Excerpt: THE HAUNTING OF MODESTO O’BRIEN by Brit Griffin (Latitude 46)

Civilian Reader Excerpt , , , , , ,

This Thursday, Latitude 46 are due to publish The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien, the new novel by Brit Griffin. To mark the occasion, the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share! First, here’s the synopsis:

A gothic tale from deep within the boreal forest…

Violence and greed have intruded into a wild and remote land. It’s 1907, and silver fever has drawn thousands of men into a fledgling mining camp in the heart of the wilderness. Modesto O’Brien, fortune-teller and detective, is there too – but he isn’t looking for riches. He’s seeking revenge.

O’Brien soon finds himself entangled with the mysterious Nail sisters, Lucy and Lily. On the run from their past and headed for trouble, Lily turns to O’Brien when Lucy goes missing. But what should have been a straightforward case of kidnapping pulls O’Brien into a world of ancient myths, magic, and male violence.

As he searches for Lucy, O’Brien fears that dark forces are emerging from the ravaged landscape. Mesmerized by a nightmarish creature stalking the wilderness, and haunted by his past,  O’Brien struggles to maintain his grip on reality as he faces hard choices about loyalty, sacrifice, and revenge.

Continue reading →

Excerpt: THE ESSENTIAL HORROR OF JOE R. LANSDALE (Tachyon)

Civilian Reader Excerpt , , ,

On October 7th, Tachyon Publications are due to release The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale, a collection of the author’s acclaimed short horror fiction. To mark the occasion, and give readers a taste of what’s in the book, the publisher has allowed CR to share an excerpt from one of the stories, “Fish Night”. Before we get to that, though (and a short introduction from the author), here’s the book’s synopsis:

In this career horror retrospective, World Horror Grandmaster Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep; Hap and Leonard) tackles racism and human cruelty as de­ftly as he conjures demon nuns and Elder Gods. Featuring an original introduction from Joe Hill, this much-anticipated volume showcases the best of Lansdale’s terrifying short stories — menacing, astute, and wildly inappropriate.

Bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries and his eccentric horror. As an eleven-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Joe Lansdale cooks up an inimitable recipe of Southern Gothic and Southern fried chicken that continues to delight his many fans and influence generations of horror legends.

Lansdale mashes up crime, Gothic, mystery, fantasy, and science-fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. Lansdale is one of the early American horror writers to portray racism not as abstract but as realistic, intimate, and impossible to ignore.

In Lansdale’s nightmarish visions, you’ll discover psychotic demon nuns, a psychopathic preacher, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, ­ flying ghost fish, Elder Gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: mankind.

[A full Table of Contents is included at the end of this post.]

Continue reading →

Excerpt: THE HEIST OF HOLLOW LONDON by Eddie Robson (Tor Books)

Civilian Reader Excerpt , , , , , ,

Next month, Tor Books are due to publish The Heist of Hollow London, the latest novel from Eddie Robson; a twisty dystopia that blends Severance with Ocean’s Eleven. The publisher has kindly provided CR with an excerpt to share with our readers.

First, though, here’s the synopsis:

In games of betrayal everyone loses.

Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need.

But when the impossible happens and the too-big-to-fail company that owns them collapses, Arlo and Drienne find themselves purchased by a scientist who has a job for them.

The reward: Debt paid off, freedom from servitude, and enough cash to last a lifetime.

The job: Infiltrate a highly secure corporate reclamation facility in the heart of dead London and steal a data drive.

They’re going to need a team.

Continue reading →

Upcoming: THE ASSET by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Crime)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , , ,

In February, Atlantic Crime will publish The Asset, the 19th novel in Mike Lawson‘s Joe DeMarco series. I’ve been a fan of the series ever since stumbling across the first book, The Inside Ring, at Waterstones in Durham back in 2006 (I think). After that, and while still in the UK, finding additional DeMarco novels was something of a challenge — not all of them were published in a timely fashion. But, luckily, I spent a lot of time over the next couple of decades in New York and then in Canada, and have been able to keep up-to-date easily. Lawson is one of my favourite authors, and each new book of his is a must-read. Here’s the synopsis for The Asset:

Backchannel intel points Joe DeMarco in the direction of a possible double agent in the latest pulse-pounding thriller from Edgar and Barry Award finalist Mike Lawson starring his beloved Washington DC troubleshooter.

In the middle of the night, on a winding road in a suburb outside of Washington D.C., a homeless veteran is killed in a hit-and-run — a tragedy that barely catches the attention of the media and police.

Days later, John Mahoney, the former Speaker of the House, is confronted by Diane Lake, an ex-CIA agent turned political researcher with a knack for digging up unsavory intelligence on some of D.C.’s biggest players. Diane is there with a gift for Mahoney: the news that Lydia Chang, the wife of one of his biggest rivals, might be working undercover as a Chinese agent.

Knowing it’s too early to get the FBI involved, Mahoney does the only thing left to do. He calls in Joe DeMarco.

DeMarco might not have the title of political researcher, but he’s no stranger to digging up dirt either. As DeMarco starts his investigation, he soon learns there’s a lot more going on than Mahoney suspected, and instead of answers, all he finds are more questions. Who’s the mysterious man Lydia Chang has been meeting in the park? Does Diane Lake have an ulterior motive? And why does everything point back to a random hit-and-run?

If you’re a fan of US political thrillers, then I’d highly recommend Lawson’s novels. The Asset is due to be published by Atlantic Crime on February 3rd, 2026.

Also on CR: Reviews of Dead on Arrival, House Secrets, House Justice, House Divided, House Blood, House Reckoning, House Rivals, and House Arrest

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads

Upcoming: OUTLAW PLANET by M. R. Carey (Orbit)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , ,

In November, Orbit Books are due to publish Outlaw Planet, a new stand-alone science fiction novel by M. R. Carey! I’ve been a fan of the author’s work since The Girl With All the Gifts, and am very much looking forward to reading this — although, it has reminded me that I have fallen a little behind, and must get around to reading the author’s Pandominion duology. Here’s the synopsis for the new novel:

Sometimes the fate of entire worlds can be decided by a woman with nothing to lose, and the smartest gun in the multiverse in her hand…

This is the story of Bess — or Dog-Bitch Bess as she came to be known. It’s the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It’s the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it’s the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero.

This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war — one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen.

This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul. And once she knew it – knew for sure how badly she’d been used – she had no option but to do something about it.

M. R. Carey’s Outlaw Planet is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on November 18th.

Also on CR: Guest Post on “Writing Strong Women”; Review of The Girl With All the Gifts

Follow the Author: Goodreads, BlueSky

Excerpt: LADDER TO HEAVEN by Katie Welch (Wolsak & Wynn)

Civilian Reader Excerpt , , , ,

Today, we have an excerpt from Ladder to Heaven by Katie Welch: a “speculative story of addiction and resilience, as well as alienation from a bewildering, rapidly-changing world that simultaneously highlights the non-centrality of humans on our planet”. Due out in October, via Wolsak & Wynn, here’s the synopsis:

You don’t seem close to death. Why are you here? 
A breeze brushed my skin, and I shivered. “It’s a long story.” 
Story! Tell the story! The sea lions levered bulky bodies to front flippers and rocked from side to side.

In 2045 an earthquake ravages the Pacific Coast of North America and the world shifts. Suddenly people and animals can understand each other, while the chaos of climate change combines with the destruction of the earthquake in terrifying ways. Inland, where she should be safe, Del Samara finds her life spiralling out of control. Struggling with addiction and with her ranch in ashes around her, Del decides her family would be better off without her. Leaving her daughters behind, she retreats to her father’s fishing cabin with her dog, Manx. When she emerges three years later, she finds the world since the earthquake has become a very different place and she begins a dangerous journey to Vancouver Island to find her family and, perhaps, find peace.

Continue reading →

Upcoming: TRUST NO ONE by James Rollins (William Morrow)

Civilian Reader Upcoming , , , ,

Early next year, William Morrow will publish Trust No One, a new stand-alone thriller by James Rollins — author of the internationally-bestselling Sigma Force series, among others. As a long-time fan of the author’s work (since the second Sigma novel: 2005’s Map of Bones), I’m always looking forward to a new book from him — even though I have, unfortunately, fallen a bit behind!

In this latest thriller, which follows a group of university students on a treacherous race across Europe after they are falsely accused of murder. Here’s the full synopsis:

Knowledge can be magic — until it falls into the wrong hands.

The ritualistic murder of a British professor at the University of Exeter points to a startling cast of suspects: his own students. All are enrolled in a postgraduate program covering the history of witchcraft, folklore, and spiritualism.

All evidence points to Sharyn Karr — an American student. Prior to the professor’s death, he had thrust a centuries-old book upon her. It appears to be the handwritten and encrypted diary of an eighteenth-century mystic and occultist, the Comte de Saint-Germain. The professor begged her to keep the text safe, ending with a warning.

Trust no one.

Such a responsibility forces her into cooperation with Duncan Maxwell, a fellow postgrad and the sixteenth in line to the British Crown. Already, Duncan has proven himself a savant with encryptions. Unfortunately, the pair clash at every level, but they both need one another. Especially when they discover the book’s opening words:  Herein lies the secret to my immortality. Come find me, if you dare.

As dark forces close upon the pair, she and her friends are forced to flee, pursued by law enforcement and hunted by a powerful cabal. In an explosive chase across Europe — from the Tower of London to Parisian chateaus to a fortress in the Italian Alps — Sharyn must learn the true secret hidden in Saint-Germain’s text. It will send her and the others across history and deep into the heart of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a secret buried at the roots of Western Civilization, a discovery that could topple empires and change humanity forever.

For what lies at the end of Saint-Germain’s diary is as shocking as its opening words.

James Rollins’s Trust No One is due to be published by William Morrow in North America and in the UK, on February 24th, 2026.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Judas Strain, The Last Oracle, The Doomsday Key, The Devil Colony, and The 6th Extinction

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram

Re-Posted Review: IMPERIAL TWILIGHT by Stephen R. Platt (Knopf/Atlantic)

Civilian Reader Review , , , , , , , ,

Earlier today, I received a ping-back to this review.* I hadn’t thought about the book for a while (I read it in 2019), but it’s superb, and I do still recommend it very highly. The review is, I think, also quite well-written. So, I thought I’d re-share/-post it.

* Unfortunately, it was “used” by an LLM to provide a user with an “analysis” of the book — just read it yourself!

Quick Review: IMPERIAL TWILIGHT by Stephen R. Platt (Knopf/Atlantic Books)