Nocturnes - Tapa dura

'Connolly writes about darkness and viciousness with an urban intelligence that makes these stories at once terrifying and delightful.' -- Time Out 'Spookier than mere pastiche, meatier than pure pulp, Nocturnes hits exactly the right note in reinventing the golden age of ghost stories.' -- Christopher Fowler, Independent on Sunday 20041031 'Think Edgar Allan Poe's mysteries for the shorter stories, while Connolly's individuality shines through in longer tales.' -- Daily Mirror 20041031 'John Connolly is a bestselling novelist of left-field, complex mysteries, with a proven love of the dark side ... if you like to be unsettled then you're in for a treat, as each of the tales twists the classic ghost story in a modern macabre way.' -- Radio Times 20041031 'The Beeb has commissioned a couple of flesh-crawling extravaganzas. First the bestselling John Connolly (a man who, when he puts his mind to it, can keep you awake for weeks - believe me, I know) provides a chiller a day until Friday.' -- The Times 20041023 'Comparisons with Stephen King occur again with the appearance of this remarkable collection of short stories by Connolly. Though Dublin born, he has set his five previous scary mystery novels in Maine, beating King at his own game in such a stylish fashion that readers think he's American. Connolly enlarges his gallery of grotesques with aplomb in this selection of 12 tales that beg to be read aloud on a winter's evening. The novella-length piece 'The Reflecting Eye' particularly stands out. This evocative haunted house tale features private detective Charlie Parker, the troubled main protagonist in Connolly's highly accomplished crime novels.' -- Phil Hamer, City Life 20041023 'it is at 3.30pm that a real master of the macabre gets to show us how it's done. John Connolly's novels combine the supernatural with straightforward, if ingenious, crime, but his short stories come straight from the bowels of Hell. Enjoy.' -- The Times 20041025 'If menace is indeed seductive, then Connolly has the key' -- Courier Mail 20041025

John Connolly, bestselling author of five brilliantly scary mystery novels, now turns his pen to the short story to give us a dozen chilling tales of the supernatural. In this macabre collection, echoing masters of the genre from M R James to Stephen King, Connolly delves into our darkest fears - lost lovers, missing children, subterranean creatures and predatory demons. Framing the collection are two substantial novellas - The Cancer Cowboy Rides charts the fatal progress of a modern-day grim reaper, while The Reflecting Eye is a haunted house tale with a twist and marks the return of private detective Charlie Parker, the troubled hero of Connolly's crime novels. The perfect antidote to Christmas cheer, Nocturnes is a masterly volume to be read with the lights on - menace has never been so seductive...