Kolchak: The Night Stalker

by Jeff Rice

This is the story behind the greatest manhunt in the history of Las Vegas…

In 1972, The Night Stalker took America by storm, becoming the highest-rated TV movie at the time and spawning a second movie and a cult series, all starring Darren McGavin. The story of a blood-sucking psycho on the loose in Sin City started with a then-unpublished novel by Las Vegas reporter Jeff Rice.

Now, after years of being out of print, Monstrous Books presents this restored version of the book that launched one of the beloved and influential characters in TV history.

The book also features a foreword by David Dastmalchian (Late Night With the Devil, Count Crowley), an afterword by Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), and a profile on Jeff Rice by Mark Dawidziak (The Kolchak Companion).

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

234 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Jeffrey Grant Rice was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA in 1944. He spent his early childhood in Beverly Hills. He has been a Las Vegas resident since 1955.

Jeff Rice is best known as the author of The Kolchak Papers, a novel he finished on October 31, 1970. Rice’s novel was still unpublished when it was optioned for television and adapted for a TV audience as The Night Stalker. It subsequently had a brief print run when the Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series grew in popularity. In 2007 Moonstone Books released a new edition which also includes the sequel, The Night Strangler.

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

75 million viewers in 1972 and this the original book that changes television horror with out this we would not have The X Files,Buffy and lots more

[Blair Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first appearance of the supernatural investigative journalist, Carl Kolchak. This story would go on to inspire Richard Matheson’s screenplay for the 1972 television film The Night Stalker featuring Darren McGavin as Kolchak.

“Socially, I fit in just fine between the whore and the bartender-both are close friends. And I knew the world was round. Yet, as time went by I found myself confronted with the ugly suspicion that the world was, after all, flat and that there were things dark and terrible, waiting just over the edge to reach out and snatch life from the unlucky wanderer.“
-Jeff Rice

[Kev Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★
Really wanted to enjoy this. Picked it up knowing it influenced shows like The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural, and while it hooked me at the start, the pacing just didn’t work for me. I also struggled to properly click with Kolchak as a protagonist.

That said, I didn’t mind the story feeling dated—if anything, that actually helped me feel more immersed in the setting. I think it just came down to not fully connecting with Kolchak, or maybe the pacing threw me off. Still not sure.

One of those books I might come back to one day and see if it lands differently.

[Ted Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal!

I am a great lover of the old TV series bearing this name. This book is an extension of that, with the plot much more drawn out (in a good way) and detailed. I couldn’t put this down. Anyone who liked the series will love this book!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's no secret that, normally, I feel that books are better than film adaptations of the story. So, I must say (hoping not to sound too much like Ed Grimley), that as much as I loved the TV movie, "The Night Stalker", Jeff Rice's book is even better. The written story flows much smoother and more leisurely than the film. I love that Rice made the story read in a "as told to me by Carl Kolchak" version.
I won't rehash the plot because if you've seen the movie then you know what to expect in the book. The Night Stalker was a great series and it was a shame that the television version only lasted for 20 episodes and two made-for-TV movies. Fortunately, plenty of Kolchak fans are authors and have added their own stories to the Night Stalker arc.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any fan of The Night Stalker movie should read this. It’s the original book that gave us Carl Kolchak. It’s a fantastic vampire story about the greatest manhunt in the history of Las Vegas. When you read it, you’ll appreciate the brilliance of Richard Matheson’s screenplay, and how this became one of the best and influential made-for-tv horror movies of all time. You’ll also gain some additional insight into the character of the vampire, as well as our favorite newspaper reporter, that you don’t get in the movie. This special edition from Monstrous Books is the version to get. Its fantastic.

[Steve Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night Stalker is the fantastic novel that started the Kolchak phenomenon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but I also really enjoyed the shiny new package it's in - James Aquilone and Monstrous Books have done a fantastic job on the design and production of this book. The cover design, the interior art, everything is really top notch. If you're looking for a new edition, or looking to read it for the first time, this is the edition to get.

[NOLA Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comic adaptation of Jeff Rice’s novel that the first movie (adapted by Richard Matheson) is based on. Kolchak is more hard-boiled and rougher around the edges than in the movie or TV show. The comic is fun. The art style isn’t my favorite, but I’m a big fan of the character whether in fiction or on the screen.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic vamp novel on which the TV cult classic movie and series was based upon. Highly recommended.