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The Dark Lakes #4
Demon's Mark
Children are vanishing, and their lives rest in the hands of two unlikely saviours: a witch who can’t practice magic, and a talking fox who can’t stop dying.
Joseph Lake, the last remaining witch of the Cumbrian Coven, is back, only now he has to get by without his mentor. He’s going to have to rely on his own abilities to defend the people he’s sworn to protect.
Oh dear.
The only clue as to the whereabouts of the missing kids points to a landmark known as Demon’s Mark, a mysterious pair of indentations in a rocky outcrop that legend says are hoof-prints left by the devil.
While investigating Demon’s Mark, Joseph finds himself up to his neck in talking corpses, diabolical demons, and a pair of wicked siblings with a thirst for hellish power.
Will Joseph and Barnabas—his furry, axe-wielding sidekick—be enough to stop a century-old scheme from reaching fruition, or are the stolen children gone for good?
Read Demon’s Mark now for a fast, funny, page-turning tale of monsters and magic that you won’t want to put down.
Joseph Lake, the last remaining witch of the Cumbrian Coven, is back, only now he has to get by without his mentor. He’s going to have to rely on his own abilities to defend the people he’s sworn to protect.
Oh dear.
The only clue as to the whereabouts of the missing kids points to a landmark known as Demon’s Mark, a mysterious pair of indentations in a rocky outcrop that legend says are hoof-prints left by the devil.
While investigating Demon’s Mark, Joseph finds himself up to his neck in talking corpses, diabolical demons, and a pair of wicked siblings with a thirst for hellish power.
Will Joseph and Barnabas—his furry, axe-wielding sidekick—be enough to stop a century-old scheme from reaching fruition, or are the stolen children gone for good?
Read Demon’s Mark now for a fast, funny, page-turning tale of monsters and magic that you won’t want to put down.
- GenresUrban Fantasy
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 30, 2022
This is pretty much a stand-alone book, but the three previous books in The Dark Lakes Series give a good back-story introduction to Joseph Lake (formerly Janto) and Barnabas The Everliving and are quite exciting.
Joseph Lake, previously known as the warlock Janto, and his protector, Barnabas the Everlasting, an unkillable fox who “knows things. They, along with Eva, are the Cumbrian Coven. Now they are on a hunt for a vampire that is attacking children. Joe rescues Abigail, a local policewoman who was about to be killed by the vampire. But Abigail suspects him of being a monster, too. Joe has lost access to most of his magic, putting him at a disadvantage to the monsters he must destroy. Fortunately, Barnabas is a skilled companion, because they are up against a demon from Hell (or somewhere terrible). Joseph has a harrowing experience at the Demon’s Mark, perhaps the footprint of an actual demon from Hell. He has a vision of a demon and his cult followers. Alistair and Mabel, children of Sommar Wynter, and their undead-freaky-corpse-dad recognize Joe from before. They introduce him to “Mother”, from whom he has a very narrow escape. But he returns to the house to rescue five children from the Wynters. This time there seems to be no escape. Will this be the end, or will Joe, Abigail, and Barnabas prevail? Exciting action, with lots of humorous dialogue, and unlikely situations make this a fun read, despite the theme of horror from all the evil characters.
Joseph Lake, previously known as the warlock Janto, and his protector, Barnabas the Everlasting, an unkillable fox who “knows things. They, along with Eva, are the Cumbrian Coven. Now they are on a hunt for a vampire that is attacking children. Joe rescues Abigail, a local policewoman who was about to be killed by the vampire. But Abigail suspects him of being a monster, too. Joe has lost access to most of his magic, putting him at a disadvantage to the monsters he must destroy. Fortunately, Barnabas is a skilled companion, because they are up against a demon from Hell (or somewhere terrible). Joseph has a harrowing experience at the Demon’s Mark, perhaps the footprint of an actual demon from Hell. He has a vision of a demon and his cult followers. Alistair and Mabel, children of Sommar Wynter, and their undead-freaky-corpse-dad recognize Joe from before. They introduce him to “Mother”, from whom he has a very narrow escape. But he returns to the house to rescue five children from the Wynters. This time there seems to be no escape. Will this be the end, or will Joe, Abigail, and Barnabas prevail? Exciting action, with lots of humorous dialogue, and unlikely situations make this a fun read, despite the theme of horror from all the evil characters.
June 30, 2022
A cop, a fox, and a witch walk into a bar…
Sorry – I just had to go there. It sounds like the start to a great joke but, in reality, it is an actual scene in this story, the fourth book of the Dark Lakes Series, and it is no joke. When a young girl goes missing, the cop (Abigail Farrow), the fox (Barnabas the Everliving), and the witch (Joseph Lake) are on the trail of the kidnapper. As might be expected with this series, it soon becomes evident that the kidnapper is definitely of the Uncanny variety so, naturally, the case goes from bad to worse in a heartbeat. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun by giving away too many details of this adventure but I will say that, once again, M. V. Stott weaves together a true edge-of-your-seat mystery with his signature blend of creepy Uncanny goodness and that irresistible, outrageous British snark that keeps me coming back to the Uncanny Kingdom each and every time a new book is released in any of their series. I have long been a fan of Joseph Lake and I do hope there are more adventures in store for him (and Barnabas, of course). You might never know exactly what to expect from an Uncanny Kingdom story, but you do know it will be one crazy good ride.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book, for which I thank the author, but I am sharing my honest and unbiased review on a completely voluntary basis.
Sorry – I just had to go there. It sounds like the start to a great joke but, in reality, it is an actual scene in this story, the fourth book of the Dark Lakes Series, and it is no joke. When a young girl goes missing, the cop (Abigail Farrow), the fox (Barnabas the Everliving), and the witch (Joseph Lake) are on the trail of the kidnapper. As might be expected with this series, it soon becomes evident that the kidnapper is definitely of the Uncanny variety so, naturally, the case goes from bad to worse in a heartbeat. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun by giving away too many details of this adventure but I will say that, once again, M. V. Stott weaves together a true edge-of-your-seat mystery with his signature blend of creepy Uncanny goodness and that irresistible, outrageous British snark that keeps me coming back to the Uncanny Kingdom each and every time a new book is released in any of their series. I have long been a fan of Joseph Lake and I do hope there are more adventures in store for him (and Barnabas, of course). You might never know exactly what to expect from an Uncanny Kingdom story, but you do know it will be one crazy good ride.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book, for which I thank the author, but I am sharing my honest and unbiased review on a completely voluntary basis.
June 23, 2022
I didn't know how much I missed Joseph Lake until I read this
After a very long wait, Joe and his foxy friend are back to delight and bewilder us. Children stolen away, deadly and devilish foes, a new police sidekick learning the Uncanny ropes, and a very good fox. The only thing wrong with this book is that Eva's still dead (but I haven't given up hope because no one in the Uncanny Kingdom is ever really dead, if previous books are anything to go by!).
I loved Matt's snarky characters, the wit of some of them, the sarcasm that goes straight over the fox's head, and the utter confusion of Joe pretty much all the time. The story is typical Uncanny Kingdom, very much on keeping with all the other series, but more particularly Matt's voice shines through. Both he and David write such entertaining books, separately and together, but Matt's tend to be more on the horror scale of things and this is no exception. It's not as 'read with the lights on' as Apocalypse Hill (which scared the crap out of me because I'm a wimp) but it had its moments!
After a very long wait, Joe and his foxy friend are back to delight and bewilder us. Children stolen away, deadly and devilish foes, a new police sidekick learning the Uncanny ropes, and a very good fox. The only thing wrong with this book is that Eva's still dead (but I haven't given up hope because no one in the Uncanny Kingdom is ever really dead, if previous books are anything to go by!).
I loved Matt's snarky characters, the wit of some of them, the sarcasm that goes straight over the fox's head, and the utter confusion of Joe pretty much all the time. The story is typical Uncanny Kingdom, very much on keeping with all the other series, but more particularly Matt's voice shines through. Both he and David write such entertaining books, separately and together, but Matt's tend to be more on the horror scale of things and this is no exception. It's not as 'read with the lights on' as Apocalypse Hill (which scared the crap out of me because I'm a wimp) but it had its moments!
August 21, 2022
It has been too many years since I read the earlier books of this series to truly compare them. I never wrote reviews then. I just did the ratings. This book was a bit dark. With murdered children how could it have been anything else? Joseph has Barnabas the fox helping him. Barnabas reminds me of the fox in the movie “Labyrinth”. I don’t recall from the earlier books if this was intentional. Seriously give him an old-English sheepdog to ride and he could totally be Sir Didymus. This book also introduces us to a new character-Abigail. She is a policeman whom Joseph is quite smitten with. She takes the idea of the Uncanny in stride. The final chapter seems to imply that Abigail will be staying with us. I’m happy for that. Joseph could use some regular friends.
June 23, 2022
Joseph Lake, saddened by the death of his coven's familiar, Eva, is still struggling to figure out what happened to his life and his magic. When children go missing, he partners up with Barnabas, the fox, and a new police detective to track them down. As always, they face some very evil people as well as demons (Yikes! I would not want to face this.) This story runs a little easier than the previous books, but ramps up at the end. Joseph has a choice to make when he figures out what happened to his magic and whether or not he will choose to use it. (Still loving the Uncanny Kingdom stories and highly recommend them!)
* I was given an advanced copy for an honest [always] review *
* I was given an advanced copy for an honest [always] review *
June 23, 2022
Joseph (formerly known as Janto) and his sidekick Barnabus (a literal fox) are chasing down a vampire. There he meets Abigail and now she unfortunately is being brought into the world of the Uncanny. Then she calls Joseph for help finding a missing child. This leads them through all kinds of funny, horror filled situations trying to save the children. This was my first book in the dark lake series and it was a treat. There are some laugh out loud moments, some cringeworthy moments but through it all the story carries you along. This was really good and I couldn't put it down.
June 30, 2022
WHOOP!!! 💗💗
Oh boy oh boy!! Yet another incredible, brain busting, beyond entertaining, DOOZIE from the Uncanny Team geniuses - Matt and David!!
I'd forgotten just how adorable Joseph Lake (and his furry friend) are.
There's all the usual "snort out loud" humour (that flows throughout all of the Uncanny Kingdom books.) Along with the possibility of the "end of the world" nail biting roller coaster ride they take us on.
Oh boy oh boy!! Yet another incredible, brain busting, beyond entertaining, DOOZIE from the Uncanny Team geniuses - Matt and David!!
I'd forgotten just how adorable Joseph Lake (and his furry friend) are.
There's all the usual "snort out loud" humour (that flows throughout all of the Uncanny Kingdom books.) Along with the possibility of the "end of the world" nail biting roller coaster ride they take us on.
July 26, 2022
Joseph Lake is a changed Warlock and no longer the magic eater. Child goes missing and a detective finds out that every 10 years a child would disappear. There was a pattern developing. Abigail is a human police officer that Joseph saved from a vampire. They team up to find the perpetrators of the missing children. The book is great with wonderful characters and descriptive world. Like the series.
June 23, 2022
This was quite an interesting case for Joseph Lake! I think that Alastair and Mabel got exactly what they deserved …they were quite nasty. I am also liking Barnabas the Everliving, he is the most faithful and loyal companion that anyone could wish for. I love books in this world. I always look forward to the next one, they always deliver quality entertainment!
June 23, 2022
So, book four in the series and what a little cracker. I will admit to not reading the other three, yet! I do so love these sort of fantasy books, cannot get enough of them. And the Uncanny Kingdom books are right up there with the best of them. Highly recommended.
July 10, 2022
Great Read
Another great read in this series. Strong characters and storyline mean an exciting, page turning experience for the readers. Recommended
Another great read in this series. Strong characters and storyline mean an exciting, page turning experience for the readers. Recommended
August 30, 2022
A too short but amazing story. A witch and a fox, two unlikely characters that have to find out what made the children disappear. Don’t miss miss out.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews