Friday, October 16, 2015

Carter & Lovecraft

Carter & LovecraftCarter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After his partner killed himself at a crime scene, Dan Carter quit the police force and became a private investigator. When a man he never met leaves him a used bookstore in Providence, Rhode Island, Carter meets Emily Lovecraft, his new employee. A string of impossible deaths plunges them into a web of insanity that might destroy the world...

I got this from Netgalley. Fuckin' A!

First off, I've never thought H.P. Lovecraft was a great writer and I enjoy other writers' takes on his concepts more than his. And now, the meat of the review....

I really enjoyed this book. It's part hard-boiled noir, part Cthulhu mythos, and pressed all my buttons. Dan Carter starts questioning things and the whole world unravels. His relationship with Emily Lovecraft was well done and I'm glad they didn't immediately jump into bed. William Colt was a fitting foe and a nice contrast with Dan Carter.

This is one of those books where I really don't want to give too much away and spoil things. I love how Jonathan L. Howard built on HPL's mythos and put his own spin on it. While the influences are clear, this in no way feels like a pastiche. It's true to the bleak Lovecraftian spirit but has an identity all its own.

Four sanity-blasting stars. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

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