Rio Grande Night: The 11th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller

by Stephen Leather

Mexico is famous for its rich culture, ancient ruins, dazzling beaches, and spicy cuisine.

But there is a darker side to America’s southern neighbour, with vicious gangs dealing in drugs. extortion, money laundering, human trafficking and contract killings.


Jack Nightingale came across his fair share of villains when he worked for the Metropolitan Police in London.

But nothing could prepare him for the evil that was waiting for him when he crossed the Rio Grande river and entered Mexico - an evil that is hunting for an immortal soul. A very special soul.


PRAISE FOR THE JACK NIGHTINGALE SERIES

'Written with panache, and a fine ear for dialogue, Leather manages the collision between the real and the occult with exceptional skill' Daily Mail.

'Another great thriller from Stephen Leather but this time with a devilish twist!' James Herbert.

‘A stunning masterclass in darkness from a ferocious talent who excels in putting the devil in the details’ Daily Record.

'A wicked read’ Anthony Horowitz

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Thriller, Occult, Paranormal

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2022

About the author

Stephen Leather was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. For much of 2011 his self-published eBooks - including The Bestseller, The Basement, Once Bitten and Dreamer's Cat - dominated the UK eBook bestseller lists and sold more than half a million copies. The Basement topped the Kindle charts in the UK and the US, and in total he has sold more than two million eBooks. His bestselling book The Chinaman was filmed as The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan and grossing more than $100 million.

Reviews

[dale newton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the Jack Nightingale series but I find the books are starting to become a little samey. I keep hoping that Jack will find his way back to the UK and Jenny, where he will do battle with the Nine Angels.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great supernatural crime thriller.
There’s not quite so much of the supernatural as there has been with other books in the series, as it’s more a crime thriller this time.
Nightingale is asked to find some missing teenagers in Mexico as it seems they have been taken and possibly killed. There’s also a group targeting certain individuals who pose a threat to their plans, and when dead bodies keep being found, Nightingale knows he needs to do something to stop them.
A great read.

[Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the early jack nightingale books; however, the last few books have been very poor. It’s as if the author is just churning them out and doesn’t care about them, which is sad. I’m tired of all the characters being shockingly unintelligent, and as for Jack, he’s been turned into an idiot. The earlier version would have solved the case in about five chapters. Abysmal writing; I won’t waste my money or, more importantly, my time with this series or author again.

[Lakisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super chuffed with this story, a few occult aspects were off but otherwise another brilliant Nightingale story, where on earth is he going to end up next??

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I have read every book published by Stephen (aside from the erotic series) and I will always listen to his work, especially if narrated by Paul Thornley, but this really didn’t do it for me. I lost track of the ‘associates’ killed en route here as I really lost interest halfway through. I don’t think this series has come to an end, but I did find this very samey and it couldn’t keep my interest.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for this one in my opinion.

As much as i love to tuck into a new Nightingale book, i got bored with this one as the story went on. It felt too similar to the previous recent books - some people try to resurrect a demon from Hell for wealth/power, Wainwright sends Nightingale to investigate, he gets caught up in it and disturbs some locals, Proserpine appears somewhere along the journey and continues to threaten him, he eventually figures out the case, nearly loses his life and gets saved or saves himself. Rinse and repeat with a different setting- Stephen Leather seems to have a formula he sticks to. Unfortunately, in my eyes, it's running out of steam. It needs to freshen up.
I'd like to see more involvement from Wainwright, Mrs Steadman, maybe some backstory or something. I'd also like to see Proserpine carry out her threats (to some degree!). I'd also like to see Nightingale back in England. Just something to freshen the characters and the series up.

Also, the past few books have been riddled with typos (not words being spelt wrong, but apostrophes, commas, etc being in the wrong places. Full stops missing). Not sure if this book has actually seen an editor or not.

Overall, i love Nightingale and the other characters, i just want more from the stories now.

[Nick Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another dark and dangerous adventure for Jack Nightingale.
Young Americans are being tempted into crossing the border to Mexico, a lower drinking age and plenty of bars. But some of them are disappearing and there might be something very nasty going on.
Jack’s benefactor Wainwright wants him to look into the disappearance of one of the girls as a favour to her parents. On the side of good, Mrs Steadman also wants Jack to go and help one of her friends who is being threatened by some very bad people.
Tough one for Jack in a very dangerous town, where are very few good guys and a lot of bad ones. Again he is out of his depth but his moral compass pushes him to try and make a difference.
These books do follow a slight formula, but this sees Jack more out of his depth than usual and his luck and wits may not be enough. There is a real sense in this that evil has the upper hand and an old “friend” of Jack’s has a personal stake in this one.
Another dark slice of brilliance.

[Debra Omiatek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Nightingale against the Death Lady in Mexico

Jack gets called upon to find missing college students during spring break. The young people have gone from Texas to Mexico to take advantage of the lower age limit to drink alcohol. When Nightingale is sent, he is also told that a balance needs to be reset. He discovers the main cartel is worshipping the Death Lady to protect them in their illegal endeavors. He then discovers human sacrifice is involved. The twists of the story and the difficulties that Jack encounters makes this an excellent story. His encounter with a Princess of Hell reveals the magnitude of this cult in the cartel. The book is a page turner. Fans of the Jack Nightingale series and fans of the supernatural will really enjoy this book. I would highly recommend this book.

[Jason Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I'm done with this series. The first 3 books were great, the next 2 were good. After the 5th book they just went downhill and I've just been forcing myself to keep going with the series hoping they will get good again, but they don't. When he left the UK and went to North America the stories just lost a lot of their charm. It feels like the author like the author is using the same template to write each book, just changing the names and locations. It seems like Prosperine shows up in the exact way in each book now. About a quarter of the way through she'll randomly show up and do a little verbal jousting with Jack, and it feels like it's the exact same conversation in each book, the only difference is the location changed. In this book she showed up at a bar in Mexico and in the last book it was a casino in Vegas.

[Donna Kinsella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing

I usually love the jack nightingale series, especially the first three books, but this one not so much. I like it when jack summons demons and them causing mayhem.
If Stephen writes more of these books then I hope he puts in more demon action.

[mohammed altaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book...finished in one sitting... a truly great read... just like all of books

a truly great read.... read it one sitting, like all th\e jack nightingale book
s lots of twist and turns...

[Ray Smillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as his Las Vegas shenanigans but still poor old Jack Nightingale and his Hush Puppies getting involved in some dark magic down in Mexico where he starts off searching for a missing American teenager.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really want to love these books, but I feel like the series has become split. The first half of the series was absolutely brilliant, but the second half just doesn't cut it in my opinion. I keep reading them hoping they will get back to what they were, but I feel this might be my last read of the series.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual, but all good. Bad guys south of the border. Our hero saves the day, with the usual bunch of collateral damage, plus a surprising twist. He escapes but only due to the sacrifice of someone else.

[Karen Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book . It was dark and sinister with a few grim bits . I love Jack Nightingale x

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good to feature the return of the Goth demon Princess but very lazy ending , in my opinion.

[Ian Pickford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big body count. Bad guy wins for a change. An easy and pleasant read. Not taxing, but enjoyable

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story ...but it's time to bring jack to blighty , pretty sure Mrs steadman can make it happen

[Andrew Chambers · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an ..ok book , but things have become stale, jack needs to come back to the UK ,we need Jenny and even Chalmers back...with Robbie too ...some deal can manage that or Mrs steadman

[Mrs J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tree carefully

James from previous books in the series. He haphazardly managed to avoid death, but it was there at every turn.
Enjoyed book but story line very similar.

[Myke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Jack Nightingale and whilst this book has all the formulas of the previous ones it just didn’t meet my standards for Jack.
I can’t put my finger on why, but I wasn’t as invested as I normally am.

[Gail Radka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really kept me on the edge of my seat, couldn’t put it down. Probably needed a few more spells snd tricks from Jack however i thoroughly enjoyed

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always a fabulous read. Jack Nightingale is just such a fantastic character. Couldn't put it down—highly recommend to anyone looking for an engaging and entertaining read."

[Kirsty Maule · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good

This one was a good read with a decent twist. Not what I expected but I really enjoyed it. Can’t help but enjoy it when prospering is getting her way.