What do you think?
Rate this book
We Are All Monsters: A Noir Horror Comedy
It’s four days out from Christmas, and Harvey, a dick in public and private, is happily spending his workday drinking, listening to jazz, and reading a trashy western. That is, until a Viking-sized aristocrat arrives with a fat envelope of cash and a forlorn plea to track down his missing granddaughter.
Harvey should really have told him to piss off.
Instead, he finds himself standing over his partner lying in a pool of blood—sans his heart, caught up in occult robbery turned multiple homicide, and worse still—invited to spend Christmas with the girlfriend’s family.
And then, just to really cap things off, he loses the Antichrist.
Now everyone wants a piece of him—the cops, a cacophony of cults, and a psychic who thinks she knows Harvey’s deep dark secret. Trouble is, she might be right.
Can a man with more sins than sense save a little girl before Christmas dinner descends into full-blown apocalypse?
Dark, funny, and gloriously bloody—We Are All Monsters is what happens when The Maltese Falcon wakes up with a hangover in The Omen and decides to just keep drinking.
Harvey should really have told him to piss off.
Instead, he finds himself standing over his partner lying in a pool of blood—sans his heart, caught up in occult robbery turned multiple homicide, and worse still—invited to spend Christmas with the girlfriend’s family.
And then, just to really cap things off, he loses the Antichrist.
Now everyone wants a piece of him—the cops, a cacophony of cults, and a psychic who thinks she knows Harvey’s deep dark secret. Trouble is, she might be right.
Can a man with more sins than sense save a little girl before Christmas dinner descends into full-blown apocalypse?
Dark, funny, and gloriously bloody—We Are All Monsters is what happens when The Maltese Falcon wakes up with a hangover in The Omen and decides to just keep drinking.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 1, 2026
A dark urban fantasy/noir horror comedy with a 60’s Chicago-like setting and a bit of Kiwiana thrown in for good measure.
Harvey, a PI, is hired to track down his client’s missing granddaughter, only to find his partner’s corpse and a setup. What starts as a fairly standard private eye story becomes increasingly unhinged as more supernatural elements are revealed.
Reading Experience
In the front-matter there’s a heads-up about the excessive use of foul language. I found it quite tame, with the use of F-word substitutes to dampen the excess. Then again, as a Kiwi who’s lived in Australia, my opinion is skewed. Your mileage may vary.
The story itself is fast-paced and action-packed, told in a first-person past tense with Harvey the PI as our main point of view character (with the exception of the prologue.) Harvey is hilarious. The guy is a chaos gremlin who finds a way to swipe booze no matter what situation he’s in, and his backstory is incredible. I love the way his character unfolds.
As a struggling reader, I’m a stickler when it comes to prose. This was an easy, immersive read. The only inconvenience I had was the use of filler-phrases within the narration. It added to the voice, but they felt slightly overused. This is a minor complaint; enough to notice, but not enough to turn someone off.
Overall
Awesome. Fun. If you like urban fantasy noirs like The Dresden Files, The Fetch Phillips Archives, or Alexander Southerland, P.I., this might be for you.
Harvey, a PI, is hired to track down his client’s missing granddaughter, only to find his partner’s corpse and a setup. What starts as a fairly standard private eye story becomes increasingly unhinged as more supernatural elements are revealed.
Reading Experience
In the front-matter there’s a heads-up about the excessive use of foul language. I found it quite tame, with the use of F-word substitutes to dampen the excess. Then again, as a Kiwi who’s lived in Australia, my opinion is skewed. Your mileage may vary.
The story itself is fast-paced and action-packed, told in a first-person past tense with Harvey the PI as our main point of view character (with the exception of the prologue.) Harvey is hilarious. The guy is a chaos gremlin who finds a way to swipe booze no matter what situation he’s in, and his backstory is incredible. I love the way his character unfolds.
As a struggling reader, I’m a stickler when it comes to prose. This was an easy, immersive read. The only inconvenience I had was the use of filler-phrases within the narration. It added to the voice, but they felt slightly overused. This is a minor complaint; enough to notice, but not enough to turn someone off.
Overall
Awesome. Fun. If you like urban fantasy noirs like The Dresden Files, The Fetch Phillips Archives, or Alexander Southerland, P.I., this might be for you.
May 5, 2026
i fell this more a fairy comedy, really enjoyed can't wait to read next one.
March 2, 2026
We Are All Monsters is a thoroughly entertaining read. The prologue really caught my attention and I looked forward to picking this up ever night. A detective novel about a down and out detective that that goes places you wouldn't expect, delivering twists and reveals that genuinely surprised me and humour that me and made my laugh out loud.
March 7, 2026
We Are All Monsters: A Gothic Noir Comedy by A. J. S. Imms is a wildly entertaining blend of noir detective fiction, dark comedy, and supernatural chaos.
The story follows Harvey, a deeply flawed private investigator whose bad attitude and questionable life choices are almost part of his professional toolkit. What begins as a seemingly straightforward missing person case quickly spirals into something far stranger and far more dangerous when Harvey’s partner ends up dead and an occult conspiracy begins to unfold.
Set during the days leading up to Christmas, the novel embraces a wonderfully chaotic tone. Between homicidal cults, missing children, supernatural intrigue, and Harvey’s ongoing struggle to stay one step ahead of disaster, the story moves at a sharp and unpredictable pace. The dark humor helps balance the violence and mystery, giving the book a distinctive personality.
Fans of classic detective fiction will notice echoes of hard boiled noir such as The Maltese Falcon, while the supernatural elements bring to mind apocalyptic horror like The Omen. Yet the novel never feels derivative; instead, it fuses these influences into something uniquely irreverent and entertaining.
At its core, the book is a fast moving, genre blending ride that mixes sharp dialogue, eccentric characters, and a healthy dose of blood soaked absurdity.
Overall, We Are All Monsters is a bold and darkly comedic mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy gritty noir with supernatural twists and a generous helping of twisted humor.
The story follows Harvey, a deeply flawed private investigator whose bad attitude and questionable life choices are almost part of his professional toolkit. What begins as a seemingly straightforward missing person case quickly spirals into something far stranger and far more dangerous when Harvey’s partner ends up dead and an occult conspiracy begins to unfold.
Set during the days leading up to Christmas, the novel embraces a wonderfully chaotic tone. Between homicidal cults, missing children, supernatural intrigue, and Harvey’s ongoing struggle to stay one step ahead of disaster, the story moves at a sharp and unpredictable pace. The dark humor helps balance the violence and mystery, giving the book a distinctive personality.
Fans of classic detective fiction will notice echoes of hard boiled noir such as The Maltese Falcon, while the supernatural elements bring to mind apocalyptic horror like The Omen. Yet the novel never feels derivative; instead, it fuses these influences into something uniquely irreverent and entertaining.
At its core, the book is a fast moving, genre blending ride that mixes sharp dialogue, eccentric characters, and a healthy dose of blood soaked absurdity.
Overall, We Are All Monsters is a bold and darkly comedic mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy gritty noir with supernatural twists and a generous helping of twisted humor.
February 15, 2026
We Are All Monsters by AJS Imms opens like a hard-boiled detective novel from the 1970s, with first-person narration, a worn-down city, and, most strikingly, a voice worn down by moral struggle. At first it feels firmly rooted in noir. Then one becomes aware of the subtle introduction of mythology. Not as fantasy spectacle, but as a way of questioning power and moral consequence.
Mythical monsters are not out of place in gothic noir. They often point to fear and moral darkness.
The novel also leans towards melodrama, which I loved. The emotions run high and the danger keeps building, so that the story takes on an epic quality. Yet it avoids simple heroics. Weakness and limits matter. The anti-hero’s flaws act as ethical safeguards rather than problems to be solved.
Mythological references span Norse, Celtic, Pacific, Judean, and Egyptian traditions (perhaps more, but that is what I picked up), without being forced into a single system. They suggest a shared memory in which power is something to be handled with care.
At the heart of the novel is a girl who must be protected. She is from ancient memory and is significant, yet appears as a child and is easily overlooked. Some of my favourite moments come from the anti-hero’s gentle, respectful way of protecting her.
Music also plays a strong role, with chapter titles drawn from late 1960s and 1970s rock and folk-rock songs. Set against scenes of violence and moral compromise, they create an unsettling effect. Dark yet funny. Humour is one of the major features of the novel.
This is not a comforting book. It is intense and uncomfortable. Readers like me who enjoy gothic noir shaped by myth and moral tension will find it a striking and memorable read.
Mythical monsters are not out of place in gothic noir. They often point to fear and moral darkness.
The novel also leans towards melodrama, which I loved. The emotions run high and the danger keeps building, so that the story takes on an epic quality. Yet it avoids simple heroics. Weakness and limits matter. The anti-hero’s flaws act as ethical safeguards rather than problems to be solved.
Mythological references span Norse, Celtic, Pacific, Judean, and Egyptian traditions (perhaps more, but that is what I picked up), without being forced into a single system. They suggest a shared memory in which power is something to be handled with care.
At the heart of the novel is a girl who must be protected. She is from ancient memory and is significant, yet appears as a child and is easily overlooked. Some of my favourite moments come from the anti-hero’s gentle, respectful way of protecting her.
Music also plays a strong role, with chapter titles drawn from late 1960s and 1970s rock and folk-rock songs. Set against scenes of violence and moral compromise, they create an unsettling effect. Dark yet funny. Humour is one of the major features of the novel.
This is not a comforting book. It is intense and uncomfortable. Readers like me who enjoy gothic noir shaped by myth and moral tension will find it a striking and memorable read.
February 2, 2026
We Are All Monsters invited me into a hardboiled detective story then plunged me into an eldritch horror mystery and I loved every minute of it. From the rich 80’s Antipodean setting to the well-researched who’s-who of occultic entities, there are more than enough monsters of every variety to go around. Harvey is a lovably flawed protagonist and his narrative is brimming with personality, which the author plays for a fantastic balance of pathos and humour. The story has a great pace and never loses sight of Harvey’s goals, even when everything around him conspires to drag him off course. We Are All Monsters creates a very believable world where the supernatural meets grimy reality solidly, and with all the grit of the great detective stories it pays homage to.
April 9, 2026
Firstly a confession - I know the author personally.
Having said that, I loved this book. I liked the chatty style, and it made me think of Raymond Chandler's books - though it has to have been at least 30 years since I read one of those. I've been following Andrew's published work for a while now (check out the North Shore Writers' Group anthologies I've reviewed here before), and his debut novel did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to more.
Having said that, I loved this book. I liked the chatty style, and it made me think of Raymond Chandler's books - though it has to have been at least 30 years since I read one of those. I've been following Andrew's published work for a while now (check out the North Shore Writers' Group anthologies I've reviewed here before), and his debut novel did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to more.
February 4, 2026
Imms nails this one on the head with the pacing and tone always keeping you wondering what's lurking around the corner.
Harvey shines out as my favourite part of the book. A fantastic Noir protagonist who feels like a gritty, cigar smoking golden retriever with a few extra lives (wink).
A must read for anyone with a dark sense of humor who loves a good mystery.
Harvey shines out as my favourite part of the book. A fantastic Noir protagonist who feels like a gritty, cigar smoking golden retriever with a few extra lives (wink).
A must read for anyone with a dark sense of humor who loves a good mystery.
April 28, 2026
It's just before Christmas when private detective Harvey is given a job with too high a reward to refuse, but perhaps too high to be trusted. What he discovers will involve much pain and suffering for him, all delivered through his cynical and snarky narration, aided by somewhat relevant song titles. Christian and 'pagan' elements are mixed to create a curious world of monsters, not all the demonic kind.
If you love an underdog who will do anything for those he loves, or at least has to protect, while doing good deeds he complains about, you will love this story. Ancient relics, magic and Christmas blend to create a truly weird but rewarding story.
If you love an underdog who will do anything for those he loves, or at least has to protect, while doing good deeds he complains about, you will love this story. Ancient relics, magic and Christmas blend to create a truly weird but rewarding story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews