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Midnight Boy
When a psychopathic killer stalks the rural town of Town Creek murdering children, the citizens turn to Doug Younger in hopes that his ability to see the future will lead to the killer's capture
- GenresHorror
396 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1987
3 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Gresham
33 books35 followersSuspense, supernatural, and young adult fiction writer Stephen Gresham (1947- ) has been intrigued by the gothic tradition of the South since moving to Auburn, Lee County, in 1975 to take a teaching position at Auburn University. This area of Alabama provides the backdrop for his novel The Fraternity (2004) and imbues works such as Rockabye Baby (1984) with the horror and fantasy elements of the southern magic genre that guide him as he writes of supernatural creatures and forces.
Gresham was born in Halstead, Kansas, on September 23, 1947, to Chester Gresham, a building contractor, and Helen Kennedy, housewife and wartime riveter. He was raised with five brothers. Gresham's literary passion was sparked by listening to his grandmother read him everything from comic books to Edgar Allan Poe and watching 1940s B movies by horror film producer Val Lewton. Gresham studied journalism for two years at Wichita State University, where he began his professional writing career as a freelance sports reporter at the Wichita Eagle. He then transferred to Kansas State Teachers College (present-day Emporia State University) to earn a bachelor's and a master's degree. In 1975, he completed a Ph.D. in English Renaissance literature at the University of Missouri. While in Missouri, Gresham married Linda Duffy in 1969, and the couple had their only child, Aaron, in 1974.
In 1975, Gresham joined the English Department at Auburn University as a professor of creative writing. By the later 1970s, he had published several pieces of short fiction with two small presses. Gresham is drawn to the mythical South and has described east Alabama as an inspirational place. Moon Lake, Gresham's first novel, uses such a backdrop to tell the tale of two honeymooners who encounter evil hidden in the water hyacinths on Moon Lake.
Gresham's novels have aimed to mesh the supernatural world of ghosts, magic, and witchcraft with the real horrors of places like his boyhood Kansas, with its tornados, polio scares, and threats of nuclear war. The most distinctive aspect of his writing is the centrality of unrequited love and the unexpected yet powerful bonds formed by his characters. When Teddy, the teenage hero of Haunted Ground, battles ghosts at a neighboring farm, he must also come to terms with his adolescence and the wrath of his dysfunctional family. This focus on the destructive innerworkings of families is balanced by a respect for what Gresham refers to as "soul" families, those united not necessarily by blood but by heart or circumstance. Even after Teddy is assaulted by his own brother and neglected by his psychologically unfit mother, he is able to find solace with his cousin Judith, the black sheep of his extended family.
Another characteristic of Gresham's books is his attention to research and historical settings. In the 1990 novel Blood Wings, Gresham researched the field of cryptozoology to create the massive batlike creature from which the novel gets its title. In The Fraternity (2004), two warring vampire fraternities battle against the backdrop of Depression-era America where the only threat greater than the crumbled economy of the Hoover years is the risk of being kidnapped by rival vampires.
In addition to the many novels he has published under his own name, Gresham has also written under two pennames to establish a distinct identity between his suspense thrillers and his young adult fiction. For the 1994 suspense/thriller Primal Instinct, he adopted the name John Newland from the 1950s television series "One Step Beyond." The next year, he paid homage to director Val Lewton when he published two novels, Just Pretend and Called to Darkness, under the name J. V. Lewton. Gresham's best selling novel to date has been Midnight Boy (1987), and Haunted Ground (2003) has garnered the most favorable response from readers. Reception from readers, especially young ones, has been largely favorable, and he continues to publish thrillers.
Gres
Gresham was born in Halstead, Kansas, on September 23, 1947, to Chester Gresham, a building contractor, and Helen Kennedy, housewife and wartime riveter. He was raised with five brothers. Gresham's literary passion was sparked by listening to his grandmother read him everything from comic books to Edgar Allan Poe and watching 1940s B movies by horror film producer Val Lewton. Gresham studied journalism for two years at Wichita State University, where he began his professional writing career as a freelance sports reporter at the Wichita Eagle. He then transferred to Kansas State Teachers College (present-day Emporia State University) to earn a bachelor's and a master's degree. In 1975, he completed a Ph.D. in English Renaissance literature at the University of Missouri. While in Missouri, Gresham married Linda Duffy in 1969, and the couple had their only child, Aaron, in 1974.
In 1975, Gresham joined the English Department at Auburn University as a professor of creative writing. By the later 1970s, he had published several pieces of short fiction with two small presses. Gresham is drawn to the mythical South and has described east Alabama as an inspirational place. Moon Lake, Gresham's first novel, uses such a backdrop to tell the tale of two honeymooners who encounter evil hidden in the water hyacinths on Moon Lake.
Gresham's novels have aimed to mesh the supernatural world of ghosts, magic, and witchcraft with the real horrors of places like his boyhood Kansas, with its tornados, polio scares, and threats of nuclear war. The most distinctive aspect of his writing is the centrality of unrequited love and the unexpected yet powerful bonds formed by his characters. When Teddy, the teenage hero of Haunted Ground, battles ghosts at a neighboring farm, he must also come to terms with his adolescence and the wrath of his dysfunctional family. This focus on the destructive innerworkings of families is balanced by a respect for what Gresham refers to as "soul" families, those united not necessarily by blood but by heart or circumstance. Even after Teddy is assaulted by his own brother and neglected by his psychologically unfit mother, he is able to find solace with his cousin Judith, the black sheep of his extended family.
Another characteristic of Gresham's books is his attention to research and historical settings. In the 1990 novel Blood Wings, Gresham researched the field of cryptozoology to create the massive batlike creature from which the novel gets its title. In The Fraternity (2004), two warring vampire fraternities battle against the backdrop of Depression-era America where the only threat greater than the crumbled economy of the Hoover years is the risk of being kidnapped by rival vampires.
In addition to the many novels he has published under his own name, Gresham has also written under two pennames to establish a distinct identity between his suspense thrillers and his young adult fiction. For the 1994 suspense/thriller Primal Instinct, he adopted the name John Newland from the 1950s television series "One Step Beyond." The next year, he paid homage to director Val Lewton when he published two novels, Just Pretend and Called to Darkness, under the name J. V. Lewton. Gresham's best selling novel to date has been Midnight Boy (1987), and Haunted Ground (2003) has garnered the most favorable response from readers. Reception from readers, especially young ones, has been largely favorable, and he continues to publish thrillers.
Gres
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 24, 2021
Gresham's "Midnight Boy" is a 1987 classic of 80s paperback horror, but is really more of a crime thriller with the paranormal element of a psychic detective. In this case, the "detective" is a clairvoyant 13-year-old boy assisting to solve the murder of the local sheriff's baby brother.
Ever read "The Three Investigators" series or "Nancy Drew" as a kid? Well, pair those up with some Stephen King à la "The Shining" and "The Dead Zone," and you have a good idea what this novel is like.
I would classify this as YA more than full-on adult pulp horror. The novel is very light on gore and violence, choosing to focus on the little side dramas of the sheriff and the boy, such as their friendships and the young women on whom they have developed crushes. This is definitely a coming-of-age novel that spends much of it's time talking about high school basketball, sledding and drinking hot cocoa, and snowball fights. The reader gets a real immersion in Midwestern small-town life watching grizzled locals drink entire carafes of coffee in the local cafe to teenagers tinkering with their Jeeps in the driveway outside of their dad's garage.
For horror fans looking for some transgressive experiences, this novel will sure be a disappointment. But the constant reader will find this a pleasant distraction. It is one of those winter and holiday themed novels that is simply perfect for reading in your robe on a nasty cold day, or on a lazy Christmas morning while the kids are busy making a wreck of the house with their new toys.
Another fundamental feature of this novel worth discussing is it's tendency to NOT keep you guessing. The reader always knows what is going on and what is going to happen. We know who the killer is right from the start--a handsome young English teacher nicknamed "Cheers" who is a Vietnam War veteran and former POW. He was horribly tortured while a prisoner of Hell's Mouth, and his untreated PTSD leads to micropsychotic dissociative episodes when he is triggered. We know early on, for example, that his captors would throw buckets of water on him at night to keep him awake. So when later in the narrative a boy plans to play a prank on some teachers by hurling a bucket of confetti at them, you know exactly what's coming. Believe me, you CAN'T spoil this book.
But it is this very foresight of future events that puts the reader in the same boat as the young protagonist, who can also see into the future. Therefore, the reader is right there with him, anticipating and kept in suspense of a dreaded thing.
Gresham's writing is very serviceable and unchallenging. He also writes about all his characters with respect. There is no nihilism or bitter comments, no overt social agenda or political commentary, no intent to lump people into a broad negative category. No one is all good or bad--they're just people. In fact, Gresham himself has admitted that many characters in this book were good friends or based on people he grew up with. This is a tender love letter to rural Kansas where he grew up.
And so "Midnight Boy" is a very inoffensive and enjoyable book for some casual reading. It is now available again as an e-book so it is easy to find.
Ever read "The Three Investigators" series or "Nancy Drew" as a kid? Well, pair those up with some Stephen King à la "The Shining" and "The Dead Zone," and you have a good idea what this novel is like.
I would classify this as YA more than full-on adult pulp horror. The novel is very light on gore and violence, choosing to focus on the little side dramas of the sheriff and the boy, such as their friendships and the young women on whom they have developed crushes. This is definitely a coming-of-age novel that spends much of it's time talking about high school basketball, sledding and drinking hot cocoa, and snowball fights. The reader gets a real immersion in Midwestern small-town life watching grizzled locals drink entire carafes of coffee in the local cafe to teenagers tinkering with their Jeeps in the driveway outside of their dad's garage.
For horror fans looking for some transgressive experiences, this novel will sure be a disappointment. But the constant reader will find this a pleasant distraction. It is one of those winter and holiday themed novels that is simply perfect for reading in your robe on a nasty cold day, or on a lazy Christmas morning while the kids are busy making a wreck of the house with their new toys.
Another fundamental feature of this novel worth discussing is it's tendency to NOT keep you guessing. The reader always knows what is going on and what is going to happen. We know who the killer is right from the start--a handsome young English teacher nicknamed "Cheers" who is a Vietnam War veteran and former POW. He was horribly tortured while a prisoner of Hell's Mouth, and his untreated PTSD leads to micropsychotic dissociative episodes when he is triggered. We know early on, for example, that his captors would throw buckets of water on him at night to keep him awake. So when later in the narrative a boy plans to play a prank on some teachers by hurling a bucket of confetti at them, you know exactly what's coming. Believe me, you CAN'T spoil this book.
But it is this very foresight of future events that puts the reader in the same boat as the young protagonist, who can also see into the future. Therefore, the reader is right there with him, anticipating and kept in suspense of a dreaded thing.
Gresham's writing is very serviceable and unchallenging. He also writes about all his characters with respect. There is no nihilism or bitter comments, no overt social agenda or political commentary, no intent to lump people into a broad negative category. No one is all good or bad--they're just people. In fact, Gresham himself has admitted that many characters in this book were good friends or based on people he grew up with. This is a tender love letter to rural Kansas where he grew up.
And so "Midnight Boy" is a very inoffensive and enjoyable book for some casual reading. It is now available again as an e-book so it is easy to find.
December 18, 2017
Stephen Gresham's "Midnight Boy" was a pleasant surprise. I'd settled in for a typically fun, but in one way or another, illogical Zebra horror novel. The characters actually had some depth, particularly Doug and Johnny, and the friendship that was a major bolt holding the plot together. There was a definite '80s nostalgia throughout, but the gore is light, as in PG-13 (if that) light. I'd settled on a 5-star rating until the end, which, to me, felt like a complete and total cop out, hence the 4 stars. This was my first Gresham book in about 20 years (not since Runaway, which is due for another read), but he's definitely back on my radar.
March 27, 2020
4.2 stars!
"Before the night sealed a jar of darkness over him, before a starting gun of terror sounded and he began to run, the boy heard the man softly repeat a few words.
"Through the heart. Through the heart.""
-Stephen Gresham
What do we have here? A wonderful coming-of-age horror story, perched on the same street as: Robert R. McCammon's-Boy's Life, Dan Simmons's - Summer of Night, and Stephen King's- It.
Someone is stalking the children of Town's Creek Kansas. The tension ratches up as the bloody corpses pileup. Stephen Gresham's captures lighting in a bottle, the way he depicts 8th grade boy's emotions, relationships, thoughts, hopes, and fears. The playful interactions between Doug and Johnny are spot on, realistic. No cheese.
Midnight Boy's adolescence foreshadows looming adult hood with a tarot card variety of Town Creek adults. A good-hearted cowardly sheriff, newlyweds, schoolteachers, immigrants, waitresses; Midnight Boy covers all the bases. Intriguing sub-plots adorn Midnight Boy like Christmas Tree ornaments. Added bonus? It's a winter drift, deep snow story. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping lighting strikes twice, wishing Stephen Gresham writes a sequel, following the adolescent boys and girls of Town's Creek into middle age.
Top ten Zebra horror novel. Welcome addition to any serious horror book collection.
"Before the night sealed a jar of darkness over him, before a starting gun of terror sounded and he began to run, the boy heard the man softly repeat a few words.
"Through the heart. Through the heart.""
-Stephen Gresham
What do we have here? A wonderful coming-of-age horror story, perched on the same street as: Robert R. McCammon's-Boy's Life, Dan Simmons's - Summer of Night, and Stephen King's- It.
Someone is stalking the children of Town's Creek Kansas. The tension ratches up as the bloody corpses pileup. Stephen Gresham's captures lighting in a bottle, the way he depicts 8th grade boy's emotions, relationships, thoughts, hopes, and fears. The playful interactions between Doug and Johnny are spot on, realistic. No cheese.
Midnight Boy's adolescence foreshadows looming adult hood with a tarot card variety of Town Creek adults. A good-hearted cowardly sheriff, newlyweds, schoolteachers, immigrants, waitresses; Midnight Boy covers all the bases. Intriguing sub-plots adorn Midnight Boy like Christmas Tree ornaments. Added bonus? It's a winter drift, deep snow story. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping lighting strikes twice, wishing Stephen Gresham writes a sequel, following the adolescent boys and girls of Town's Creek into middle age.
Top ten Zebra horror novel. Welcome addition to any serious horror book collection.
December 6, 2022
The midnight boy born on the stroke of midnight with the ability to see into the future. Foreseeing his own fathers death and now visions are coming back to haunt him over seeing school friends deaths. Kersh ex Vietnam vet prisoner of war is now a ghost hunter and ghost killer. Wearing the same POW clothing he sat with a smoky fire, sucking in the smoke. Summoning help to kill his past enemies. He will put on combat fatigues and either kill or be killed, hunt or be hunted. His POW prison guards used to kick his organs in, break his bones, they were sadistic heinous pricks. Kersh will bayonet a school student through the back, puncturing the heart. These students are ghosts from his past now comeback to life. More students die and midnight boy through visions will save the day.
October 29, 2023
What if The Dead Zone was about a psychic kid versus a shell-shocked Vietnam vet? Basically that's what you sign up for here. Along with something that is workmanlike in its presentation but handles character better than most. If you love a good childhood friendship, you'll love reading about Doug and Johnny, and that's really what drives the story. There's also a killer on the loose that feels like a ticking clock until someone you're invested in gets axed, like any good slasher. Overall, it gets a thumbs up.
December 2, 2020
A suspenseful take on the serial killer vs the psychic. The reader's early knowledge of the killer's identity serves to up the dread effectively.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews