The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani

 

Following the death of his father Nathan Cole returns home seventeen years after he left. The return brings back the dreadful memories he thought he'd escaped from.

There were a lot of early reviews around  The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani saying how brilliant the book is. I'm pleased to say that fans of dark and twisted thrillers will not be disappointed. This will be a spoiler-free review, so all the deep dark secrets will be yours to discover as you read.

We meet Nathan and Isaac as adults at the beginning of the book. They were childhood friends but both left Nashville and have now returned. Isaac left to join the police force but one particular case, and his actions during the investigation, resulted in him losing his job. He now works as a private investigator and has been hired by a family to find their missing child.

Nathan fled Nashville to escape his abusive father. It is only his father's suicide that has forced him to return. In his childhood home, Nathan discovers a manuscript written by his father. Lucas Cole was a well-known author of trashy Western novels, the manuscript discovered by Nathan is nothing akin to those novels. The manuscript is the fictional account of a serial killer - it most definitely isn't a confession. As Nathan reads, dreadful memories resurface, and the lives of Nathan and Isaac become intertwined. 

The shocking revelations in the manuscript, and their implications, really bring you up short, making you rethink everything you had already assumed. I found myself re-evaluating my feelings towards some of the characters in light of what I'd read. The more that is revealed, the greater the shock. The merging of fiction and reality leaves you wondering about the depths of depravity some of the characters have sunk to and also leaves you questioning where the next unbelievable twists will come from.

Just when you think you've got everything straight in your head Tariq Ashkanani introduces another almighty twist that leaves you reeling. I found myself dreading what would happen next. Thankfully, this isn't a novel filled with graphic descriptions, it's more about what is implied. There's one scene in particular where your imagination is left to run wild, I felt very unsettled as I read and filled in the blanks.

It's impossible to run from so much mayhem and evil, and every character suffers as a result. For some you are left feeling sympathetic, for others, there is a sense of justice having been served. For a few, I had very mixed feelings, ones that are difficult to put into words; profound sorrow, some level of understanding, and the hope that they have finally found peace.

Author Details

Tariq Ashkanani is a solicitor and co-host of the writing podcast Page One. His debut novel, Welcome to Cooper, won the Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022, as well as being shortlisted for both the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Capital Crime Fingerprint Award. His second novel, Follow Me to the Edge, was published in 2022. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two sons.