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Dark Resolution
Two years have passed since Quinn Sullivan vanquished the Demon of Resolution Cove armed with only Autumn Donnelly’s dagger. Now, new forces conspire to test the Guardian once more as he is sent to discover who, or what, was behind the suicide of Inspector Green’s son. Little does he expect what awaits for him in the mountain town of Cranbrook.
Devoid of the Guardian’s protection, Quinn’s fellow RCMP constables are set in a trap they cannot escape as piles of human bones begin turning up. A serial killer is on the loose, searching for a little girl with abilities that will release others of its ilk to rain Hell down on earth.
Armed with only Autumn’s dagger and her courage, Quinn must save those he loves lest they, too, become nothing but bones. To win, the Guardian must make a sacrifice. For him to succeed, one must fall.
Devoid of the Guardian’s protection, Quinn’s fellow RCMP constables are set in a trap they cannot escape as piles of human bones begin turning up. A serial killer is on the loose, searching for a little girl with abilities that will release others of its ilk to rain Hell down on earth.
Armed with only Autumn’s dagger and her courage, Quinn must save those he loves lest they, too, become nothing but bones. To win, the Guardian must make a sacrifice. For him to succeed, one must fall.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2015
I bought Dark Resolution and within a paragraph realized it is the second book in the series. So I read The Watch and really enjoyed it. It's a thriller with paranormal happenings with a Mountie as the hero. As a former prosecutor, I loved seeing the differences and similarities between the Canadian and US police systems. I liked the characters and it kept my interest throughout. I was stunned to realize that this was the first novel.
As to Dark Resolution, it was even better than The Watch. We learn more about the characters, and this plot also moved briskly. No lagging middle. Sometimes things got so tense I had to put the book down for a bit to get some air, but then I had to return to find out what happened.
At the end there is a resolution of the immediate story problem, but another important one (actually several) are raised, so I really wish Mr. Gillies would hurry and finish No. 3. He's a real-life Mountie, so I may have a wait.
Highly recommended.
As to Dark Resolution, it was even better than The Watch. We learn more about the characters, and this plot also moved briskly. No lagging middle. Sometimes things got so tense I had to put the book down for a bit to get some air, but then I had to return to find out what happened.
At the end there is a resolution of the immediate story problem, but another important one (actually several) are raised, so I really wish Mr. Gillies would hurry and finish No. 3. He's a real-life Mountie, so I may have a wait.
Highly recommended.
December 22, 2015
Dark Resolution is the sequel to Gillies' first published horror/thriller, The Watch. Once again, Quinn Sullivan and his band of Mounties must do battle with an ancient evil that invades a small town in British Columbia. This can be read on its own, but I highly recommend reading The Watch first.
In this book, you can definitely see Gillies' progression as a writer. While both books are good, Dark Resolution is tighter, more riveting, and there is a lot more character development. In both books, Gillies gives you a behind-the-scenes peek at what it is *really* like to be a police officer, demons aside. This is one of the things that sets his work apart - it is grittier and more authentic than its competition, and I personally love that.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Gillies nicely sets up a teaser for the third book in the series, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next.
In this book, you can definitely see Gillies' progression as a writer. While both books are good, Dark Resolution is tighter, more riveting, and there is a lot more character development. In both books, Gillies gives you a behind-the-scenes peek at what it is *really* like to be a police officer, demons aside. This is one of the things that sets his work apart - it is grittier and more authentic than its competition, and I personally love that.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Gillies nicely sets up a teaser for the third book in the series, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next.
November 10, 2015
Having enjoyed the first book in this paranormal mystery series, I was thrilled to dig into this further adventure. Gillies doesn't disappoint with a plot that twists and turns and plenty of RCMP throwing everything they have at near-invincible demons. Now I just have that long wait until the next book. Sigh.
December 14, 2017
The Watch, Tyner Gillies, 2012
Dark Resolution, Tyner Gillies, 2015
Have you ever wanted to move to a sweet slow town as mellow as Mayberry but not that far south? I have. I’ve even scoped a few out. And so did RCMP Constable Quinn Sullivan when he signed on in Resolution, a small town on the coast of British Columbia several hours drive from Prince George. But the problem with small towns is that the romance doesn’t always mirror the reality. And some towns hide monsters.
When I started reading The Watch, the first book in this series, I thought I was reading a police procedural. Tyner Gillies is a real modern-day lawman and his novels open the closed doors of cruisers and stations, cop pubs and dank basements. His terminology is authentic. We meet “members” of the “Queen’s goons.” We feel the “burl of the hot shotgun barrel”. We hold our breath as Quinn “racks the shotgun” and “snicks the final shell”. Laced with gritty raw talk and subtle humour, we glimpse the world of the Mounties from the inside.
So imagine my surprise when a “humanoid shape with two sharp red eyes” appears from “the tumbled folds of rags” in Joe Robowski’s basement and I realize this is no police crime novel. This is something else. Urban fantasy? Horror?
As murders amass, Quinn Sullivan discovers he’s something else: a Guardian, a Warrior. Witch historian Autumn Donnelly presents him with homemade books that reveal the presence of demons in places of true and tragic evil—places like residential schools and witch trials—places like Joe Robowski’s basement. Gillies says on his website that The Watch was inspired by a personal experience:
I had about 3 months of service in the Force, when I was called to check an abandoned house for squatters in a distant corner of my policing district. I went out there, by myself, thinking nothing of it, as it was a type of call I’d responded to a dozen times before. I found the house, and went in with my flashlight to make sure no one was inside. It was a musty shambles, filled with garbage and broken furniture, as well as something I didn’t expect, and had never felt before or since.
I felt a presence, something dark and heavy, and whatever it was made it clear that I was not welcome. I found no sign of anyone squatting there, and could understand why, if they had felt the same thing I did. I got out of that house as quickly as I could, and thought about it for days afterward.
Gillies draws and holds his suspense scenes like a bow. The details of a three-minute fight keep me riveted for pages as Quinn and his Mountie partners track and fight the demon.
Quinn heaved against the reeking bulk but he was tiring quickly from blood loss and did not have the strength to shove the thing off. Slowly, the clawing fingers tightened at his throat and cut off his air. He thrashed and gouged, blinking wildly against the white flashes in his vision, and his adversary screeched in triumph as Quinn’s eyes fluttered closed.
There is a warm sticky sweetness that’s not blood running through this story. It’s love, and it’s the glue that holds this book and its dysfunctional family together. Newfie Dave McLeod with his dry humour and Corporal Charles Raife (who conjures images of Canadian actor Gary Farmer in my mind) are the guardian’s sidekicks and back each other to the death. Is this real Mountie camaraderie?
But what defines Quinn Sullivan is his sensitive side. He’s a lover. And when he returns home after three days of battle his first thought is: did anybody feed my cat?
Quinn Sullivan’s story continues in Book Two, Dark Resolution, when he is promoted to Corporal and sent to Cranbrook to discover why Inspector Green’s RCMP son carved symbols on his body and hung himself. Meanwhile, back in Resolution, Raife, Dave McLeod, Autumn Donnelly and Quinn’s girlfriend Carrie, are left to fight a demon with a taste for humans. Demons, it seems, form packs, alliances, and plans. “Old ghosts and broken hopes,” says Autumn. In these places demons hide. And this time the demon is after a child.
The child moved several steps closer to her father, her hands clasping a round medallion that hung from a leather cord around her neck. “I thought you said it would be safe here.” She looked up, tendrils of hair drifting across her face in a breeze that cut across the narrow campsite. “I thought you said we wouldn’t have to run anymore.”
Abby and her father have come to Resolution to find the Guardian. But, he’s not there. Will Quinn Sullivan return in time to save her from the demon?
Published http://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com October 2017
Dark Resolution, Tyner Gillies, 2015
Have you ever wanted to move to a sweet slow town as mellow as Mayberry but not that far south? I have. I’ve even scoped a few out. And so did RCMP Constable Quinn Sullivan when he signed on in Resolution, a small town on the coast of British Columbia several hours drive from Prince George. But the problem with small towns is that the romance doesn’t always mirror the reality. And some towns hide monsters.
When I started reading The Watch, the first book in this series, I thought I was reading a police procedural. Tyner Gillies is a real modern-day lawman and his novels open the closed doors of cruisers and stations, cop pubs and dank basements. His terminology is authentic. We meet “members” of the “Queen’s goons.” We feel the “burl of the hot shotgun barrel”. We hold our breath as Quinn “racks the shotgun” and “snicks the final shell”. Laced with gritty raw talk and subtle humour, we glimpse the world of the Mounties from the inside.
So imagine my surprise when a “humanoid shape with two sharp red eyes” appears from “the tumbled folds of rags” in Joe Robowski’s basement and I realize this is no police crime novel. This is something else. Urban fantasy? Horror?
As murders amass, Quinn Sullivan discovers he’s something else: a Guardian, a Warrior. Witch historian Autumn Donnelly presents him with homemade books that reveal the presence of demons in places of true and tragic evil—places like residential schools and witch trials—places like Joe Robowski’s basement. Gillies says on his website that The Watch was inspired by a personal experience:
I had about 3 months of service in the Force, when I was called to check an abandoned house for squatters in a distant corner of my policing district. I went out there, by myself, thinking nothing of it, as it was a type of call I’d responded to a dozen times before. I found the house, and went in with my flashlight to make sure no one was inside. It was a musty shambles, filled with garbage and broken furniture, as well as something I didn’t expect, and had never felt before or since.
I felt a presence, something dark and heavy, and whatever it was made it clear that I was not welcome. I found no sign of anyone squatting there, and could understand why, if they had felt the same thing I did. I got out of that house as quickly as I could, and thought about it for days afterward.
Gillies draws and holds his suspense scenes like a bow. The details of a three-minute fight keep me riveted for pages as Quinn and his Mountie partners track and fight the demon.
Quinn heaved against the reeking bulk but he was tiring quickly from blood loss and did not have the strength to shove the thing off. Slowly, the clawing fingers tightened at his throat and cut off his air. He thrashed and gouged, blinking wildly against the white flashes in his vision, and his adversary screeched in triumph as Quinn’s eyes fluttered closed.
There is a warm sticky sweetness that’s not blood running through this story. It’s love, and it’s the glue that holds this book and its dysfunctional family together. Newfie Dave McLeod with his dry humour and Corporal Charles Raife (who conjures images of Canadian actor Gary Farmer in my mind) are the guardian’s sidekicks and back each other to the death. Is this real Mountie camaraderie?
But what defines Quinn Sullivan is his sensitive side. He’s a lover. And when he returns home after three days of battle his first thought is: did anybody feed my cat?
Quinn Sullivan’s story continues in Book Two, Dark Resolution, when he is promoted to Corporal and sent to Cranbrook to discover why Inspector Green’s RCMP son carved symbols on his body and hung himself. Meanwhile, back in Resolution, Raife, Dave McLeod, Autumn Donnelly and Quinn’s girlfriend Carrie, are left to fight a demon with a taste for humans. Demons, it seems, form packs, alliances, and plans. “Old ghosts and broken hopes,” says Autumn. In these places demons hide. And this time the demon is after a child.
The child moved several steps closer to her father, her hands clasping a round medallion that hung from a leather cord around her neck. “I thought you said it would be safe here.” She looked up, tendrils of hair drifting across her face in a breeze that cut across the narrow campsite. “I thought you said we wouldn’t have to run anymore.”
Abby and her father have come to Resolution to find the Guardian. But, he’s not there. Will Quinn Sullivan return in time to save her from the demon?
Published http://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com October 2017
April 16, 2018
Good story line, continuing two years after the first book. Personally I find the constant swearing by the mounties a tad unrealistic. And the lack of contractions in dialogue makes it sound somewhat stilted. Oh, and the ledger sized notebooks they carry. Ledger size is 11 x 17. RCMP officers carry something that large? Seriously? But like I said good story.
January 12, 2016
I loved this book. I was so happy to have the familiar characters from Tyner's first book "The Watch", continue with their adventures. The Author builds excellent and believable characters and then takes them into an assortment of incredible adventures. The descriptions of the police genre makes you feel like you are getting a glimpse into the Police world, but with a twist.
I hope that Tyner Gillies writes the next book of this trilogy soon. I am anxiously awaiting to reconnect with the Characters at the Resolution Detachment for another exciting ride-a-long.
I hope that Tyner Gillies writes the next book of this trilogy soon. I am anxiously awaiting to reconnect with the Characters at the Resolution Detachment for another exciting ride-a-long.
March 9, 2016
"With excitement and trepidation, I started reading Dark Resolution immediately after finishing the its predecessor, The Watch. A new level of confident writing by Gillies pursues his lead character's development, enthralling with a complex storyline of conducting detective police work while facing an imminent threat. Looking forward to the next book already!"
~Ania
Mission, BC
Read
January 13, 2017I have read both of Tyner's books. I couldn't wait to open Dark Resolution and Tyner totally delivered. I couldn't put the book down. His writing puts you in the book with the characters and you live the story with them and through them. I couldn't put the book down and can't wait to read the next one. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to get lost in a great, amazing story.
October 28, 2016
Terrific pacing and tension in this thriller made it really hard to put down. Creepy and compelling! I loved it!
January 9, 2017
This sequel was just as riveting as the first but even better! Can't wait for the next book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews