The Company of Demons

by Michael Jordan

The brutal murder of a friend leaves lawyer John Coleman stunned and sends shockwaves through the city of Cleveland. The technique of the killing recalls memories of the Torso Murderer, who dismembered at least twelve people decades ago and then vanished—eluding even legendary crime fighter Eliot Ness. Jennifer, the victim’s beautiful daughter, hires John to handle her father’s estate, and romantic feelings for her soon complicate his already troubled marriage. When John finds himself entangled with a cold-blooded biker gang, an ex-cop with a fuzzy past, and the drug-addicted son of the dead man, he struggles to make sense of it all.

But there is no escaping a growing sense of dread.

2019 Best Book Award Winner in Mystery/Suspense
2019 Royal Palm Literary Award SILVER Medal Winner in Thriller/Suspense
2019 Indie Excellence Award Winner in Crime Fiction
2019 Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Legal Thriller
2019 International Book Awards Finalist in Mystery/Suspense
2019 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Silver Medalist
2018 Florida Book Awards GOLD Medal Winner in Popular Fiction
Amazon Best Seller in Historical Thrillers
Amazon Best Seller in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Amazon Best Seller in Serial Killers

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Suspense

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2018

About the author

Michael Jordan obtained his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, with highest honors, and his law degree from George Washington University, where he was a member of the Law Review. A trial lawyer and arbitrator for over three decades, he has been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyer and named to Best Lawyers in America. A member of the International Association of Crime Writers, The Company of Demons is his first novel.

An avid traveler, Michael has climbed Mt. Fuji, swam in The Devil’s Pool on the cusp of Victoria Falls, trekked a glacier in Patagonia, and visited numerous other countries. Yes—an international thriller lies in the future! He has also acted in several theatrical productions and his experience on stage is helpful in creating characters for his novels. He is currently working on his next book, a thriller set during the closing stages of WWII.

A native of Saginaw, Michigan, Michael and his wife, Linda Gross Brown, a soft pastel artist, divide their time between homes in Rocky River, Ohio, and Longboat Key, Florida. They enjoy traveling, pleasure boating, and very cold martinis.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 intriguing stars to The Company of Demons! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

John Coleman is a lawyer, and when his best friend is murdered, he is left reeling. The murder immediately brings to mind a serial killer who has been inactive for years.

John quickly becomes ensnared in the victim’s family life, handling the estate and helping the adult children of the deceased.

This book was almost as gruesomely detailed as Karin Slaughter. If you can handle her books, you are fine, but I felt the need to point out there were some moments where I wanted to cover my eyes instead of reading!

Overall, I found In the Company of Demons a suspenseful, gritty, and dark legal thriller, worth my time because I was invested in the characters and how it would all unfold.

Thanks to Goodreads’ First Reads, Michael Jordan, and Greenleaf Book Group for the copy to read and review. The Company of Demons is available now!

My reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all my reviews, visit my blog at http://ladyjbookishnook.blogspot.com

The Company of Demons is the debut novel by Michael Jordan. It is a great thriller set in Cleveland, Ohio. I was totally in love with this book. The author was able to draw me in right from the beginning and held my interest throughout. I felt the pace of the book was spot-on. I also thought the ending was good.

The main character, John Coleman, is a lawyer who has a problem with alcohol and cheating on his wife. Needless to say, John Coleman is a flawed character. I really did not like him and can’t say that I ever felt sorry for him even when bad things began to happen to him. Maybe I am mean but I kept thinking, “That’s what you get for being a dog”. If I was supposed to like him later it didn’t work LOL!! An example that really made me dislike him was when he failed to warn/check on his wife and daughter. He instead goes to check in on a woman he had just met and had sex with once?? What a DOG!!! LOL.

The Company of Demons was a great debut novel. Even though I disliked the main character, the story itself was awesome. I am from Ohio and had never heard of the Torso Murderer. It was interesting looking this information up online. I also learned that Eliot Ness (from the Untouchables) later came to Cleveland to work and investigate the Torso Murderer.

I would definitely read more from Michael Jordan and recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller. Five out of five stars for The Company of Demons!!!

Thank you Michael Jordan, Greenleaf Book Group, and BookishFirst/NetGalley for providing me with an early review copy of this book to read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read. “The Company of Demons” by Michael Jordan (not the basketball champion) for book club. We chose it because he lives in our town, and we are interested in supporting local authors.

It’s a story based upon the unsolved “Torso Murders” which happened in Cleveland in the 1930’s. To this date, the serial killer was never found. The famous Eliot Ness could not solve the case. Unfortunately, this case derailed Ness and began a downward slope in his life.

Jordan is a Lawyer by trade and discovered the unsolved serial killer mystery while working a case. He decided to write a thriller with the idea that the killer is still alive. Interesting premise. I heard Jordan speak about this novel, and he stated he wanted to pit a weak character, the protagonist, against a strong diabolical character.

Well, for me the protagonist is not only weak, but highly unlikable. Given the success of “Girl on a Train”, that novel proves the protagonist doesn’t need to be likable for the novel to be excellent. The story is an interesting idea, but for me, it was the dialogue that derailed me.

The dialogue is very crude, and Jordan has a successful female attorney character who actually uses vulgar words that no self-respecting professional woman would use. I would expect those words to be used in a dive bar from Neanderthal men. As I’ve previously stated, the main character is also not likeable in a cheating, drinking way. That said, my husband and other husbands enjoyed the story and didn’t find the language or character flaws as a problem. Plus, a beloved female friend whom I consider possessing far more wisdom than me, thinks the dialogue is authentic.

I don’t think I am the audience Jordan was going for. It’s a, I’m being sexist, a man’s book. My husband would rate it a 4 maybe 5. I rate it a 2, because it’s not my style.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

My reviews and (maybe) some other random thoughts can also be seen at

https://readingbetweenwinessite.wordp...
____________________________________________________________

I am going to start out my review for The Company of Demons by saying this book will not be for everyone. If you are squeamish in any way, you probably aren't going to like this one. There are a few scenes that are pretty nasty, and although Michael Jordan doesn't go into a ton of detail, you are still very aware of what is going on. I wouldn't say it is as bad as a Karin Slaughter book though - so if you have read any of her books you can use that as something of a guide - in my opinion anyway!

This novel is super gritty and just a very "manly" thriller. Now what I mean by that, is that the main character John Coleman is very much a manly man. He is almost 60 but that does not stop him from ogling women and cheating on his wife (more than once I might add). He also has a drinking problem (although not as bad as his father's ended up being), and he doesn't keep his promises to his wife like, ever. There are lots of lurid descriptions of women in this book because really Coleman seems a little obsessed with other women, even though he has a wife and daughter. If you can't tell, I didn't like him very much. The main character is just definitely a bit of a sleeze and he wasn't particularly likeable as a character to me because of all those reasons. I did love other characters in this book though, especially the sassy ones like his secretary and his daughter. Bernie his cop buddy, and the retired cop Jack were pretty awesome too because they were no BS type of guys that knew how to call Coleman on his shit.

I was actually kind of surprised, because this book ends up giving up the main mystery towards the middle of the book, and then you are drawn into something else entirely. I don't want to give anything away, but I wanted to say that because this book ended up being more about something else entirely than what I thought it would be. I was still happy with it though, and it still kept me interested.

Final Thought: Besides all the lovely lurid comments and descriptions about women in this book (oh and a weird sex scene!), I really enjoyed this gritty thriller. It does turn into a court case at the end, but it was more intense to me than the one even in Anatomy of a Scandal so I didn't mind it. I also stayed up until after 1 AM to finish it, so it was a page turner for me and a relatively quick read. Overall this book was very interesting, and I would definitely read another thriller from Jordan.


*This book is set to be published on 16 Jan 2018*

* Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group and BookishFirst.com for sending me an ARC of this book that I won via a raffle. My review is honest and unbiased *

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 "kept me going through all its pages" stars

This was suppose to be a fill in book for me. I was kind of interested and when reading its summary thought what the heck. Boy, was I in for a very surprising, chilling surprise! I guess I should always remember that no one is exempt from being surprised.

John Coleman is a lawyer, son of a dead policeman, married to Cathy and they have one adopted daughter who they love tremendously. John is also teetering on the brink of being an alcoholic and it is during one of those stops in a familiar bar that a friend of his, Oyster, is discovered brutally murdered. The method of the killing is reminiscent of a serial killer known as The Torso Murderer who committed the grisly crimes years ago of dismembering twelve victims. Grisly for sure! Could this be the original Torso murderer is do we have a copy cat serial killer?

John is hired by the beautiful Jennifer, daughter of Oyster, to straighten out her late father's estate. He, most surprisingly, was a multimillionaire and there are only two heirs, Jennifer and her brother, a drug addled low life who will do anything for his next fix even being involved with a treacherous Mexican gang. John takes on Jennifer's cause and eventually takes on a lot more in regard to Jennifer. Unbeknownst to Jennifer is that John was once the lover of her sister who died from cancer.

John is a philanderer and the more he drinks the more he philanders placing in severe jeopardy his marriage to Cathy. He is a man one loves to hate, but there is something pathetic about John. He is tormented by demons both real and imaginary. John has an attack of conscience and decides to end the affair but Jennifer has other ideas and that is when this novel takes off.

John is then implicated for a crime he did not commit. His life, his secrets, his struggles are brought to the surface as he is brought to trial where his life is paraded in front of family, friends, and the world. And to make matters worse, as if they could be any worse, the Torso murderer has emerged once again to threaten John's family, his friends, and John himself. John is forced to confront the many issues that plague his life and eventually come face to face with the killer who stalks his life and his memory.

In this novel one mistake begets another and as the reader follows John down the road to ruin and mayhem, what we find is a finely written novel that keeps the action flowing. This was a wonderful debut novel and my thanks are extended to:
the author, Michael Jordan, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy and with two days of very suspenseful reading.

[PamG · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Company of Demons is the debut novel of Michael Jordan. This book is well-written. The story begins in Cleveland, Ohio with the murder of John Coleman's friend. The murder is similar in style to the Torso Murderer (who actually existed).

John, a lawyer, is hired by his dead friend's daughter to handle her father's estate. Meanwhile, other murders occur that are similar to another serial killer, the Butcher. John has a lot of flaws including, but not limited to, alcoholism. I did not particularly care for John and this undoubtedly clouded my judgment on this novel. I was ready to rate it 2.5 stars until the last 15-20% of the book. I disliked John that much. However, the last part of the book turned things partially around for me.

This book was intense and disturbing. It includes themes of serial killing, infidelity, alcoholism, drugs, estate handling, suicide and its affects on families, crime scene investigations, court room drama and much, much more. There are some gruesome details as well. Additionally, there are a lot of stereotypes in the book. Additionally, John's wife Cathy had no character development.

Despite my rating, I feel others will enjoy this suspenseful thriller. The lawyer in the courtroom scenes, Arlene Johnson deserves a series of her own. She would make a great MC.

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This has been my unbiased review.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting debut by Attorney Michael Jordan. It alternates between fact and fiction; it's very cleverly done.
Back in the 40's, there was a serial killer dubbed "The Torso Murderer" who left a string of bodies brutally slain around the Cleveland area. He even alluded the famous Elliot Ness; this is fact.
A generation later another serial killer "The butcher" enters the scene with the same M.O. as the earlier "Torso Murderer".
This murderer, "The Butcher" strikes Cleveland and it almost destroys John Coleman as a young teenager. His father happened to be the lead detective on the case.
Fast forward to an almost sixty-year-old man, attorney John Coleman who finds himself face to face with what could only be "The Butcher" or a copycat killer that sends John's already unstable life into a tailspin. He's still struggling with "The Butcher" did to his family years ago.
It doesn't get any easier when he is present when it looks like "Butcher" or a copycat murder has struck again when the body is found in the dumpster behind his favorite neighborhood bar. The body they learn turns out to be one of his casual drinking buddies, Oyster. This hits John hard, he's already on the edge of an implosion; his marriage is shaky, his drinking is out of control and he's financially strapped.
It gets worse when Oyster's beautiful daughter, Jennifer Browning approaches John to help settle her father's estate. He’s hesitant at first but he really needs the business, it shouldn’t be that big a deal but he was shocked when he learns of the sizable estate. He had no clue that his buddy who he only knew as Oyster, a nickname that was given to him because of his gelatinous eyes had that kind of money! He finds himself drawn to Ms. Browning, she's s widow, whose only other living family member is her drug-addicted brother who she claims she’s not in contact with. Her brother is already making waves regarding his father’s estate.
John is finding it harder to resist the temptation that Ms. Browning is sending his way; he's full of Irish Catholic guilt, but nothing seems to help him as he self-destructs.
As the body count rises he also finds himself drawn to the crime scenes; his obsession doesn't go unnoticed by the authorities. John eventually finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time not only once but several times which has taken a severe toll his marriage, it's compromised his longtime friendship with the lead detective who is working these cases as well. Between all these missteps plus the tempestuous Ms. Browning, how could it not cost the already self-destructive John everything he cares about?
This is no-doubt a thriller, one that has a lot of twists and turns. The flawed character of John Coleman is one that is not that uncommon. Mr. Jordan does a suburb job in weaving this thriller together, from the pain that John suffered as a young teenager due "The Butcher" who terrorized his father. To the damage that the very same or copycat killer is costing him now as an adult. Could history be repeating itself? There are several flawed characters in this novel. They are quite believable and play a major part in pulling this thriller together.
It has an explosive ending that took me by surprise that’s for sure. It does contain some graphic violence, but nothing a thriller fan couldn't handle.

Disclosure: I received this e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, the opinion I expressed above are my own.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a thriller/mystery. I could not like any of the characters, and the main character was a man that cheat on his wife through out this book. I also could not see a point of this book. I won a kindle edition of this book from a goodreads giveaway, but this is 100% my own opinion. I am not saying everyone that reads this book will not like it...I am just saying I did not enjoy it. I was thinking I would so enjoy this book. (*)

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Torso Murderer had brutally killed twelve victims in the forties and evaded capture. The legend of him was etched into the mind of the residents and history of the town, so when the body, yes literally just the body, of a man was found behind a bar in a skip with all the rubbish, it instilled fear in everyone. The victim, Oyster, was a drinking buddy of Lawyer John Coleman who had been in the bar when his friend was discovered.
John Coleman isn’t the most likeable guy that you could meet, in fact he is quite shallow and selfish. He is alcohol pickled and easily lead, well with very little resistance, to the temptation of a pretty woman even though he has a wife at home and a daughter that he adores. He thought that he had known Oyster pretty well but when Jennifer, Oyster’s daughter hired him to handle her father’s estate he was shocked at the amount of wealth he had left to be divided between her and her drug taking brother.
Now this story takes off in a direction that really made me sit up, I mean I know that I said he wasn’t my favourite sort of bloke but talk about a wake up call for him! Gawd damn it how much can one man take? not to mention his poor wife and daughter. When I thought things just couldn’t get any worse, they just multiplied. I ended up really wanting this guy to get through everything in one piece, like that was going to happen, OMG it is so intense!
This is my sort of book, very dark and violent with suspense that makes my skin crawl like finger nails down a window pane. This is the debut novel of this author and he has smashed it. Just one wicked story from beginning to end. Bring it on Mr .Jordan!
Thank you to Kathryn Casciato of Roop Co. for inviting me to read this book which I have reviewed honestly

[exorcismemily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had many up and down feelings on The Company of Demons. There was a lot going on, and I enjoyed some parts, and didn't enjoy others. I wish there would have been more focus on just one of the plot lines. Because there were so many things going on, the story became confusing at times.

Usually I don't mind unlikable characters, but the main character in this book is tough to handle. He is in his 50s, but acts like he's in his 20s. He's constantly making poor choices & blaming everyone else when things go wrong, and he doesn't really have any redeeming qualities. He isn't really even a villain; he just makes wrong decision after wrong decision, and wants everyone else to fix it for him. It is very difficult to feel any sympathy for him when things start going wrong.

The identity of one of the serial killers is revealed surprisingly early on, and it was not much of a surprise. There isn't much else I can say about that without giving away spoilers. I think it was meant to be cheeky, and I felt kind of disappointed. The ending of the book is over-the-top, and a lot happened all at once. It seemed to be put together in a slapdash way, and it was abrupt. I think the point was to tie up everything nicely with a bow, and something that could have been a huge reveal was thrown together in two pages. There also wasn't much background to answer the questions of who, how, or why.

There's also some random racism that I found to be unnecessary. I can infer from one or two sentences that the older middle-class white male characters are probably racist without being constantly reminded throughout the book.

The title and cover of this book are amazing, and I was drawn in by both. I just had a tough time connecting with the content.

I did enjoy the storyline that occurs in the middle of the book once everything starts going horribly for the main character. It was very well-written, and I was genuinely swept up in the courtroom moments. The author is very talented at writing legal drama, and I would like to read more of that.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an entertaining read, with good enough writing to keep me reading it for two days straight, but with a few shortcomings that I couldn't overlook.

The story is pretty straightforward as we're being introduced to John's demons from the very beginning; no time is wasted in setting up the context of John's past, but we are instead offered explanations along the way, which works for maintaining suspense. As such, the narration grips you to the very end, but I cannot help but feel that it was ultimately a bit underwhelming. Some scenes happen too fast to give them momentum (the scene with John and the Butcher) and others felt too abruptly ended (the final scene with the Torso Murderer).

The characters were mostly unlikable and I wasn't particularly attached to any of them. John I had the biggest problem with. He is a problematic individual and I wouldn't like him in real life either, but he does experience a moment of self-realization and tries to repent. The issue is that it's not believable and because of that, it's hard to root for him in any way to happily come back to his wife and have everything turn out okay for him. Leaving aside the tiring amount of scenes in which we see that John is, yet again, checking out a random woman he meets. I found myself agreeing with a character in asking: Can you trust a man like that? Well, I couldn't.

It was definitely fun to read and the author writes well, but I didn't feel personally invested in the story because I couldn't find a character to like, especially not the protagonist. The plot itself is interesting to follow, but falls short of expectations in certain moments.

Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for letting me have an early read of this book!

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of The Company of Demons by Michael Jordan from Bookish First for my honest Review. This book is a Thriller and I very much enjoyed it. It was a little slow moving but if you stick with it you will thoroughly enjoy it. This book is about a serial killer that is based on real historical elements. A lawyer, John Colemen is determined to find the serial killer because his friend is murdered by him. This book is a very dark and gruesome but very well written.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Cleveland, the reader is met with a haunting past, a game of cat & mouse, fear, anger, a search for answers, relationships, betrayal, consequences, manipulation and the desire for justice. Buckle up, buttercups – this is one hell of a ride!

Right from the start, the reader is pulled into the story when a grisly murder had me asking questions and wanting answers! Everything we learn, we learn mainly from the protagonist – John Coleman, and I thought the narrative was great, even when I wasn’t sure if what I was being told was true or not. There was a nail-biting intensity to this story which went into overdrive in the second half of this novel! OMFG did it soar!! It was almost as if the author was playing a game with the reader, teasing us, taunting us and then BOOM! I was left wondering what the hell was going on…in a good way!!

There are so many intriguing and captivating characters that move this story forward, but I will just focus on a couple that really stood out for me. First being, the protagonist – John Coleman. We learn quite early on a bit about the demons that haunt this character and from then, I wanted to know more. However, when I did learn more, I changed from really liking this guy to actually thinking “Man, this guy is a…” You’ll know what I mean when you read the book! Alcohol helps him cope, but to the detriment of others – it also plays a part in some really bad decision making! John is a lawyer, a risk-taker, selfish at times, a bit of a charmer but overall, a decent guy.

Jennifer 😱 Well this gal threw me from the start. I won’t go into too much detail except to say that she will definitely confuse the reader! Is she a reliable narrator, or one we need to keep our eyes on? She seeks out John after the brutal murder of her father.

I absolutely ADORED Jack. Ex-cop-turned-PI but now retired, he worked the original Torso and Butcher murders alongside John’s father. Haunted by his own demons, he is the one constant in Jack’s life who forgives his many faults. I thought his character was believable and likeable. I was absolutely invested in him as the story progressed.

The Torso Killer and The Butcher – well holy sh*tballs! A gruesome pair of killers -one from the early years -pre 1940 and the other seems to have returned after a long spate of hiding. I really don’t want to say much about them for fear of spoilers but they were brutal, unforgiving and enjoy taunting the police and victims.

Something else I really LOVED about this book is that the first half read like a suspenseful serial killer thriller while the second half was an intense legal thriller type read. Almost like Thomas Harris meets John Grisham – and I love both genres/authors so felt like I was onto a winner!

Up into just past the halfway point, this was a 4⭐ read for me, but I have to say that the author pulled out all the stops towards the end and with the mind-blowing tension forcing me to read until the very end, I soon changed my mind and this ended being a 5⭐ read! I also enjoyed how everything was explained and tied up at the end, it wasn’t quick and sharp, nor was it drawn out – it was just right!

Would I recommend this book? Hell yeah, I would!! If you enjoy fast paced, tense, creepy and compelling reads, The Company of Demons is a definite must! This badboy is easily added to one of my #TopReadsOf2018. Michael Jordan is definitely on my rador now!

[Barbara Senteney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book, but upon reading it, I found out I loved it.
John Coleman is at a bar when a waitress much to her dismay finds the body of a man they all call Oyster because of his bulbous eyes. While taking out the trash Karen finds Oyster naked and strewn across the plastic garbage bags in the dumpster. Minus a head, the torso spit down the middle, guts, lungs, and heart all scooped out. The dumpster had the smell of rancid meat. Oyster's body was mutilated and parts were missing. Who would do such a horrible thing to Oyster? He was a nice guy who wouldn't hurt anyone.
John is hired by Oyster's daughter Jennifer to handle the financial affairs, and to give as little as possible to her drug addict brother.
Her brother has ill feeling at best for her. A large sum of money seem to have been withdrawn right before the murder, Frank claims his father gave it to him, because they were very close, the sister thinks otherwise. Frank says his sister is ruthless and not to be trusted.
John loves his wife Cathy but somehow falls for Jennifer. This leads to a complicated affair that could cost John his family, his job, and maybe his freedom, he soon falls into police sights as a suspect.
John however thinks the murderer may be the man responsible for the Torso murders, or the Butcher Murders, but he would be old if still alive.
Great story, with believable characters. Suspenseful , tragic events, full of surprises, I loved every page.

[Dana (dana_reads_books13) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly could not finish this. I tried. Many times. I got to page 221 before I literally could not do it anymore. The lead character is 100% unlikable. For someone who makes horrible choices, in most aspects of life, he sure is spineless at times. He constantly makes bad choices and then acts like the martyr after.

Also, there were numerous plot lines running here and they felt disjointed and messy. At one point, I literally put the book down to ask myself what was even happening here.

While the first impression I read got me excited for this book, the overall plot just did not do it due to its messiness and slow movement. I wanted to like this, and I feel others will to be honest. It just was not for me.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this thriller and read it in one sitting! Hard to believe it's a debut novel as it moves along with a breakneck pace and kept me turning pages into the night! Based on historical elements of a real serial killer, Jordan brings to life the protagonist and flawed character, John Coleman. a lawyer who is determined to find the killer when a friend is brutally murdered. Add an already-troubled marriage and a seductive woman who needs his help to the mix and the roller-coaster ride begins! Not for the faint of heart, this book grips you by the neck (and various other organs) and doesn't let go! John has secrets and lies and those get him into more trouble than he could have imagined. Dark and gritty with some horrific scenes, the novel keeps you guessing until the end. If you love edgy this is for you! I'll surely be looking for more from Michael Jordan!
Thanks to Bookish First and Greenleaf Book Group for this ARC. It's out Jan 16th.

[Chad Malkamaki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is going to have spoilers and crap, I hated this so much I'm don't even care about formatting the review with the spoiler tag, so be aware. Oh, where do I start with this one...The concept seemed interesting when a friend passed on a reader copy of the book, set in Cleveland, a copy cat of the Torso Murders was scaring the town, debut novel by Michael Jordan (oh crap, my hero of my youth didn't suck in his tongue and start writing mystery novels, that'd at least explain the dismal play of the Charlotte Hornets the last few years), and I really like mystery novels, so why not try.

1. This guy has a problem with timelines, math, or trying to be too cute with a concept. The book is set at least in the 2010s because the guy mentions Anthony Sowell, another serial killer in 21st century Cleveland. The Torso Murders are a pretty famous case, many great non-fiction books Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search for a Psychopathic Killerhave been written, a pretty good graphic novel Torso, and countless documentaries and news articles. Do the math! The first victim happened 82 years ago and if the killer is still around today he'd be a 100 if he was in his 20's in the 1930s and over 110 if he was in his 30's and should I even mention there was a good possibility the real killer was probably in his 40's, COME ON! Not to mention the retired cop that watches out for the main protagonist follows the same timeline, is going out to bars, talking like a tough guy, driving around town, investigating crime, and chugging shots in the 21st century, yet not one mention of depends, arthritis, or other conditions that hit people before they turn the century mark.

2. As loose as he is with his characters timelines, he actually says once the Torso crimes took place in the 40s and then later talks about 1937! It's a historical event and the internet exists while your writing the book. You saw in the afterword that you did research but COME ON dates are simple. Also, say the age of your main character in the first couple of chapters. He's written as a family guy with a 13 year old that in my mind for over half the book seemed to be in his late 30s or 40s. Then it turns out he's in his 60s, which makes him even more pathetic, and the sex scenes make me want to puke in my mouth, ughh.

3. No one likes lawyers except for maybe Matlock, and that's only if you're the age of the Torso murder still scaring the kiddies in 2017. This John Coleman character is pathetic. I was actually rooting for this guy to die, too bad.

4. The author says he writes strong women characters. Try again. Making them shrill, whiny, super religious, and I'm starting to think this book might be AA propaganda, the women are not strong. They're hollow and are baby boomer caricatures of women. Not even cool in the 21st century. Also, the daughter Molly, ohh she skateboards, is just an old guy trying to sound cool in his writing.

5. John Coleman is a pig, his adultery is not believable, and if I was him I'm gladly leave my wife all she does is nag him.

6. Best friend since childhood, who they're supposed to be super close, ends of just turning on the blink of an eye because hey, he's a cop. Not believable.

7. Ending rushed and just stupid.

8. Not one character in the book has redeeming qualities, not one likable character.

With all that I really just wish this could have been about basketball.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times I decided to not finish this book. But, my commitment to read it after winning a copy in order to provide an honest review continued to help me trudge forward.

The author does a nice job of unfolding John’s current state based on his past throughout the book. His ‘demons’ are introduced right up front and we learn more and more about why they have such a hold on him in life. But, no matter how hard I tried, I could not find an ounce of sympathy for him nor did I ever come to like him as a person/character.

The plot is good and offers a few twists to try to keep the reader's interest. It unfolds and builds as the book goes. But, there are times when what should be a climax fails. There is build-up to major twists and then they end too quickly (i.e., his encounter with the butcher and the final scene with the Torso Murder). At times it felt like the twists were added to keep the book going. However, it only made the book feel disjointed and drawn out.

I could not relate to or attach to any of the characters but Marilyn and Bernie - minor characters. I think this was because the author did not try so hard to build their back story. They just were who they were. There was no baggage, no current issues and nothing that tainted my view of them. As far as the other characters, there was too much that made me not like them: the co-dependent overly forgiving wife, the bigoted ex-cop, and the seductive client. As far as the main character, he was an ego-centric, bigoted, womanizer who, even in the worst of the situation, still continued to think of women as objects. It made it very hard to believe that his marriage could or should survive.

Two things that really turned me off the most:
1. Race was brought up a lot – even at places where it wasn’t necessary to move the plot forward, which was just about everywhere. I am not sure if this was intentional or not in order to show a state of mind of the main character. But, racial stereotypes are hard to get around when a reader does not discriminate. But the fact is, it comes up A LOT and really put a bad taste in my mouth and tainted my view of what could have been a decent plot.
2. The main character is a pig. He has no respect for women, takes every opportunity to treat women as objects and has really done everything possible to sabotage a marriage he says he wants to keep. This made him very unlikable and almost impossible for me to be sympathetic to his plight and situation.

There was a passage toward the end of the book where the main character comments that ‘Killing myself would be contrary to the teaching of the church (Catholic)…’, so it is not an option. I almost laughed out loud when I read this. Isn’t adultery contrary to the teachings as well? But that came easily and without a second thought throughout the book.

I want to thank Greenleaf Book Group for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. And, thanks to both them and Goodreads for sponsoring it as a giveaway. Good luck with the release in January!

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a first reads giveaway--I think it was a little too predictable and I could not stomach the main character who was a lousy husband and father IMO. However, the writing was good and the story flowed well. I think this book would be good for anyone who reads mystery's occasionally and would find the story more fresh then I did.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

As small time lawyer John Coleman drinks in a bar, the owner finds part of a body in the dumpster out back. Hard to tell who it is with only a trunk missing its organs, but it turns out to be Oyster, a bar regular. Many years ago, the Torso Murderer disemboweled his victims and was never caught. More recently, The Butcher kills and mutilates the corpses. John's cop father couldn't solve the older crimes and he committed suicide, which has affected John for his entire life.

Oyster's daughter Jennifer hires John to handle her father's estate. Who knew he had so much money squirreled away. John begins an affair with the lovely Jennifer and he pays for it in many ways.

I like books with serial killers. Note that there's graphic violence in this book. Lots going on in this story and it sometimes seemed a bit disjointed but it's a debut novel. There was a huge shift in the middle of the book. I thought the story got better as it went along, although John was stupid throughout.

I received a Kindle copy through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

Cleveland is a city with a plethora of brutal killers. More than one of them has never been found. One of them makes a comeback, targeting a down at the heels lawyer. It turns out the lawyer's father was a police detective charged with finding The Butcher, and failed, then committed suicide. An acquaintance of the lawyer's is killed in a gruesome fashion, and the victim's daughter hires him to settle the estate. The lawyer wants to get drunk and sleep around on his wife, and stay alive.

It's okay, but I was rooting for the lawyer to get his.

[Sam (Clues and Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy a legal thriller. Give me a John Grisham or Michael Connelly novel and I am one happy camper! So, when I read the synopsis of The Company of Demons, the psychological legal thriller by Michael Jordan, I dove right in. Meeting a lawyer, John Coleman, who discovers the corpse of his friend behind their neighbourhood bar sending shockwaves through the city and bringing back painful memories of a killer who dismembered and taunted police decades earlier and vanished. As John tries to cope, he is hired by the victim’s daughter, Jennifer, to handle her father’s estate and soon finds himself entangled with a biker gang, dirty cops and romantic feelings.

Truly fast paced, I sat down and finished this book over the course of an afternoon. I could not put it down as I watched our protagonist, John, get himself deeper and deeper into trouble. The ultimate anti-hero, I actually found myself hating him. It almost felt completely unbelievable how many terrible choices he made!! Page after page, I read (pretty much in horror) as he continued down the wrong path. I was so mad. However, kudos to Jordan who was able to create a character that made me feel so many emotions!

One feature that I enjoyed about this book was how it felt almost like two totally different reads from the first and second part of the novel. In fact, the author probably could have published both separately and started a series! I liked that I was able to get a full story and then continue on a totally different path.

Like I said, I binge read this one over the course of a few hours and feel like any crime fiction lovers will too! I will absolutely read more from this author!

3.5/5 stars.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Jordan’s debut, The Company of Demons, is an intriguing if somewhat confused book. The story concerns John Coleman, a pretty much washed up Chicago lawyer. After his friend “Oyster”’s body is found in the dumpster behind the bar that John, Oyster, and a multitude of friends frequented, John realizes that the Butcher, a serial killer who drove his cop father to suicide, has returned. When Oyster’s daughter Jennifer hires John to manage her father’s estate, the danger only increases for John and his wife and daughter.

John becomes a more and more unlikeable character as the story progresses, due to the bad choices he makes, including beginning a passionate affair with Jennifer. Despite this, I did find the story compelling enough to continue. Ultimately, though, I felt that the book couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to be. It started out as a straight up thriller/murder mystery, moved to a psychological thriller with a detective noir feel, and then became a legal thriller before returning to straight thriller status, where all the threads were concluded. In my opinion, the threads were tied up a little too quickly and tidily. It is, however, a testament to Michael Jordan’s writing that I was able to remain engaged long enough to finish the book.

The most intriguing portion of the book, for me, was the section that took place in the courtroom during John’s trial. The author was able to explain the legal strategies involved in the trial without sacrificing pace or interest. I would like to see Michael Jordan write more legal thrillers.

I received this book through the Good Reads Giveaways program.

[Maja Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow is this book hard to rate!

Let's jump in to what I did like and what I didn't like.

A disjointed list of things I liked:
-The unlikable main character. I really enjoy reading books, especially thrillers, where the main character is unlikeable. Definitely the case here.
-I couldn't put this book down. The pacing wasn't perfect, but it was enough to keep me picking it up constantly!
-No spoilers, but I love the serial killer situation. In a totally weird way.

A disjointed list of things I didn't like:
-Race was brought up an awkward amount, and in situations where it wasn't always relevant to the plot. It was just there. I also think the term 'oriental' was used and it made me... uncomfortable.
-Some themes were too "show" and not enough "tell". This criticism is picky, no doubt, but we are told over and over that the main character loves his daughter. However, his actions aren't fully consistent with this, even though he keeps saying it over and over again. Like I said, a minor criticism of the storytelling.

Overall, one of the most intense and attention-keeping thrillers I have read in a long time. Also, it is excellent for a first novel!

A big thanks to Michael Jordan and Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing an ARC for review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was reading some of the other reviews and noticed the negative ones mainly complained about not liking the protagonist, John Coleman. He was kind of sleazy as far as chasing the ladies. Other than that, I can see how the author was wanting to present him. I know of some lawyers that fit this mold, no offense, not all are like this. And this is true for any career type. Coleman is like a tired and lazy salesman or lawyer type. I picture him in wrinkled clothes and an unkempt appearance. He’s lived through his father trying to catch a serial killer when he was a cop. He’s had kids pick on him. And as a kid, he found his dad’s body after he shot himself. This would really mess with anyone. His wife isn’t the most pleasant. I understand why but she also doesn’t make any attempts to better their marriage in certain ways. Everyone just seems cold. Except for his daughter, Molly. I feel like Coleman is just trying to get by with doing as little as possible as a lawyer. He just wants to be comfortable. I really liked his secretary. There were some twists and lots of suspense. I feel like if you like thrillers and you except John for who he is and his role then you will love this book.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

This book started immediately with mystery. It was hard to put the book down because the mystery really had me hooked. There were so many different parts to the story, I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to all come together. There were so many ridiculous, but plausible twists and turns throughout the whole book. It was filled with action, mystery, and a great court case.

At first I wasn’t a fan of John, but I feel like the author did that on purpose so you could grow to actually like him. I thought the side characters were nice additions to the story, and how everything came together. I liked questioning everyone’s motives and wonder who was good and who wasn’t.

I enjoyed that this book had very concise chapters, and would recommend to to fans of James Patterson’s books. If you like non stop action and mystery this would definitely be a book for you. It kept me on my toes the whole time, and that’s definitely what I love in  a thriller.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I really enjoyed this book! It starts out with a rather horrific murder (not a spoiler as it is in the blurb) and you get thrown in to the story - I was gripped and the fast pace continued right to the end. The characters in the book are great and I loved the suspense that the author manages to build up.

I do love a good thriller and this one was great - a really enjoyable read - 4 stars from me, some excellent books out in 2018 so far!

[OjoAusana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright

*won in a giveaway on GoodReads* The overall story itself was actually really good but giving it 3 stars rather than 4 because of the weird way race was talked about and just i really hated the MC.

[Ankita Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serial Killer mysteries are my favorite type of thrillers. I've said this again and again. And it still holds true.

And what's even better? When there are two different killers, and another person who's arrested for the murder (who by the way, has not commited it).

And that's what happens in The Company of Demons. It's full of action, murders, encounter with serial killers, courtroom drama, a lot of bad and good characters, and a whole lot of goosebumps.

Overall, it was an exciting read, and I'm looking forward to reading some mellow YA, or maybe a rom-com Manga. Because, The Company of Demons was intense. So totally in keeping with the title.

[T.R. Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readers of the thriller/suspense genre may find this a difficult for read for a few reasons. While Jordan shimmers in certain places in his debut novel, his main character's lack of character almost tanks his valiant efforts. John Coleman is a man that is haunted by his policeman father's suicide and is obsessed with his father's nemesis, a serial killer, aptly named The Butcher, due to the intricate carving of the disposed bodies. His obsession resurfaces after the body of his long time drinking buddy is found carved up outside the bar they frequent. John from the beginning does not have a likable quality. He critiques his wife heavily and without love. He's not present for his daughter. He drinks obsessively. He's a clear womanizer and cheater. And to top it all off, he has en excuse for everything! Readers will not want this main character to win, to overcome. As the story progresses and winds through two intricate story lines (shimmer is right here), we see bits of pieces start to peel away of the serial murders and their uniqueness.

I found the story to have holes. One, serial killers usually kill in their style. They don't abandon it for ease or quickness and this happened in one scene. Two, the clear bigotry gave me a bad taste...all black people were noted as black yet explained in a weird way different from other characters (such as every character that wasn't black had a sexual annotation yet black female characters were only noted as strong/aggressive/no nonsense/or hung up on slavery/race issues...this is called bigotry showing through the authors work and I was surprised no one who edited this caught that as a problem). Furthermore, the character was scared of being robbed by a black people or being gang raped by black prisoners or rap music being associated with prison. These are all clear issues with a misinformed author (and possibly publisher) who let their ignorance show through their work. The use of the term "nigger" was unnecessarily used and brought nothing to the story as well as when John's daughter claims she heard the term used at school, the father doesn't admonish her or use it as a moment to say "Don't say that", yet when she curses, he tells her to watch her mouth. The author could claim this was purposeful but it was very unnecessary as race wasn't an angle in the story at all. Anyway, that alone took a star away from my review.

The end attempts to weave two story lines together and makes a good go at it. The only issue is that the end is not what the readers will be satisfied with based on the strong dislike of the main character. Most people reading will not think this guy should have anything good happen and definitely not everything good happen for him. So a star was taken for that as well.

I think Michael Jordan has a future in writing as its evident that he has skill to weave two story lines into one novel yet there is room for polish in his character development. In the end, I'd rate the novel a strong 2.5 stars and recommend for readers who aren't interested in redeemable characters but like a twisty, legal thriller to wet their taste buds.

Raging Book Reviews