The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani #TheMidnightKing @TariqAshkanani @ViperBooks #BookReview

 

'This is a work of fiction. This is not a confession.'

Lucas Cole is a bestselling writer. He is also a father, a widower, and a beloved celebrity in his small town. He is an unassuming man ­- tall, thin and quietly friendly. Lucas Cole is also a serial killer.

Nathan Cole has known the truth about his father since he was ten years old. Too terrified to go to the police, he ran away from home as soon as he was able, carrying the guilt of leaving his sister behind. But when Lucas is found dead in a dingy motel room, Nathan returns to his childhood home for the first time in seventeen years. It's there he finds The Midnight King, his father's final unpublished manuscript, a fictionalised account of his hideous crimes, hidden in a box of trinkets taken from his victims. Trinkets that include a ribbon belonging to a missing eight-year-old girl who disappeared only days before his father's death.

Now, Nathan must deal with the consequences of keeping his father's secret. But it may not be as simple as finding a lost child. For The Midnight King holds Nathan's secrets as well as Lucas's, and he is not the only one searching for the truth...

Full of unexpected twists and heartrending turns, The Midnight King is a gripping thriller perfect for fans of Chris Whitaker, S.A. Cosby and Ian Rankin.

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani is published on 10 April 2025 by Viper. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Very very dark, quite shocking and really intelligently written. This is how I like my crime fiction, and Tariq Ashkanani certainly delivers with The Midnight King. It's the sort of book that hooks the reader from the opening scenes, and then doesn't let go until the final pages. A twisted serial killer story that is up there alongside the best. 

This is a two pronged story line, with two main narrators, but one evil, devilish killer at the heart of it. Nathan Cole ran away from home many years ago. He was escaping the deeds of his father. Nathan knew exactly what Lucas Cole was. To outsiders, Lucas appeared to be quite the local celebrity- a quiet man, but a friendly man who also happened to be a best selling author of crime fiction. Nathan knows that Lucas is a serial killer. 

Nathan has returned for the first time in many years. His father has been found dead in a motel room, and Nathan has discovered a box in his father's home. This box contains unimaginable horrors; souvenirs from Lucas' crimes and also, a manuscript.  This manuscript is nothing like Lucas' other work, it is claimed that it's fiction, but Nathan knows that it details everything terrible that his father did before he died. 

Isaac Holloway is a private investigator. He's been hired by the parents of missing girl Chloe. Nathan and Isaae were childhood friends but have not had any contact for many years. Both Isaac and Nathan are sure that Chloe is the final victim of Lucas, but she hasn't been found yet. Both of them are desperate to find her, desperate to know that she is still alive. 

The Midnight King is a complex and multi layered story that is beautifully written, with the Nashville setting becoming such an integral part of the plot line that I don't think it would work anywhere else.

Shocks, twists and totally unexpected reveals all go towards making this one a totally gripping read. Highly recommended by me. 

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. 

His upcoming novel, The Midnight King, will be published by Viper in 2025. 

He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two sons.

X @TariqAshkanani