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Bullets in the Dark: An Arkham Horror Novel
Izzie Barnes is alive!
The detective work of Isabelle Barnes and Tommy Muldoon reveals Arkham's dark underbelly full of murder and eldritch mayhem in this thrilling noir adventure, accompanying the release of Arkham The Card Game Chapter 2.
Missing and feared dead for years, Isabelle "Izzie" Barnes has returned to Arkham after escaping a sinister cult that planmnmed to make her the final piece in their dark, twisted ritual. But Isabelle's freedom has come at a terrinle cost, and now she demands justice.
When bodies start to show up with strange glass orbs burned into their mouths and uncanny links to a series of cold cases emerge, Isabelle partners with police officer Tommy Muldoon to unravel a sinister plot and uncovers an evil that runs both deep and dark through the city of Arkham. Something only a bullet can kill...
The detective work of Isabelle Barnes and Tommy Muldoon reveals Arkham's dark underbelly full of murder and eldritch mayhem in this thrilling noir adventure, accompanying the release of Arkham The Card Game Chapter 2.
Missing and feared dead for years, Isabelle "Izzie" Barnes has returned to Arkham after escaping a sinister cult that planmnmed to make her the final piece in their dark, twisted ritual. But Isabelle's freedom has come at a terrinle cost, and now she demands justice.
When bodies start to show up with strange glass orbs burned into their mouths and uncanny links to a series of cold cases emerge, Isabelle partners with police officer Tommy Muldoon to unravel a sinister plot and uncovers an evil that runs both deep and dark through the city of Arkham. Something only a bullet can kill...
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 9, 2026
Received as an arc from Netgalley:
Another super fun entry into the world of Arkham Horror! This one definitely went some places I wasn't expecting and the third act was tremendously fun.
Another super fun entry into the world of Arkham Horror! This one definitely went some places I wasn't expecting and the third act was tremendously fun.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this novel set in the popular game world of Arkham Horror, about a young woman who was once nearly a victim in the sacred rites of a cult, trying to stop the rising evil that is happening in a town, balanced on the edge of anarchy and destruction.
Power corrupts absolutely. Nature abhors a vacuum. Humans are susceptible to the powers of the Elder Gods. No where is this more true then in Arkham, Massachusetts, a town brought both to the edge of annihilation and madness by corruption of all sorts. Corruption of the soul, the mind, morals, even of the very earth beneath the feet of its citizens. Many try to go on with their lives, many choose to ignore the police with their hands out, the rich bootlegging alcohol and victims for dark rites. Those who have little fight to keep what they have. Those who are woman have given up hope in many ways. However one woman has seen the darkness firsthand. And lost much of what she loved. When the courts of man fail, she takes to the wet smoke filed streets of Arkham to find answers. And maybe redemption. Bullets in the Dark: An Arkham Horror Novel by Cath Lauria is a tale of the evils that men do, the want of power, the want of money, and those things waiting on the threshold, waiting for any chance to enter our world, and complete the putrefacton so many humans have allowed.
Isabelle Barnes was to be sacrificed not just once, but twice to creatures from beyond, all for the benefit of the oldest and richest family in Arkham. Only the intervention of her sister saved her soul and mind, but at a terrible cost. Isabelle swears vengeance, but finds doing so is stacked against one who lacks power. And is a woman. A court trial comes to nothing, but she does meet a young police officer, Tommy Muldoon. Muldoon is one of the rare cops, not on the take, and cares about people. Muldoon asks Isabelle about the many missing women in Arkham, something he suspects might be bigger than anyone in town wants to think. Isabelle is brought into a small group of woman who are trying to help others who need it. Here Isabelle finds that Arkham does have a problem, one that is far larger than she thought. And one only a person who has seen the evil of the other side can deal with.
A dark story that has many echoes of what is happening in the world today. Women being treated like second class citizens, being used to further dark acts. The story is a sequel to the comic series The Terror at the End of Time, something not mentioned, and might confuse readers in the beginning. However one picks up enough to catch on. I liked the characters quite a bit. Isabelle comes into her own, growing from victim to someone who knows what is right, and what is wrong and acts accordingly. Tommy Muldoon seems very naive as a cop. This was the time of rubber truncheons, railroading anyone for crimes, and Miranda rights were just a dream, so his stickler attitude seems a little much in a town like Arkham. Lauria has a very nice writing style, one can smell the rot, feel the tears form from the smoke, and the heart grab a little at the horror. I also like the relationship between the characters not forced into a romance for sake of the story. A fun story, with a lot of social meaning, as true now as it was back in the Jazz Age.
A great addition to the series, and one that sets up another defender in the darkness that is Arkham. A great adventure, perfect for fans, and perfect for a little scare. I enjoy this series quite a bit, and really enjoy the writing of Cath Lauria. I look forward to more adventures from both.
Power corrupts absolutely. Nature abhors a vacuum. Humans are susceptible to the powers of the Elder Gods. No where is this more true then in Arkham, Massachusetts, a town brought both to the edge of annihilation and madness by corruption of all sorts. Corruption of the soul, the mind, morals, even of the very earth beneath the feet of its citizens. Many try to go on with their lives, many choose to ignore the police with their hands out, the rich bootlegging alcohol and victims for dark rites. Those who have little fight to keep what they have. Those who are woman have given up hope in many ways. However one woman has seen the darkness firsthand. And lost much of what she loved. When the courts of man fail, she takes to the wet smoke filed streets of Arkham to find answers. And maybe redemption. Bullets in the Dark: An Arkham Horror Novel by Cath Lauria is a tale of the evils that men do, the want of power, the want of money, and those things waiting on the threshold, waiting for any chance to enter our world, and complete the putrefacton so many humans have allowed.
Isabelle Barnes was to be sacrificed not just once, but twice to creatures from beyond, all for the benefit of the oldest and richest family in Arkham. Only the intervention of her sister saved her soul and mind, but at a terrible cost. Isabelle swears vengeance, but finds doing so is stacked against one who lacks power. And is a woman. A court trial comes to nothing, but she does meet a young police officer, Tommy Muldoon. Muldoon is one of the rare cops, not on the take, and cares about people. Muldoon asks Isabelle about the many missing women in Arkham, something he suspects might be bigger than anyone in town wants to think. Isabelle is brought into a small group of woman who are trying to help others who need it. Here Isabelle finds that Arkham does have a problem, one that is far larger than she thought. And one only a person who has seen the evil of the other side can deal with.
A dark story that has many echoes of what is happening in the world today. Women being treated like second class citizens, being used to further dark acts. The story is a sequel to the comic series The Terror at the End of Time, something not mentioned, and might confuse readers in the beginning. However one picks up enough to catch on. I liked the characters quite a bit. Isabelle comes into her own, growing from victim to someone who knows what is right, and what is wrong and acts accordingly. Tommy Muldoon seems very naive as a cop. This was the time of rubber truncheons, railroading anyone for crimes, and Miranda rights were just a dream, so his stickler attitude seems a little much in a town like Arkham. Lauria has a very nice writing style, one can smell the rot, feel the tears form from the smoke, and the heart grab a little at the horror. I also like the relationship between the characters not forced into a romance for sake of the story. A fun story, with a lot of social meaning, as true now as it was back in the Jazz Age.
A great addition to the series, and one that sets up another defender in the darkness that is Arkham. A great adventure, perfect for fans, and perfect for a little scare. I enjoy this series quite a bit, and really enjoy the writing of Cath Lauria. I look forward to more adventures from both.
Read
June 18, 2026I find the Arkham Horror novels to be tremendously fun. They tend to have that “scary story around a campfire” feel. The setting is great, the atmosphere is delightfully eerie, and the writing is generally snappy. Some books embrace horrors of a slightly more believable kind, and I feel that author Cath Lauria did a great job with that here.
Izzie Barnes has come back to Arkham for revenge, after surviving the attempts of a cult to sacrifice her. But nothing is ever simple in Arkham, and Izzie finds herself in the center of another sinister plot. She has to team up with a naive yet wellmeaning cop, Tommy Muldoon, in an attempt to find answers (and hopefully survive).
I enjoy both characters. They each bring their own special something to the table, and I liked seeing their dynamic. They both wanted justice, but didn’t always have the same idea as to how to get it. Their working relationship highlighted their strengths, but it also held up a mirror to show their flaws. They were impressively layered.
Bullets in the Dark combined the usual fantastical horror that I expect from Arkham Horror with more believable obstacles. There is a lack of help to be had, with people just looking the other way. I’ve noticed more serious themes being woven into this series on several occasions, and Bullets in the Dark shows that evil doesn’t always come with a monstrous or supernatural flavor. Sometimes evil arrives dressed as uncaring people or a twisted justice system.
This added a little something to an already entertaining book. The writing is top-notch, and the pacing is solid. There’s still enough of the supernatural shenanigans to have that classic Arkham Horror feel, while adding an extra level of nuance.
This was another great Akham Horror Novel. Bullets in the Dark is a great book for readers who want a closer look at the things that go bump in the night.
Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing me with a copy of this book. My review is voluntary and my opinions are completely my own.
Izzie Barnes has come back to Arkham for revenge, after surviving the attempts of a cult to sacrifice her. But nothing is ever simple in Arkham, and Izzie finds herself in the center of another sinister plot. She has to team up with a naive yet wellmeaning cop, Tommy Muldoon, in an attempt to find answers (and hopefully survive).
I enjoy both characters. They each bring their own special something to the table, and I liked seeing their dynamic. They both wanted justice, but didn’t always have the same idea as to how to get it. Their working relationship highlighted their strengths, but it also held up a mirror to show their flaws. They were impressively layered.
Bullets in the Dark combined the usual fantastical horror that I expect from Arkham Horror with more believable obstacles. There is a lack of help to be had, with people just looking the other way. I’ve noticed more serious themes being woven into this series on several occasions, and Bullets in the Dark shows that evil doesn’t always come with a monstrous or supernatural flavor. Sometimes evil arrives dressed as uncaring people or a twisted justice system.
This added a little something to an already entertaining book. The writing is top-notch, and the pacing is solid. There’s still enough of the supernatural shenanigans to have that classic Arkham Horror feel, while adding an extra level of nuance.
This was another great Akham Horror Novel. Bullets in the Dark is a great book for readers who want a closer look at the things that go bump in the night.
Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing me with a copy of this book. My review is voluntary and my opinions are completely my own.
July 8, 2026
I’m glad to have Arkham Horror audiobooks back on the menu after a 4 (I think) book hiatus; and this one was a great return to the world of Arkham Horror.
The new Investigator Izzie takes center stage here after being saved by her sister and long-time playable character Jenny Barnes. But her rescue wasn’t without sacrifice. While it’s not necessary to read the Jenny Barnes comic books, they do the job of explaining how Jenny found her long-lost sister. While this book has the job of making her sister Izzie a real character instead of another face on a milk carton.
Izzie makes quick work making her mark as one of the newest investigators with her quick willingness to act and her skill at getting information out of people she’s interrogating.
Of course, Izzie isn’t alone on this cult dismantling adventure. She is joined by the less rookie, more cop Tommy Maldun. Who trys his best to do things by the book, keeping Izzie from taking things too far too quickly. There’s some well-developed romance that is left in the air by the end of the book due to Izzie and Tommy having such differing ways of taking down cults.
There are a few other Investigators that make an appearance here. George Barnaby is Izzie’s lawyer, Charlie Kane gives some assistance while he deals with his reelection campaign in the midst of the towns near destruction, Agnes has brief appearances in the diner, and Daisy Walker offers her assistance when researching in the university library. She also comes with a bubbly, nervous personality as a great fit for her character.
I mentioned earlier that this book is the sequel to a short comic series, but it also follows the events of the Drowned City trilogy. And with that, the overall events of the Card Game expansion by the same name. The plot is woven together really well and does a good job creating a living world. Here's to hoping future novels in this series follow this path.
The new Investigator Izzie takes center stage here after being saved by her sister and long-time playable character Jenny Barnes. But her rescue wasn’t without sacrifice. While it’s not necessary to read the Jenny Barnes comic books, they do the job of explaining how Jenny found her long-lost sister. While this book has the job of making her sister Izzie a real character instead of another face on a milk carton.
Izzie makes quick work making her mark as one of the newest investigators with her quick willingness to act and her skill at getting information out of people she’s interrogating.
Of course, Izzie isn’t alone on this cult dismantling adventure. She is joined by the less rookie, more cop Tommy Maldun. Who trys his best to do things by the book, keeping Izzie from taking things too far too quickly. There’s some well-developed romance that is left in the air by the end of the book due to Izzie and Tommy having such differing ways of taking down cults.
There are a few other Investigators that make an appearance here. George Barnaby is Izzie’s lawyer, Charlie Kane gives some assistance while he deals with his reelection campaign in the midst of the towns near destruction, Agnes has brief appearances in the diner, and Daisy Walker offers her assistance when researching in the university library. She also comes with a bubbly, nervous personality as a great fit for her character.
I mentioned earlier that this book is the sequel to a short comic series, but it also follows the events of the Drowned City trilogy. And with that, the overall events of the Card Game expansion by the same name. The plot is woven together really well and does a good job creating a living world. Here's to hoping future novels in this series follow this path.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a fun one, and did a great job entwining the protagonist's growth arc with the mystery of the disappearances. I deeply appreciated the way they actually introduced a genuinely good cop and showed that he needed to do things properly and by the book so that things would actually be admissible to court. I also appreciated that the reason we don't get much of those in fiction was because doing things properly and by the book is very slow and doesn't fit well with a fast-paced pulp action story, so instead we get a character who gets more and more steeped in vigilanteism. I'm more on Muldoon's side than Isabelle's, but I respect her arguments, you know?
I didn't quite buy all the details of this -- so much happened by coincidence, even when Isabelle was investigating. She searched a whole office, then searched it again in depth, and found the hidden safe when she was giving up and happened to bump into the painting it was behind. So many of the contacts she made who were vital was just luck. I would have loved just a few more of these moments to have been tightened up so that reveals and choices felt more deliberate throughout, but there's still enough strong character choice moments to balance it out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't quite buy all the details of this -- so much happened by coincidence, even when Isabelle was investigating. She searched a whole office, then searched it again in depth, and found the hidden safe when she was giving up and happened to bump into the painting it was behind. So many of the contacts she made who were vital was just luck. I would have loved just a few more of these moments to have been tightened up so that reveals and choices felt more deliberate throughout, but there's still enough strong character choice moments to balance it out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2026
I really like the Arkham Horror series. It’s like The Babysitter’s Club for my occult side. There are, of course, some I like better than others, but overall it’s a solid series with fun stories to get lost in and enjoy.
Bullets in the Dark is no exception to this aesthetic. Isabelle and Tommy may be a little farther apart in how they want to deal with the situation than the characters usually are, but that just provides some good tension that will most likely be revisited in a later story.
[It should be noted that the publisher provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it. All of our reviews are written honestly and independently regardless of whether a copy of the book is provided by the publisher or purchased by the reviewer]
Read an extended version of the review here:
https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-revi...
Bullets in the Dark is no exception to this aesthetic. Isabelle and Tommy may be a little farther apart in how they want to deal with the situation than the characters usually are, but that just provides some good tension that will most likely be revisited in a later story.
[It should be noted that the publisher provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it. All of our reviews are written honestly and independently regardless of whether a copy of the book is provided by the publisher or purchased by the reviewer]
Read an extended version of the review here:
https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-revi...
January 31, 2026
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This is a fantastic edition to the Arkham Horror series. I’d read and enjoyed a previous Lovecraftian tale from this author so when I saw their name come up, I thought it was worth exploring. I was not disappointed.
This tale follows a young woman who is down on her luck, issues with landladys, a personal tragedy, a stain on her life from a horrific experience with the rich and powerful. She is testifying at a trial, seeing once again how money and privilege can override the law. There she meets an eager police officer who, sensing her passion to do what’s right, invites her to get in touch. This leads to a lovely, but nuanced, and sometimes fractured partnership. There’s some real beneficial help and support, but also differences of opinions over what’s important and how things should be done in the face of great evil.
I flew through this book, being totally engrossed in this tale that gradually unravels a terrifying web of cults, mysteries and nefarious characters. I loved the dynamic between our two investigators, who come from different backgrounds and points of view. I loved the way the story built and how information was gained. The whole thing was totally fascinating.
I’d certainly read more from this author.
This is a fantastic edition to the Arkham Horror series. I’d read and enjoyed a previous Lovecraftian tale from this author so when I saw their name come up, I thought it was worth exploring. I was not disappointed.
This tale follows a young woman who is down on her luck, issues with landladys, a personal tragedy, a stain on her life from a horrific experience with the rich and powerful. She is testifying at a trial, seeing once again how money and privilege can override the law. There she meets an eager police officer who, sensing her passion to do what’s right, invites her to get in touch. This leads to a lovely, but nuanced, and sometimes fractured partnership. There’s some real beneficial help and support, but also differences of opinions over what’s important and how things should be done in the face of great evil.
I flew through this book, being totally engrossed in this tale that gradually unravels a terrifying web of cults, mysteries and nefarious characters. I loved the dynamic between our two investigators, who come from different backgrounds and points of view. I loved the way the story built and how information was gained. The whole thing was totally fascinating.
I’d certainly read more from this author.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is one of those cases where it's perfectly acceptable to judge a book by it's cover, as the fantastic artwork tells you exactly what to expect; a 30's noir-ish occult detective tale with lashings of mythos and cult skullduggery.
Don't worry that you need to know anything about Arkham Horror games or Lovecraftian lore, as this book is completely stand-alone.
The plot moves along at a steady pace, with well drawn main characters and a setting that is fully grounded. The writing is extremely good, without being showy; the author has a wonderful feel for language, (at one point a character is described as feeling "soulcold", a turn of phrase that literally stunned me for a second I liked it so much). There was also a reunion scene that had me a little choked, I don't mind admitting.
Overall, this is just a fantastic read, highly recommended.
Don't worry that you need to know anything about Arkham Horror games or Lovecraftian lore, as this book is completely stand-alone.
The plot moves along at a steady pace, with well drawn main characters and a setting that is fully grounded. The writing is extremely good, without being showy; the author has a wonderful feel for language, (at one point a character is described as feeling "soulcold", a turn of phrase that literally stunned me for a second I liked it so much). There was also a reunion scene that had me a little choked, I don't mind admitting.
Overall, this is just a fantastic read, highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It's a solid adventure that really only has mythos at the periphery. Barnes is likeable and I appreciate that Lauria didn't force things between her and .
April 8, 2026
Pulp fiction (not Pulp Fiction) for the Arkham Horror set
August 15, 2026
Enjoyable but at this point im wondering what Tommy's issue is now that he knows how corrupt arkham is
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