Raising Hell

Quincy Harker #1.1

by John G. Hartness

Straight out of the pages of the legendary vampire novel Dracula comes a demon hunter for the modern world. Mina Murray and Jonathan Harker had a son. They named him Quincy. His guardian angel calls him Q. Dracula calls him nephew. Demons call him The Reaper.

"There are things in this world that men and women aren't meant to understand. We aren't supposed to know these things exist, much less how to fight them. The things that go bump in the night, the monsters in the closet, the shadow out of the corner of your eye - that's where I live."

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Horror, Demons, Magic

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2015

About the author

John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies’ virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love.

He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles (Bell Bridge Books), the Bubba the Monster Hunter comedic horror series, the Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter dark fantasy series, and many other projects.

In 2016, John teamed up with a pair of other publishing industry ne’er-do-wells and founded Falstaff Books, a small press dedicated to publishing the best of genre fictions “misfit toys.”
In his copious free time John enjoys long walks on the beach, rescuing kittens from trees and playing Magic: the Gathering.

For free short stories and to follow his activities and appearances on his newsletter, follow this link - http://eepurl.com/fV4In

Reviews

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m Quincy motherfuckin’ Harker, and the blood of Dracula himself runs through my veins.”

I enjoyed the premise of the book: Mina Murray and John Harker have a son with enough vampire blood to make him a demon hunter.

The heaven and hell aspects of the book are even more specific than the Charlie Parker series, colonels of specific levels of hell, etc. It was weird and somehow unpleasant.

The whole book suffered from ok-ness. It was on kindle unlimited and that comes with lowered expectations... but it angers me that this was not better in every way possible because the premise was gold.

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: This has been bundled into the Quincy Harker Omnibus Volume 1 - ebook & audio.

CW: Book & review mention rape, but neither is graphically detailed.

Irreverent antihero Harker is introduced in this dark yet delightful novella. This descendant of Dracula is out to avenge the rape & murder of a teenage girl by demonic forces. If he can stay out of jail long enough.

While short, I thoroughly enjoyed Hartness' writing. This is a complete story with solid world building and dynamic characters. I especially liked the “civilian” Detective Flynn and Special Agent Smith. Can't wait to see more of them as the series continues.

Narration:
Chose this specifically because James Anderson Foster shared it on his Instagram, I’ve enjoyed his narrations and this looked unique and fun. It turned out to be exactly that. Foster’s performance is wonderful. I enjoyed Harker’s snark, the voices for several creatures, and all the emotions and action. Great listen.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rocked so much!!! I started this and read in in a day. Absolutely loved it and highly highly recommend!

I'm not going to say too much about the plot because it's such a short book that I don't want to spoil it. I will say that it's extremely fast paced and entertaining. I devoured it and honestly didn't want it to end. I don't know how many times I literally laughed out loud with the banter, but I know my boys were looking at me weird!!

Harker was one of the best characters I've read in a long time. He was super snarky and foul mouthed but so lovable :) He is Dracula's nephew and hunts demons. This starts with him doing an exorcism with his surly attitude and never stops from there! I'm so looking forward to more of Harker!

In all, an absolutely delightful and fun read. Only thing is, I need book 2 now!

I thought James Foster couldn't get any better, but he proved me wrong with this book. His rendition of the surly Harker was phenomenal. He really nailed the performance and I hope he does the rest of the series.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affects my thoughts.*

[Michael Mammay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if Buffy was a large, angry redneck. That's Quincy Harker. This is pure urban fantasy, filled with demons and F Bombs. A fast-paced read that gives you exactly what you expect from the genre plus some nerdy vampire and Buffy references.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Reread June 2025 to refresh my memory to read the next books in the series.

This is a 4.25 🌟 read rounded ⬇️ to 4 🌟.

Original Review: Ok ... I'm officially addicted to the foul mouthed, ass kicking, cheeky, immortal devil hunter that is Quincy Harker. The guy's gotta be cool if he has THE Dracula as his uncle right?
This series of books are novellas and are a very quick read that grab you by the goolies (or whatever appropriate female part) and take you on an exciting, fast paced ride that doesn't let up until the end.
I don't normally read "urban fantasy" but anything that makes you laugh out loud like this is money well spent.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good start to a new series and I did like it, but I felt that this was pretty short and I wanted some more depth. It may be coming later in the series, as there are a lot of other characters and interesting dynamics there. I would be interested to see how things go with Flynn and with Glory and Renfield and Uncle Luke. I will continue the series.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I recently read a short story with this character and liked it so much I bought the first book (novella) in the series. It doesn’t even seem like the same character. The Quincy Harker in this book is sweary, arrogant, violent, and all-around unlikable—a big difference from the character whose story I read in Fantastic Hope.
Wow, I’m surprised and disappointed. I’m tempted to try the next one, mainly out of curiosity about when the author starts dialing it back with this guy, but for now, I need a break.
Rats.

[Chris Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quincy Harker makes the average anti-hero look like wimp. This novella is profane (in more than one connotation) bloodcurdling, adrenaline-pumping, and awesome. This is the kind of hero who would sit down and drink with Dead Pool, comparing war stories, and laughing their asses off.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I also appreciate about picking up a book in a John G. Hartness series is how smoothly and easily he drops me back in the world, even if it's been (checks Goodreads records--holy cow!) 7 years since I last read something in the series. I have a feeling that would work fine for people who pick up a book out of order as well.

Quincy Harker is a demon hunter, nephew to Dracula himself. Powerful, snarky, kind-hearted, and full of very satisying righteous anger. In this one, he's called in to save a teenager whose been possessed and ends up taking on the guys that got her there, and taking on some unexpected partners along the way.

I was a little sad that one particular scene happened "off stage" because I would have liked to have seen it more directly, but otherwise I really enjoyed this adventure and it reminds me how much I love this character and world and that I should finish reading it.

[Dino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to an amazing series!

[Angelia Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our intro to Quincy Harker is fast and brutal, like the character. The demon hunter has an interesting backstory and good technique. Hartness writes with an entertaining author voice. I definitely recommend for fans of Urban Fantasy

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I’m a sucker for urban fantasy books and if they offer something different than the usual morass then that just makes that title to jump ahead in my TBR list. Raising Hell by John G. Hartness raised my interest with its blurb describing the protagonist as Dracula’s nephew who also hunts demons. As far as premises go, that’s not a bad one but none too original either. I decided to give it a shot based on the first chapter I read.

For most folks who love John Constantine or Clint Eastwood-esque protagonists, look no further; Quincy Harker is here to fill that void. Surly, quick with his magic (and fists, too) and filled with a righteous anger, we are introduced to Quincy as he’s called into a home for an exorcism. The problem being that he’s already too late to save the victim but that still isn’t the end of his troubles. Forced to take extreme steps, Quincy tries to trace how the victim became infected and what he stumbles upon is the bigger issue. He might have to put out all of his tricks, if he has any hope of survival. What helps with this novella is Quincy’s voice; he’s a snarky magician but with on the path of right and this makes him fun to read about. Think Dresden like but much more meaner and without his assortment of allies.

Quincy’s tale is set in the North Carolina region and the author does his best to highlight the region. Coming back to the characterization, with Quincy being the sole voice, the tale entirely hinges on him. Of course this also means that if he’s a fabulous narrator then it just gets to be that much more fun. The author also spruces up the story by giving him a guardian angel that doesn’t do much and Quincy’s relationship with God is one that you should read about directly in the book. Plot wise, this is pretty much a straight-forward tale that will have flipping pages with its mix of pace, action & snarky one-liners.

Because of the novella structure of the story, the author doesn’t get to give the readers much history about the world and magic system beyond a tad more than bare bones approach. I’m not going to hold it against the story because it's a novella and there’s only so much you can contain within so few pages. What the story does have is a sarcastic voice, funny quips and some action that will only whets up your appetite for more.

There’s also the character cast that gets introduced uncle Luke, Renfield the butler detective Rebecca Flynn & agent John Smith. I’m hoping there will be more of them in the sequel volumes but as far as introductions go, they managed to snag the readers interest. Overall this was a fun read and for all urban fantasy fans, you will love this if you like Harry Dresden, Frank Trigg or Atticus the druid. Quincy Harker’s first foray was quite an enjoyable one and if it’s any indications, then I look forward to the future volumes with gusto.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this one and there was nothing wrong with the actual plot, which was interesting. I liked Uncle Luke, aka Dracula, and his latest manservant Renfield who is very amusing and entertaining.

My problem is that I didn't much like Quincy himself. Frankly he is so foul mouthed that he is saying some variation of 'fuck' every time he talks, and when he gets annoyed, every second word is 'fuck'. Now I don't mind swearing for effect in books but I was disappointed that the swearing was there to replace all conversation and seemed to be there just for the hell of it. If I wanted to listen to language like that, I can do it for free by sitting in the street.

This author writes a lot of witty dialogue in his vampire books and has a real talent for storytelling so I'm a bit sad that instead of doing that to make Quincy funny, he spoils the character by making him a bit of an idiot. Shame, as this had potential.

[June Swinford · Rating 5 out of 5]

when I first started reading this book, I thought, "Oh, God, not another second rate Dresden Files rip off!"

BUT! Then I got hooked by the plot (and the swearing; I respect a character that isn't afraid to call the hero "F***nuts" to his face). Then I got started laughing at the dialogue (again, "F***nuts"; you gotta love it!). Then I started reading lines out loud to my sister and my daughter.

Then I ran out of book -- only forty minutes worth of reading? Waaaah! -- and went to Amazon to find more stuff by Hartness, because any writer who makes me laugh that much deserves more of my money. Now I'm working my way through the Bubba the Monster Hunter stuff and enjoying every minute of it.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible Edition
I rarely give a five star rating to a novella but I couldn't give anything less than five stars for this one. I, like so many other reviewers, was afraid that this was going to be a knock-off of the Sandman Slim series or The Dresden Files but, I am happy to tell you, it's not. Quincy Harker has his own unique voice and he is one foul mouthed, quick tempered bad-assed motherfucker with his own brand of justice and moral turpitude. The story is good, the humor is dark, there is an eclectic cast of interesting characters (including Q's Uncle Luke who is THE Dracula) and the narration by James Foster is fabulous. I highly recommend this to all urban fantasy fans.

[Tracie Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like supernatural reading and vampires, you will love this series.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

**MINOR SPOILERS**
This novella is the first in the Quincy Harker Demon Hunter series. I picked it up after reading one of the author’s stories in an anthology and deciding to try a longer story. I think it ties into other books but that was not clear and did not matter.
Early in the book, the author uses the phrase “on the rag” when he hopes that a young girl is simply acting poorly rather than demon possessed. This phrase is offensive and turned me off. It is part of a caustic inner monologue that Quincy has as he first enters a home with a possible demon possession. Being negative and caustic is his typical approach to any situation, so it holds throughout the book.
I give Quincy credit for fighting demons. He tries to stay true to his own moral code. He has supernational abilities and uses them to protect people or to go after people who are evil. I liked that about him.
When the girl dies, Quincy calls God a “son of a bitch” and makes a reference to God’s “worthless existence”. Some readers may agree with this point of view and others may not, so I am mentioning it as his attitude flavors the novella throughout. While Quincy does believe God exists, he does not approve of God’s actions/inactions and does not ascribe to faith in God, meaning he does not think God will act in the way Quincy would like him to do.
Quincy’s uncle is Dracula and he finds out from him that the person involved in the demon possession is a powerful sorcerer named Marlock. Quincy finds a clever way to defeat him.
Quincy meets a paranormal FBI agent that tells him that Marlock is responsible for people dying around the world in Haiti and Cambodia. No action was taken because they are brown and yellow people. While the author mentions that civilized white people have not acted, it felt like both a rebuke of the attitudes of some, but also a diminishment of what brown and yellow people could do in response for themselves.
There are moments of humor in the story.
In the end, I probably will not continue reading this series. Having said that, I can see why some would really like this author. I suspect that this author does not usually have indifferent readers, probably those who really like his writing and those that do not. You would have to read the novella to decide the camp you are in.

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 5 out of 5]

all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu

About: Quincy is a demon hunter who calls Dracula his uncle, is on great “bail you out of jail time, and time again” terms, and is in general your long lost Winchester brother (10 points to your Hogwarts house if you get the reference) who gets his ass grated if he doesn’t visit the said uncle often enough.

This city of his has its share of supernatural junk all over the place. Not the least being the bar owning demon in cat’s body who can’t resist the urge to knock shit off the tables. But when someone starts killing off nephilims and draining their blood, well… That’s more of an evil shit a human would do. But why? Oh, and who?

Mine: I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Every joke, every other line out of Quincy’s mouth, is a killer. There’s a real nice familiar demonology here too, the encyclopedia-wiki friendly kind that we’re used to. None of that “let me rewrite it, so I’m unique” stuff. I love it, for I am real tired of the hundreds new ways a vampire is a vampire, if I’m being honest. The book itself is very short, real easy to read, and be sure, will teach you to cuss like a true demon hunter on a job.

Yep, happy little me is very happy. This one gets a strong 5 out of 5, and I will likely take the second one for the next month right away, even if something else was in the plans. We’ll see.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as enjoyable and entertaining as the first time I listened to this story. This series is addicting. It's definitely worth your time and credit. You will not be disappointed. This is one of those series that you will listen to repeatedly. The writing, characters and story just draw you in immediately. You know as soon as it starts you are in for one heck of fun, very entertaining and highly enjoyable story. Even though it's a shorter story it doesn't feel like it. It's packed full of mystery, suspense, sarcastic humor, non-stop action and more. There is never a dull moment.

John G. Harkness and James Foster are the perfect combination and are automatic listens for me. I saw the author and narrator, got excited and didn't realize until I started listening to this book that I had already listened to it before. That didn't stop me from re-listening to it and enjoying it just as much as I did the first time. When it was over I went back and re-listened to the whole series again. It's that good!

James Foster does a fantastic job with the narration. He is the perfect narrator for this series. Great voice. Character voices are awesome. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Perfect tone and delivery of the sarcasm. He brings the characters and story to life in a way not many narrators can do. Very enjoyable.

I was provided this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this review.

[alan l jarbeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quincy Harker ,related to Dracula ?

The book proved to be entertaining somewhere along the same vein as the Harry Dresden resident wizard of JimButcher's novels. As with most novels along these lines the main character seems to have an individual who is in someway connected to the police department who is neither friend not foe,but someone who occasionally assists in their investigations and be used as a prop for witty banter, sarcasm,and often a hint of sexual attraction. The relationship between Quincy ,and like concerning the butler Renfield seems to be closely related to the relationship between Batman, and Alfred in terms of Renfield always seems to be one step ahead of both individuals when it comes to anticipating their needs. I loved the entire storyline as I am a big fan of demon's, and crown prince's of hell. I assumed novella meant short story,but again I thought it was entirely worth reading. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

This is a new to me author and I am thrilled to have found him.

Ouincy Harker is the nephew of Count Dracula, for real. He's also a kick ass, take no prisoners, demon hunter. In this story he is trying to find vengeance for a 15 year old girl that was possessed and impregnated by a demon who was summoned by a frat boy. Getting in his way at every turn, and not beliving a word of what he says, is a gold shield detective named Flynn. She's as non believing aabout demons as you can get.

Throw in a homeland security agent from the paranormal division and things get really interesting and quickly at that.

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening as a part of buying the omnibus edition.

Quincey Harker is a exorcist, at least at the start of this, and Dracula's nephew.

He's hired to help with a potential case of demonic possession which turns into something a little more involved than could be expected. More players getting roped into the story and the fact that there's several layers at play does a good job of setting up the characters with whom I expect I'll be spending a good amount of time with over the next couple weeks.

For this in particular though there's no too much exposition and plenty of action despite the good set up. It's fast and fun and I'm looking forward to revisiting number 2.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow there Quincy you're quite the D-bag.



Now, I'm not saying I have a problem with unlikable/a**holeish characters, but this is way over the top. To the point that it distracts from the story. I mean come on, at least have it add to the story.. or make it funny, give me something other than what it was.

An interesting idea for a book/series unfortunately it's ruined by Quincy being a total prick. As it appears I have another book in the series, I might give it a second chance. Maybe he'll grow on me.. I doubt it, but you never know.

[Justin Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quincy Harker.. Demon Hunter, Dracula's Nephew, witness to some weird sh*t to normal human beings, but Par for the course more or less for him. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to precisely think per say when the exact nature of this series. However... After peeping the summary and listening to the first few chapters I was more or less in. I am curious as to what happens next after JUST finishing up being the proverbial "sword" of the paranormal division of Homeland Security.

[Johnny King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Quincy. Foul mouth, smartass, demon hunter. Seems an appropriate gist of Quincy. Oh, and his uncle, well, his uncle is Dracula.

This was fun. I rather enjoyed it. Laughed out loud more than a few times. I feel like Quincy and myself would get along rather well, that is, if he was real. If ya want something fast paced, filled with a humor, gore, and well, demons, you've come to the right place.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantasy at its best

Im still new to the Hartness world, but loving every installment. Every word. Every character. Every snide comment and wonderful human insight. This is a novella, short story, that still adds to the entire series, what ever order read it. I still am trying to read the in order, but whatever I can find! Should start another of his series soon. And since I pair whisky (proper single malt) with most things, I might also try his literate side ;)

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very entertaining. Books based on Demon Hunters come in all shapes and sizes. This one has Dracula's nephew, that adds a ton of possibilities. This novella isn't for sensitive ears, but suits the main characters personality. This fast paced tale has lots of violence and lots of dark humour. I enjoyed it and will check out some more works from this author.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a fast past paranormal book about a guy who is related to drucula and can cast out demons but doesn’t believe in a God. Even than he still has a guardian angel and a particular cop who believes he’s doing something worse and can’t believe in his kind. I couldn’t even believe the book was over.

[Lynn Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

I am so hung up on the Quincy Harker books! They are funny and action packed. The characters have smart mouths and snarky attitudes. This novella is no exception. I am charging through all these stories as fast as I can with enthusiasm and abandon. If you like the humor/horror/action genre than I suggest you follow.

[Erin Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quincy Harker investigates a simple possession, but nothing is ever simple.

The first of the series, Raising Hell sets up the world of Quincy Harker - from his Uncle Luke to Detective Flynn, from the laws of magic to the laws of man and money.

A good start with solid action.

(Read through Kindle Unlimited)