By Dawn's Early Light: A Supernatural Thriller

by Graeme Reynolds

Jack Carlton thought he’d left his demons behind. He was wrong.
After crawling out of the bottle, Jack has rebuilt a fragile peace. He’s sober, his private investigator business is ticking over, and he’s working things out with his daughter, Stephanie, in their old family home. But his relentless insomnia and dreamless existence hint that something dark still lingers within him.
When an old police colleague asks for Jack’s help on a chilling case, his carefully reconstructed life begins to unravel. The Witchfinder, the serial killer who drove Jack to leave the force, has returned. This time, the killer’s twisted game feels eerily personal.
As Jack teams up with his former partner to investigate, they uncover disturbing links between the new murders, a missing journalist, and whispers of an ancient, malevolent force operating in the shadows of London. The deeper Jack digs, the more he’s forced to confront the horrors of his past—and the terrifying truth behind his own sleepless nights.
Will Jack have the strength to face the darkness, or will it consume everything he’s fought to save?
Prepare for a heart-pounding blend of crime, mystery, and supernatural terror in this gripping thriller you won’t be able to put down.

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 30, 2026

About the author

Graeme Reynolds is an exile from the North East of England, hiding out in the South West where he spends his time thinking up new ways to terrify people.

You can read more of his work on his web-site:

http://www.graemereynolds.com

Reviews

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Carlton is getting himself together. He's finally quit drinking and he's been working hard to rebuild his relationship with his daughter. His PI practice got a bit of a bump after the events at the end of the first book, but now business is on the downslope again. He then catches a case regarding a missing reporter. Oh, and a serial killer is back on the scene! This is the killer behind Jack's departure from the police department, and why he is a PI now. But what about those carvings on Jack's chest from the end of the last book? What do they mean? And what is going on with Mr. Nibbles? You'll have to read this to find out!

I was a big fan of Jack's by the end of the first novel. Yes, he was a raging alcoholic, but he knew it and was trying to be better. His love for his daughter was real and in his heart he was a good guy. To see him get his shit together was great. To see all that hard work threatened by events he could not control ramped my empathy right up to 11.

Once again, Jack's friends, (and this time his daughter too), rallied around him and were there for him when it really mattered. It was hard for him to accept that help, mostly because what his friends went through in the last book and how many ways they were permanently scarred by giving that aid.

I love me books about ancient evils and have read plenty of them. What makes this series a bit different is the character of Jack. His humor just cracks me up. "Sobriety is a big fucking pile of shit." is the opening sentence here, so we get a taste of his black humor right off the bat. It probably is a big pile of shit but he his trying his best and this reader cannot help but root for him.

By Dawn's Early Light was fast paced and action packed. Nearly 300 pages long, I burned through paragraphs as if I was on fire and the book aflame too. I am ready to learn more about the forces threatening Jack and his family, but I guess I'm going to have to wait for the next book for that. What a bummer!

Highly recommended!

*ARC from publisher