Review- NIGHTWISE by R.S. Belcher

Publisher: Tor Books

Pub. Date: August 18, 2015

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Source: E-ARC

Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads- http://bit.ly/1U9DJJf

Blurb:

The acclaimed author of The Six-Gun Tarot and The Shotgun Arcana launches a gritty new urban fantasy series set in today’s seedy occult underworld

In the more shadowy corners of the world, frequented by angels and demons and everything in-between, Laytham Ballard is a legend. It’s said he raised the dead at the age of ten, stole the Philosopher’s Stone in Vegas back in 1999, and survived the bloodsucking kiss of the Mosquito Queen. Wise in the hidden ways of the night, he’s also a cynical bastard who stopped thinking of himself as the good guy a long time ago.

Now a promise to a dying friend has Ballard on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal with friends in both high and low places—and a sinister history of blood sacrifices. Ballard is hell-bent on making Dusan Slorzack pay for his numerous atrocities, but Slorzack seems to have literally dropped off the face of the Earth, beyond the reach of his enemies, the Illuminati, and maybe even the Devil himself. To find Slorzack, Ballard must follow a winding, treacherous path that stretches from Wall Street and Washington, D.C. to backwoods hollows and truckstops, while risking what’s left of his very soul . . . .

Review-

I have no idea what I just read. Nightwise, from the outside looking in, looked just like the perfect urban fantasy read for me. But I quickly realized that it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Laytham Ballard. The world was also one I had a hard time picturing and getting into. I do know that the world the author did create was both dark and full of monsters. He included himself in that batch of monsters...

The book by no means is bad. I think for me, I'm not completely the target audience and for that I'm sorry. I should have tried to research the book a bit more but after reading the synopsis, it intrigued me. Laytham is paying off a debt to his dying friend to help seek vengeance over the friend's wife. The man in question is said to be part of the Illuminati, meaning it's going to be hella crazy trying to catch him. There's tons of action as Ballard races to find answers. 

Sounds good, right? I feel like beating myself over the head with a hammer because how could I not like this more than I did? I love books about antiheros; and Laytham is most certainly an antihero. If
you're looking for any type of romance, this is not your book. I repeat this is not for you! This is pure
urban fantasy with a whole lot of thriller aspects. Actually, the whole book could be one big thriller. Another reason to wonder why I couldn't connect. Overall, even though it wasn't my type of book, I would recommend this to readers that have an itch for thrilling story told by a brilliant author. 

*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Buy Link:

Amazon- http://amzn.to/1hWW7JA

Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1hWWaoJ

About the Author:

R.S. (Rod) Belcher is an award-winning newspaper and magazine editor and reporter.   

Rod has been a private investigator, a DJ, a comic book store owner and has degrees in criminal law, psychology and justice and risk administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University.  He's done Masters work in Forensic Science at The George Washington University, and worked  with the Occult Crime Taskforce for the Virginia General Assembly.
He lives in Roanoke Virginia with his children: Jonathan and Emily .