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Mephisto Club #1
Dark Waters
Evil lurks beneath Soray Island’s dark waters…
There’s no limit to Dan Fox’s love for collecting. From mysterious objects, to inexplicable stories, he’s constantly on the lookout for the next great mystery. He will stop at nothing to make a name for himself, even if it means tinkering with his own moral compass.
His hunger for the strange and unusual leads him to an enigmatic underground organization that manages to capture Dan into their web of intrigue. Attracted to The Mephisto Club’s sense of exclusivity and their frequent dabbling in the supernatural, he is convinced that they will help him find the way to fame and glory.
But nothing can prepare him for what he discovers when he researches the history of the Santisima Trinidad, and the horrific fate that befell it. Dan quickly learns that there’s more to the sunken ship than an urban legend. There’s a terrible evil, a dangerous creature that has been lurking under the sea’s surface.
Waiting. Watching. Listening.
Until now.
There’s no limit to Dan Fox’s love for collecting. From mysterious objects, to inexplicable stories, he’s constantly on the lookout for the next great mystery. He will stop at nothing to make a name for himself, even if it means tinkering with his own moral compass.
His hunger for the strange and unusual leads him to an enigmatic underground organization that manages to capture Dan into their web of intrigue. Attracted to The Mephisto Club’s sense of exclusivity and their frequent dabbling in the supernatural, he is convinced that they will help him find the way to fame and glory.
But nothing can prepare him for what he discovers when he researches the history of the Santisima Trinidad, and the horrific fate that befell it. Dan quickly learns that there’s more to the sunken ship than an urban legend. There’s a terrible evil, a dangerous creature that has been lurking under the sea’s surface.
Waiting. Watching. Listening.
Until now.
- GenresHorror
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2018
78 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2020
This was quite a unique read and easy to plough through due to the superb writing style. The story is based around an art critic who is very inquisitive about a chain of events happening around him. After looking further, he is drawn into a secret society and sent on a quest, leading him to a remote Scottish Island full of locals who are 'not quite normal' , bizarre religious ideas and something lurking in the sea. Whilst trying to find out the secrets of the Island, he has to also avoid being pursued by some very nasty Russians, and try to keep his calm around a very brash American companion. There are some nice humorous moments to break up the story and fans of horror like 'The Wicker Man' will appreciate the feel, as will fans of mythology. All in all a great start to this trilogy, I'm looking forward to book 2.
January 30, 2019
DARK WATERS is the first of three novellas (DARK WATERS, SPIDER MAZE and GHOST MACHINE) that collectively comprise THE MEPHISTO CLUB SERIES. Each is about 150 pages long and together form a single novel. The protagonist is Dan Fox, an American art appraiser, based in London. One of Dan's colleagues at work is a member of a posh, highly secretive members only club called the Mephisto Club. Oddly enough, neither Dan nor anyone else seems to have ever heard of Faust or Mephistopheles or made any association between the name of the club and unsavory supernatural doings. Nevertheless, after the strange death of a different colleague, Dan decides he wants to get into this ultra exclusive Men's club ands gets his business associate to vouch for him. It seems that there is an initiation of sorts, and for Dan, it takes the form of finding and retrieving three ill-defined artifacts of mysterious provenance. Each is the subject of a different novella and each novella begins with a historical prologue, that predates the present day, action by decades, centuries or millennia.
In the first, DARK, WATERS, Dan ends up on a small, remote Scottish island. The islanders are creepy, there is something wrong with the priest, and the whole thing seems rather fishy in a clearly Lovecraftian sort of way. The writing matches the spooky themes perfectly and there is just the right amount of humor to accentuate the horror. And there is plenty of horror.
The plot is original, the writing tight and the culture mismatch between the American and the Scottish Gaelic islanders played just right. I was surprised to find that the author was in fact a Brit who decided to write the novel in American, rather than British English and did it so well that I did not know until I started to write this review and looked him up.
I read this (and the other two novellas) with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. A lot of what I get "for free" is worth what I paid for it. DARK WATERS and the rest of the MEPHISTO CLUB SERIES is the exception, and worth paying full price.
Recommended.
In the first, DARK, WATERS, Dan ends up on a small, remote Scottish island. The islanders are creepy, there is something wrong with the priest, and the whole thing seems rather fishy in a clearly Lovecraftian sort of way. The writing matches the spooky themes perfectly and there is just the right amount of humor to accentuate the horror. And there is plenty of horror.
The plot is original, the writing tight and the culture mismatch between the American and the Scottish Gaelic islanders played just right. I was surprised to find that the author was in fact a Brit who decided to write the novel in American, rather than British English and did it so well that I did not know until I started to write this review and looked him up.
I read this (and the other two novellas) with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. A lot of what I get "for free" is worth what I paid for it. DARK WATERS and the rest of the MEPHISTO CLUB SERIES is the exception, and worth paying full price.
Recommended.
February 29, 2020
Intrigue!
Great story, a bit of mystery and danger. Our main character, Dan, gets mixed up in a task, one of three. There’s ancient creatures, perhaps deities, sunken treasure and even angry Russians. Definitely entertaining. I can’t wait to see where Dan’s next task will take him!
Great story, a bit of mystery and danger. Our main character, Dan, gets mixed up in a task, one of three. There’s ancient creatures, perhaps deities, sunken treasure and even angry Russians. Definitely entertaining. I can’t wait to see where Dan’s next task will take him!
September 2, 2018
Captivating!
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Some of his other works took awhile to finally catch my attention, but this one kept me reading at a frantic pace. I am anxious to read about what happens to Mr. Fox and exactly what the Mephisto Clubs true nature.
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Some of his other works took awhile to finally catch my attention, but this one kept me reading at a frantic pace. I am anxious to read about what happens to Mr. Fox and exactly what the Mephisto Clubs true nature.
September 11, 2018
Scary
This book is a page turner. I didn't want to put it down. A fascinating story about a quest to find treasure mixed with a myth. The myth of sirens.
I enjoyed this book so much, I have downloaded book 2.
This book is a page turner. I didn't want to put it down. A fascinating story about a quest to find treasure mixed with a myth. The myth of sirens.
I enjoyed this book so much, I have downloaded book 2.
July 16, 2018
Another excellent scarestreet quality! Mr. Longhorn does a great job again. Thank you David for this ARC. My opinion is never biased.
April 10, 2022
Davis Longhorn spins a good yarn. This one has a good main character, and very interesting and unique story. It had action and mystery. This is a series worth getting into.
May 3, 2022
Not scary to me and I just lost interest.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews