by Scott Sigler
First published 2012
Detective Bryan Clauser wakes from another vivid dream about murder. The problem is his dreams match the serial killings happening across San Francisco. Each nightmare fills him with excitement rather than revulsion. Bryan and his partner Lawrence "Pookie" Chang chase leads through the city's dark corners while their superiors block their progress at every turn. The victims all share one connection: they tormented the same ordinary-looking boy who experiences identical dreams to Bryan's. A vigilante with impossible abilities hunts the killers while Bryan questions his own sanity. The mayor's office pressures the department to bury the investigation. Bryan discovers he's caught in an ancient conflict between surface dwellers and underground predators who emerge at night to feed. These creatures have lived beneath San Francisco for over a century. When Bryan learns his personal ties to the murders, he realizes the people he loves face deadly danger. Only he possesses the ability to fight the nocturnals.
Genres: mystery, crime, horror, supernatural, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: ancient-conflict, chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco, Underground
Period: 21st-Century
566 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, violence