
I can't recommend THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS enough to someone whom has yet to read Shannon's prose. Here, he is at the top of his game. Honest, cutting, and just plain talented as hell.
I'm eager to see what becomes of Jack Burke. Will there be more in the future? Only Harry Shannon knows for sure. But I hope he knows what a great thing he's got going with Jack Burke.
--Nickolas Cook
Harry Shannon
Five Star
Hardcover $25.95
Reviewed by Nickolas Cook
When a best selling horror author is found dead in a locked room after a night of self-mutilation, his dubious daughter hires ex-Special Ops agent, Jack Burke, to prove it wasn't simply a bizarre suicide, but cold-blooded murder. Following a trail of lies and ancient mysteries, Burke uncovers a conspiracy as bizarre as the author's death, while delving into his own shadowy past, layer by layer, until he must face his worst nightmares.
Harry Shannon, author of the Mick Callahan novels (MEMORIAL DAY and EYE OF THE BURNING MAN), knows how to grab the reader from the first page. In fact, the first twenty pages of his newest novel, THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, starts at a breakneck speed that hardly relents for the remaining four hundred pages, as he drops the reader head first into a Black Ops mission gone wrong. From there, the narrative whisks us from the recent past of the South American jungle to modern day California, revealing Burke's less than enviable present. Working as a leg breaker for a loan shark, and with his wife in the hospital after a car crash, medical bills mounting day by day, Burke agrees to take on a side job to earn some easy money. But he can't let the obvious attempt at a cover up rest- no matter how much cash is involved. Soon, he's up to his neck in hot water with the mob, a faceless animalistic killer, a lost love, and tarnished friendships that may prove his undoing.
It takes a special talent to pull in tropes from such diverse sub-genres as neo-noir, medical thrillers and horror into a seamless mesh, but Shannon delivers- in spades. This is an author who knows the value of imperfect characters. No one is unsoiled by the dirt of life in THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS. No one is safe. No one is immortal. Everyone is dangerous. Shannon trades on their foibles, using their greed, lust and deceit to drive the narrative. These are no mere automatons doing the keyboard dance. These feel like real people, reacting like real people.
Like I said: No one is safe.
Shannon gives us an odd mixture of eastern religion to underpin the tale- something that, at first, feels anomalous to the contemporary setting. But once Burke's nature is revealed, Shannon's anti-hero becomes almost an extension of those tenants, an avenging force to oppose those whom would misuse them for their own ends.
But there is another level to THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, one that digs into the fear of the everyman.
Death.
It's meaning. It's mystery. Life's value in the face of it.
Shannon shouts into that inevitable void, perhaps to hear a response from what awaits us on the other side. He tries to deconstruct the flesh from the spirit, and does an admirable job of giving his readers something to think about after the last page has been turned.
I can't recommend THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS enough to someone whom has yet to read Shannon's prose. Here, he is at the top of his game. Honest, cutting, and just plain talented as hell.
I'm eager to see what becomes of Jack Burke. Will there be more in the future? Only Harry Shannon knows for sure. But I hope he knows what a great thing he's got going with Jack Burke.
--Nickolas Cook
June 16, 2011
I enjoyed this book. I liked the author's taunt writing style and the hard edge to his characters. It was interesting to see how the author worked across genres from war novel to crime noir to supernatural thriller. 'Pressure of Darkness' is certainly not for the faint of heart. The author has razor sharp skills when describing a crime scene and the scenes here are about as gruesome as they come. LA Confidential meets Stephen King. For those ready to plunge into the darkness of the soul, Harry Shannon is ready to show you the way.
June 22, 2014
This thriller-mystery is a predictable and somewhat silly book that uses a Dashiell Hammett style with military characters.
The characters themselves are interesting enough although a bit thin. The bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. If they make a movie I expect the bad guys will wear black hats and the good guys white hats.
The plot is what makes the book silly. We get a Drug lord, a cult, a virus...an improbable mess. Thankfully we miss the final car chase and the climb to the top of a building.
The characters themselves are interesting enough although a bit thin. The bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. If they make a movie I expect the bad guys will wear black hats and the good guys white hats.
The plot is what makes the book silly. We get a Drug lord, a cult, a virus...an improbable mess. Thankfully we miss the final car chase and the climb to the top of a building.
August 28, 2011
I'm a fan of Harry Shannon's mystery thrillers and horror novels alike. The Pressure of Darkness deftly straddles both genres and delivers up my personal favorite of Shannon's books. Along with the expected thrills and chills, Shannon serves up a welcome dose of philosophy and soul-searching on the part of his protagonist, Jack Burke, giving The Pressure of Darkness a depth rarely seen in action novels.
October 1, 2009
A rip-roaring, toe-curling, intelligent thriller. The bad guys are evil, but the good guys are balls-to-the-wall ready for anything. Sick yet somehow sexy, I couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews