Stephen L. Brayton

Stephen Brayton's "Night Shadows" is a fun novel that moves quickly and without many slow spots. The plot revolves around a mysterious grimoire known as the Sarmangous which provides its holder with terrible power, but at a cost. Set in Des Moines, Iowa, the book takes off when its power-mad possessor unleashes a number of ghostly, red-eyed shadow creatures who wreak gory attacks on the good citizens of the Iowa city.
Detective Harry Reznik and FBI agent Lori Campisi are charged with unraveling the mysteries behind the citizens' deaths. There are few clues and no witnesses. Both Reznik and Campisi are beset with their own problems that author Brayton does a fine job of including in the plot.
As the body count increases and the pressure to find the killers intensifies, it soon becomes apparent to Reznik that they are involved in a paranormal situation. Enlisting the help of an eccentric college professor, Reznik and Campisi set out to make a final stand against the Night Shadows.… (plus d'informations)

What was actually not a bad introductory PI case was badly marred by two of the author's choices. Firstly and for no apparent reason at all, he kept having the plot interrupted for the PI to relate to her current boyfriend completely out of timeline from the story. There was already plenty of characters development and non-plot details rounding out the investigation, and the boyfriend added nothing extra except to distract from the plot with references to some past events the readers haven't encountered (annoying in and of itself). And this was the 2nd choice - the boyfriend negatively impacted the characters development. The female PI had been doing a great job of holding her own against various troubles and instead of her being presented as a capable woman in her own right the boyfriend kept trying to validate her choices for her. She didn't need that she'd been presented as capable without needing affirmation from some man who didn't add anything to the story.

Mallory Peterson is a PI taking pretty much any business that comes her way and relieving the days' stresses with a evening role as a taekwondo instructor. She returns to her office one day to find her current boyfriend murdered outside. The police are investigating but she has reasonable relationships with most of them on the ground (if not the chief) and can get to places that they officially can't go. The boyfriend had been a travelling salesman with infrequent habits. Her ever efficient secretary (way to good to be believable) has already got background information for her.

The crime angle was well enough done - a little obvious and over the top but readable enough, but everything else just felt silly around it.… (plus d'informations)