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The Thing in the Vault
A darker shade of Noir: Raymond Chandler meets HP Lovecraft in a novella of mystery and terror to delight detective fans and veterans of the Cthulhu Mythos alike.
1927, Chicago: Tough private investigator Ed Jones takes on what looks like a simple assignment to investigate an eccentric German scientist. But Jones knows there's no such thing as easy money...and that there's something his client isn't telling him.
The trail leads Jones to a small town in the New England forest, where he's not the only visitor from Chicago: there are machine-gun toting gangsters, a smooth-talking con artist and an assassin who has a way with a garrotte. And then there's the scientist himself, who is a stranger character than Jones could have imagined. The locals don't seem to like any of them -- but they're more afraid of the mysterious hooded figures deep in the forest.
Jones is forced to team up with his unlikely comrades, on a trail of unsolved murders and in in the face of a gang of criminals who he begins to suspect are not even human...
For those who like their Cthulhu hardboiled, this tale of the roaring Twenties mixes gangland violence with unearthly terror -- and some serious sleuthing as Jones puts together the pieces to figure out what's really going on...
Note: This story is included in the collection Shadows from Norwood.
1927, Chicago: Tough private investigator Ed Jones takes on what looks like a simple assignment to investigate an eccentric German scientist. But Jones knows there's no such thing as easy money...and that there's something his client isn't telling him.
The trail leads Jones to a small town in the New England forest, where he's not the only visitor from Chicago: there are machine-gun toting gangsters, a smooth-talking con artist and an assassin who has a way with a garrotte. And then there's the scientist himself, who is a stranger character than Jones could have imagined. The locals don't seem to like any of them -- but they're more afraid of the mysterious hooded figures deep in the forest.
Jones is forced to team up with his unlikely comrades, on a trail of unsolved murders and in in the face of a gang of criminals who he begins to suspect are not even human...
For those who like their Cthulhu hardboiled, this tale of the roaring Twenties mixes gangland violence with unearthly terror -- and some serious sleuthing as Jones puts together the pieces to figure out what's really going on...
Note: This story is included in the collection Shadows from Norwood.
63 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
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45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 20, 2020
A private eye, a shady client, some laboratory in the boondocks, bootlegging, rival gangs, some characters out of Lovecraft's Cthulhu myth, a German scientist named Dr K, a method to distill moonshine... well, many enticing ingredients in a bit of a confusing story. Don't get me wrong I like hard boiled crime stories but here you could have easily have done without some shot of Lovecraft. The reference adds some eeriness but would also have worked without. It was okay pulp fiction in the tradition of Chandler but nothing extraordinary. No absolute must read either for Chandler or Lovecraft fans.
June 14, 2019
An Immaculate Lovecraftian Noir
David Hambling consistently produces books of the highest quality, which have obviously been drafted and redrafted until he is happy with every last word. The Thing in the Vault is no exception, but this short story does have Hambling trying on a new style by blending the scientific and Lovecraftian horror elements that are his stock in trade, with a classic hard-boiled detective story in the style of Raymond Chandler.
As always, the results are superb. Whether you are a fan of the Cthulhu mythos, or of gritty detective stories, or simply of well-crafted and subtle prose, this story will keep you happily engrossed from start to finish.
David Hambling consistently produces books of the highest quality, which have obviously been drafted and redrafted until he is happy with every last word. The Thing in the Vault is no exception, but this short story does have Hambling trying on a new style by blending the scientific and Lovecraftian horror elements that are his stock in trade, with a classic hard-boiled detective story in the style of Raymond Chandler.
As always, the results are superb. Whether you are a fan of the Cthulhu mythos, or of gritty detective stories, or simply of well-crafted and subtle prose, this story will keep you happily engrossed from start to finish.
August 11, 2019
Hardboiled Cthulhu
Looking for some hardboiled detective action with a dash of cosmic horror then look no further.
Shady characters, a scientist conducting strange experiments, and a gumshoe caught up in the middle of it all. And don’t forget the obligatory beautiful woman with a cigarette.
It ticks all the boxes.
Looking for some hardboiled detective action with a dash of cosmic horror then look no further.
Shady characters, a scientist conducting strange experiments, and a gumshoe caught up in the middle of it all. And don’t forget the obligatory beautiful woman with a cigarette.
It ticks all the boxes.
November 19, 2019
Good action
Action, intrigue, super science, and horror, all in a hard boiled PI story. Hambling puts a nice twist on classic Lovecraft tales, I look forward to more. Check it out.
Action, intrigue, super science, and horror, all in a hard boiled PI story. Hambling puts a nice twist on classic Lovecraft tales, I look forward to more. Check it out.
April 5, 2023
Rating between 3 & 3.5
An easy reading pulpy private investigator Cthulhu mythos pastiche that works very well.
Very reminiscent is other mythos stories where the narrator, unreliable or not, is dragged into contact with the strange / unearthly creatures from the mythos.
The small town where the lead is sent was sketched with very few words tbh but a reader who has read other mythos stories will immediately be able to fill in the rest of the background.
Short quick read that is very good and probably gives a good idea of the author’s style.
Only reason not a 4 star rating is that I don’t feel I will read it again any time soon. If yo do then the rating will probably go up.
An easy reading pulpy private investigator Cthulhu mythos pastiche that works very well.
Very reminiscent is other mythos stories where the narrator, unreliable or not, is dragged into contact with the strange / unearthly creatures from the mythos.
The small town where the lead is sent was sketched with very few words tbh but a reader who has read other mythos stories will immediately be able to fill in the rest of the background.
Short quick read that is very good and probably gives a good idea of the author’s style.
Only reason not a 4 star rating is that I don’t feel I will read it again any time soon. If yo do then the rating will probably go up.
March 24, 2024
"The Thing in the Vault" - Hard-boiled Chicago PI Ed Jones is assigned a job to find Dr. K, an odd German scientist working on a highly sought invention in a backwater town. Several mob factions are after this new tech also, and the essential peace treaty they all work under on-site to lay eyes on the invention unspools in the story in some great characterization. Jones stays overnight in an underground lab to verify that the item works as intended under the supervision of the doc’s odd, hooded collaborators. There’s a double-cross (what good mob tale doesn’t have one?) and a race to escape unfolds.
A solid tale with a believable investigator as a MC, Irish and Italian mobsters, a wacky German scientists, otherworldly creatures, and a thrilling car chase. All that wrapped into a cohesive tale that sticks the landing. What's not to love?
A solid tale with a believable investigator as a MC, Irish and Italian mobsters, a wacky German scientists, otherworldly creatures, and a thrilling car chase. All that wrapped into a cohesive tale that sticks the landing. What's not to love?
July 12, 2021
Raymond Chandler meets HP Lovecraft.
Hambling is a wonderful cosmic horror writer and in The Thing in the Vault he blends that with his Philip Marlowe style of detective writing to create something really great. Really fun read coming from someone who loves both genres, and is really impressed with seeing how well they mix together.
Hambling is a wonderful cosmic horror writer and in The Thing in the Vault he blends that with his Philip Marlowe style of detective writing to create something really great. Really fun read coming from someone who loves both genres, and is really impressed with seeing how well they mix together.
May 31, 2021
Just what it says
Darn near perfect mash-up of hard-boiled and cosmic sci-fi horror. Love how the author worked in connections to the Prohibition era. On to the next tale from Hamblin …
Darn near perfect mash-up of hard-boiled and cosmic sci-fi horror. Love how the author worked in connections to the Prohibition era. On to the next tale from Hamblin …
January 20, 2021
A fun, if short, novella. It touches on Lovecraftian mythos quite well without being overbearing. Good detective story as well in an old time setting.
A good read indeed.
A good read indeed.
September 10, 2022
Great fun, really faced paced. Not the most cerebral read ever, but definitely recommended to pass half an hour and quench the thirst for supernatural pulp.
July 22, 2025
Solid story about a hardboiled Chicago gumshoe facing down the Mythos in the backwaters of Vermont. I enjoy this guys writing!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews