Review: Hard Day's Knight

Hard Day's Knight by John G. Hartness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of urban fantasy who've been looking for something a bit less serious
Trigger Warnings: violence, children being kidnapped, and in danger, killing

My Thoughts: I came to urban fantasy through a series by Glen Cook, then Simon Green, and finally Jim Butcher, so I've been reading urban fantasy since before the genre was named. I love the stuff, so I was so excited to grab these books when I noticed them. I just love the fact that the vampires are the good guys in this book (although I have some friends for whom that will turn them away from the book).

Something I've been wanting to read for awhile is more-or-less silly urban fantasy, and that's what we have here. While there is a real Big Bad, at the same time Jimmy and Greg are more bumbling then heroic, and more antiheroic than heroic. They are trying to be the good guys, but Jimmy is willing to do pretty much whatever it takes to make his goals, while Greg wants to think he's Batman. It's hilarious. This is a great example:

“Greg realized that he had an audience, and sprang to his feet, swirling his cape dramatically.

At least, that was the idea. It's hard to swirl properly when part of the cape is tangled around your feet and another corner is draped over your head, but he gave it a hell of a try.”

Then there is the fact that being a vampire has left them the same as when they were turned.
“I've never been what anybody would call smooth, and turning into a vampire, much to my disappointment, didn't turn me into some super-suave sex machine...”

All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It loses one star just because of the really bad editing. But if you've been looking for an urban fantasy that doesn't take itself quite so seriously, this is a good place to find it. Lots of fun!

Series Information: Hard Day's Knight is the first book in the Black Knight Chronicles.
Book 2: Back in Black
Novella 1: Movie Knight
Book 3: Knight Moves
Novella 2: Black Magic Woman
There is also a book of short stories called Knight (un)Life - Black Knight Shorts Vol. 1, which I do not currently have. He has a number of other books, including his Bubba Monster Hunter books, a number of which I currently have as well.

Disclosure: I picked this book up for myself on free promotion on Amazon. Some time later (almost a year I think?) I noticed it was on NetGalley and accepted it there, since I already planned to read it. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Children are missing.

The police are stumped.

Halloween is coming, with an ancient evil on the horizon.

The vampires are the good guys.

This is not your ordinary fall weekend in Charlotte, NC. Vampire private detectives Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood have been hired to keep a young client from being cursed for all eternity, but end up in a bigger mess than they ever imagined.

Suddenly trapped in the middle of a serial kidnapping case, Jimmy and Greg uncover a plot to bring forth an ancient evil into the world, and enlist the help of a police detective, a priest, a witch, a fallen angel and strip club proprietor to save the world. This unlikely band of heroes battles zombies, witches, neuroses and sunburn while cracking jokes and looking for the perfect bag of O-negative.



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