What do you think?
Rate this book
Black Knight Chronicles #5
In the Still of the Knight
The bodies are piling up!
Murders are happening outside Charlotte’s hottest nightspots. A new vampire society has set up shop in the sewers. And Jimmy Black’s about to run afoul of the Master of the City. If Jimmy weren’t already a vampire, the week ahead would be the death of him.
Between murder, monsters, pesky vampire ethics, and territorial disputes, Jimmy is about to discover how far he’s willing to go to save the world and one friend’s soul.
There are no easy choices, even for vampire geeks.
The boys are back with all-new monsters to battle, puzzles to unravel, and asses to kick in this fifth volume of the award-winning The Black Knight Chronicles series.
Murders are happening outside Charlotte’s hottest nightspots. A new vampire society has set up shop in the sewers. And Jimmy Black’s about to run afoul of the Master of the City. If Jimmy weren’t already a vampire, the week ahead would be the death of him.
Between murder, monsters, pesky vampire ethics, and territorial disputes, Jimmy is about to discover how far he’s willing to go to save the world and one friend’s soul.
There are no easy choices, even for vampire geeks.
The boys are back with all-new monsters to battle, puzzles to unravel, and asses to kick in this fifth volume of the award-winning The Black Knight Chronicles series.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2015
38 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
John G. Hartness
191 books592 followersJohn 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 7, 2016
This is more a three point five, but the ending was just so much fun and left me wanting more I bumped it up a bit.
November 8, 2021
Excellent, though he got me in the emotional department with Dad, Father Mike, and how both Jimmy and Greg deal with his passing (not very well -). I look forward to the next book in the series.
Such a great series.
Such a great series.
October 30, 2015
It seemed like another series of supernatural murders to investigate – young people aged and left for dead. Definitely a job for Greg, James and Sabrina.
But they stumble on to a major secret under the city – and James’s life is suddenly riven by dangerous, tragic and difficult conflicts. How far will he go for what is right? Who will he save, and what will he pay to save or avenge?
There’s no easy choices and maybe no good choices.
This book took the series to a decidedly dark place. This series has always had excellent action, a whole lot of zany fun and a very wide world setting – but it has generally been light, fun, jokey. Even when it did try to go dark, it never went that dark, at least not for long. Whackiness normally ensues and overwhelms
This book takes the whole series into a very new direction. I think of this book as the one where James has to grow up – where he faces a lot of conflicts that cannot be easily overcome – not just because there are bad guys to face, but because the conflicts are not just against bad guys you can stab or beat up until they give up. The conflicts are between James and his friends.
Between James and Abbie, James and Greg and even James and Sabrina we have a lot of heartbreaking conflict. Storywise, this drives James to the very edge and pushes him further than I ever expected him to go and puts him in a very different place at the end of the book. He’s harder, stronger and never more powerful – but also never more alone.
The conflicts with his friends and loved ones are especially good because they are difficult to unravel. In each case even when someone is wrong (such as Greg, who is very very wrong about wanting to turn someone into vampire against their will), their anger still comes from a very real place. Yes Greg is wrong, but his emotion, his rage is understandable and, in turn, that makes it all the harder for me to see how the relationship can be bridged
With Sabrina it’s more complex because both James and Sabrina are right and wrong. Her job, as a police woman, is to protect the people of the city. As such she sees the battle as protecting people from monsters – but what about when the people (and especially the police) have been infiltrated by the monsters? And what about when James sympathises with the “monsters” and not the police who are being used by the monsters? What if to save monsters he considers innocents, he has to hurt people Sabrina considers innocent? This is especially complex when we have those police, unlike nameless guards everywhere, actually being people with families and Sabrina objecting to a super powerful vampire tearing through them and sending them to hospital.
Read More
But they stumble on to a major secret under the city – and James’s life is suddenly riven by dangerous, tragic and difficult conflicts. How far will he go for what is right? Who will he save, and what will he pay to save or avenge?
There’s no easy choices and maybe no good choices.
This book took the series to a decidedly dark place. This series has always had excellent action, a whole lot of zany fun and a very wide world setting – but it has generally been light, fun, jokey. Even when it did try to go dark, it never went that dark, at least not for long. Whackiness normally ensues and overwhelms
This book takes the whole series into a very new direction. I think of this book as the one where James has to grow up – where he faces a lot of conflicts that cannot be easily overcome – not just because there are bad guys to face, but because the conflicts are not just against bad guys you can stab or beat up until they give up. The conflicts are between James and his friends.
Between James and Abbie, James and Greg and even James and Sabrina we have a lot of heartbreaking conflict. Storywise, this drives James to the very edge and pushes him further than I ever expected him to go and puts him in a very different place at the end of the book. He’s harder, stronger and never more powerful – but also never more alone.
The conflicts with his friends and loved ones are especially good because they are difficult to unravel. In each case even when someone is wrong (such as Greg, who is very very wrong about wanting to turn someone into vampire against their will), their anger still comes from a very real place. Yes Greg is wrong, but his emotion, his rage is understandable and, in turn, that makes it all the harder for me to see how the relationship can be bridged
With Sabrina it’s more complex because both James and Sabrina are right and wrong. Her job, as a police woman, is to protect the people of the city. As such she sees the battle as protecting people from monsters – but what about when the people (and especially the police) have been infiltrated by the monsters? And what about when James sympathises with the “monsters” and not the police who are being used by the monsters? What if to save monsters he considers innocents, he has to hurt people Sabrina considers innocent? This is especially complex when we have those police, unlike nameless guards everywhere, actually being people with families and Sabrina objecting to a super powerful vampire tearing through them and sending them to hospital.
Read More
August 30, 2016
If you like supernatural reading and vampires, you will love this series.
March 30, 2022
Overall this was a quite enjoyable instalment in the Black Knight Chronicles series.
I do like the main protagonist and I especially like that he has developed quite a bit and the book has less of the annoying fumbling around that plagued the previous books. Usually I like his entourage as well but Greg is quite frankly being quite a bit of an asshole in this book.
Unfortunately so is his girlfriend(?) cop. Sure, Jimmy could perhaps have been a bit more diplomatic at times but her putting herself on her moral high horse and stomp her fot like a spoiled brat did drag down the story for me. It’s the kind of behavior you would expect from a cheep drama series written by the usual Hollywood hacks that cannot imagine leaving a happy couple alone.
However, overall the story was fairly cool and there were indeed some interesting, not entirely predictable, twists towards the end. I did in particular like how that bitch Lilith got screwed over. Actually I cannot make up my mind about Lilith. Sometimes she is quite cool and I like here and sometimes she is just a bitch and I, obviously, do not like her at all.
Anyway, I am quite looking forward to see how Jimmy handles his new role. I just hope the author doesn’t screw it up by ruining it right away. After this bullshit with Jimmy’s girlfriend I am a bit worried indeed.
Oh, I just have to rant a bit given that I am a computer engineer after all. What the fuck is a “Cat5 system”? I can tell you what it is, it is the product of an author that cannot be bothered to do his research. There is no such thing as a “Cat5” computer system or rig. Cat5 is a standard for Ethernet cables and it is the type of cable which is used in pretty much every home or business installation so it is really nothing special.
Okay, rant over. This was a enjoyable book despite some nonsensical parts.
I do like the main protagonist and I especially like that he has developed quite a bit and the book has less of the annoying fumbling around that plagued the previous books. Usually I like his entourage as well but Greg is quite frankly being quite a bit of an asshole in this book.
Unfortunately so is his girlfriend(?) cop. Sure, Jimmy could perhaps have been a bit more diplomatic at times but her putting herself on her moral high horse and stomp her fot like a spoiled brat did drag down the story for me. It’s the kind of behavior you would expect from a cheep drama series written by the usual Hollywood hacks that cannot imagine leaving a happy couple alone.
However, overall the story was fairly cool and there were indeed some interesting, not entirely predictable, twists towards the end. I did in particular like how that bitch Lilith got screwed over. Actually I cannot make up my mind about Lilith. Sometimes she is quite cool and I like here and sometimes she is just a bitch and I, obviously, do not like her at all.
Anyway, I am quite looking forward to see how Jimmy handles his new role. I just hope the author doesn’t screw it up by ruining it right away. After this bullshit with Jimmy’s girlfriend I am a bit worried indeed.
Oh, I just have to rant a bit given that I am a computer engineer after all. What the fuck is a “Cat5 system”? I can tell you what it is, it is the product of an author that cannot be bothered to do his research. There is no such thing as a “Cat5” computer system or rig. Cat5 is a standard for Ethernet cables and it is the type of cable which is used in pretty much every home or business installation so it is really nothing special.
Okay, rant over. This was a enjoyable book despite some nonsensical parts.
April 17, 2018
A thoroughly entertaining story about a baby vamp that wasn’t taught the rules therefore they don’t apply. I am anxious to read book two after just finishing book one. Each character was intriguing as standalone but also loved the interactions among them. The setting being The Queen City was also outstanding and the pop culture references keep you smiling as you read.
November 20, 2025
The gang are back and they are up against a monster draining the life of its victims, leading to a meeting with sewer vampires and a face off against the master vampire. In between that they have to face up to the loss of a dear friend.
April 13, 2018
tired of reviewing mediocre books :/
"bah, mediocre"
"bah, mediocre"
July 7, 2015
I was excited to receive a copy of this work by the publisher for an honest review. Every time a new 'Black Knight' book comes out, I feel like taking a day off from work, bolting the door shut . . . and in a manic frenzy, by-passing eating, drinking, and sleeping until the book is read from cover to cover. This time was no exception; Hartness scored another win! The writing and story line excites--without taking itself too seriously. I love the Jimmy's sense of humor. Spoiler alert: Having a true knock down with his partner added life to the storyline. I'm not a fan of the detective and I hope she and Jimmy go their separate ways like the proverbial ships in the Knight.
November 10, 2015
The Black Knight Chronicles are full of all the thrills, chills, laughs and feels you could be looking for. Written with brilliant wit and pacing, you will find yourself happily tagging along as part of Black Knight Investigations, saving the fair city of Charlotte and most definitely throwing back a few beers (or other beverage of choice).
I reviewed all 5 books in one post.
Check it out at http://wegeekgirls.com/2015/11/09/boo...
I reviewed all 5 books in one post.
Check it out at http://wegeekgirls.com/2015/11/09/boo...
September 20, 2015
These guys continue to be so much fun. Nerdy, not sparkly, vampires really should be the new rule. The points of true sadness in this one makes the rest all the more important because it's a window into the reality of all they don't or can't have, with the humor being the one thing that makes it, perhaps not great, but bearable. With the responsibilities coming up at the end, the next in the series will certainly be fun!
October 3, 2015
More of a 2.5 really, this seems to be the book in the series where the author loses the plot and sends everything of the rails. It was fairly normal through the first 4/5ths of the story but then out of nowhere this really bizarre, rushed, kinda cliche ending. No idea where the series is gonna go now.
November 1, 2015
Another enjoyable addition to the series. The events with between Mike,Greg and Jimmy were the highlights of the book to me. I did feel Sabrina over reacted at the end of the book especially considering the mc didnt kill anyone and was technically trying to stop the very person controlling the work colleagues she was annoyed he was hurting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2015
A great read
If you want a great, fun read where the hero doesn't have an answer for everything, loss is felt by every character and an epic amount of humanism is polluted into each page, then this series is one for you.
Enjoy.
If you want a great, fun read where the hero doesn't have an answer for everything, loss is felt by every character and an epic amount of humanism is polluted into each page, then this series is one for you.
Enjoy.
August 13, 2015
Pure fun
I keep reading because I keep wanting to see where it could possibly go and it just keeps getting better. It's absolutely pure fun to read this series and it keeps surprising me on where it's headed.
I keep reading because I keep wanting to see where it could possibly go and it just keeps getting better. It's absolutely pure fun to read this series and it keeps surprising me on where it's headed.
March 4, 2016
Hmmmm where do we go from here????
It was so obvious that Lilith was involved in the Morlocks deaths.
Weren't the Morlocks in the Xmen and didn't Storm, battle their leader to become the leader of them??? The things you remember!!!
It was so obvious that Lilith was involved in the Morlocks deaths.
Weren't the Morlocks in the Xmen and didn't Storm, battle their leader to become the leader of them??? The things you remember!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2015
The series is getting better and better. There are a lot of changes in James Black's 'life' in this book. Totally surprised at the ending. (Reminded me of Conan the Barbarian.) And now I wait.
August 15, 2017
These books are fun, quick reads. The characters are believable, the jokes are funny, and the references to other literary universes are the cherry on top. I wish there were more of them.
April 8, 2017
My kind of vampires , no sparkles .
Black Knight Chronicles is a action packed series with a sense of humor . Looking forward to next book in the series.
Black Knight Chronicles is a action packed series with a sense of humor . Looking forward to next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews