What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead of Night
"Doctor," he said before he said anything else, "I am haunted. By ghosts."
His parents are brutally murdered in a Manson-like intrusion and Calvin narrowly escapes the same fate. He spends time in an expensive private mental hospital, but when he returns home, he senses the presence of evil in the shadowy old mansion. Someone seems to follow him along the halls, and whispers just beyond his hearing.Gradually the terror escalates. A hand shakes him awake at night, just as it did on that fatal night. Cringing in his bed, he hears his father being murdered all over again, and then his mother. But is the mansion haunted-or is it Calvin?
His parents are brutally murdered in a Manson-like intrusion and Calvin narrowly escapes the same fate. He spends time in an expensive private mental hospital, but when he returns home, he senses the presence of evil in the shadowy old mansion. Someone seems to follow him along the halls, and whispers just beyond his hearing.Gradually the terror escalates. A hand shakes him awake at night, just as it did on that fatal night. Cringing in his bed, he hears his father being murdered all over again, and then his mother. But is the mansion haunted-or is it Calvin?
- GenresLGBTM M Romance
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Victor J. Banis
138 books214 followersVictor J. Banis is a writer. http://www.vjbanisauthor.com/
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 8, 2021
Dead of Night By: Victor J. Banis Narrated by: Guy Veryzer This is a book I received for free from Audioboom and the review is voluntary. This was a pretty good creepy story. It had lots of suspense and thrills in it. Had me guessing if the guy was nuts or if it really was haunted up to the very end. It had some slow parts and some sexual parts that could have been weeded out I thought and made the book flow smoother. The narrator was good.
January 3, 2011
Took me a while (and being sick at work, so not working too hard) to finish this but it was very well written.
This book made me very sad, though. One part in particular broke my heart. And there was something surrounding this part that was left unanswered and that irritates me like you wouldn't believe. It's far, far too ambiguous with no answers for my tastes.
And I guess because I like to read romances, but this book crushes my spirit (maybe its th cold) for there is no happy ending here for the characters, in fact quite the opposite. This is not a romance or not even really sure it can be classified as gay fiction (the main character is asexual if you ask me, though his brother is gay), but rather a supernatural story that left me as I said, sad and discontent.
Well written though so it scores a 5.
This book made me very sad, though. One part in particular broke my heart. And there was something surrounding this part that was left unanswered and that irritates me like you wouldn't believe. It's far, far too ambiguous with no answers for my tastes.
And I guess because I like to read romances, but this book crushes my spirit (maybe its th cold) for there is no happy ending here for the characters, in fact quite the opposite. This is not a romance or not even really sure it can be classified as gay fiction (the main character is asexual if you ask me, though his brother is gay), but rather a supernatural story that left me as I said, sad and discontent.
Well written though so it scores a 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2011
I bought this book, because I thought it was a m/m romance. It isn't. I still can't classify the story. It's about an unstable young man (who happens to be gay) being haunted by his past. Whether he is haunted by real ghosts or whether it just happens in his imagination remains unclear. There's no resolution, no pay-off worth speaking of.
The writing was uneven as well. Not recommended.
The writing was uneven as well. Not recommended.
March 28, 2021
This was a really strange story. At the end I'm not sure I knew what was really happening. Was the house haunted or not? Was he just crazy???? I didn't care at all for the narrator as his speech pattern was way to slow for me. I'd had high hopes for this book, but was left disappointed.
March 17, 2011
Newly released from a mental hospital, Calvin Sparrow returns home to resume life in the house he was raised in, which is also the house his parents were brutally murdered in. Calvin’s years or therapy were an attempt to heal him of the traumatic psychological wounds of his being in the house that deadly night, of witnessing the killings. But Calvin has lingering issues.
With the help of his brother, Bobbie, and a maid/cook, Mrs. Hauptman, Calvin begins to take to his new life, living alone in that grand and empty house. On the first full moon, however, Calvin hears sounds, voices from that deadly night so many years ago. He finds himself reliving that night all over again. But then the voices go away, until the next full moon. And each time they come back, they grow stronger and more sinister, and Calvin grows weaker and more desperate to free himself of his past.
I’m not a fan of horror or ghost stories, but I say must have this tale had me hooked from the first few pages. Is it a ghost story, or is it a study of a man’s insanity slowly taking him over? I can’t answer that question. The author skillfully leaves that up to the reader to decide.
This story clearly demonstrates why Victor Banis has become one of my favorite authors. He delves into his characters, pealing back the layers as he ratchets up the tension. As the story anxiety intensifies, more of the character’s deeper psyche is exposed. It’s really quite brilliantly done here.
About halfway through this story, I began to wonder how in the hell it would end. I’m usually very good at anticipating how an author with wrap up all the loose ends and bring a story to a close, but not this time. Not only did Mr. Banis keep me guessing all the way to the thrilling last pages, but he left it up to me to decide how it ended. Without giving any of the story away, I can say that I was both surprised and delighted when I read that last page. It was much more than I had hoped for.
Like all the tales I’ve read from Victor Banis, Dead of Night is a superb story that I can highly recommend to anyone who loves impeccable prose, wonderfully complicated characters, and a delectably teasing plot.
With the help of his brother, Bobbie, and a maid/cook, Mrs. Hauptman, Calvin begins to take to his new life, living alone in that grand and empty house. On the first full moon, however, Calvin hears sounds, voices from that deadly night so many years ago. He finds himself reliving that night all over again. But then the voices go away, until the next full moon. And each time they come back, they grow stronger and more sinister, and Calvin grows weaker and more desperate to free himself of his past.
I’m not a fan of horror or ghost stories, but I say must have this tale had me hooked from the first few pages. Is it a ghost story, or is it a study of a man’s insanity slowly taking him over? I can’t answer that question. The author skillfully leaves that up to the reader to decide.
This story clearly demonstrates why Victor Banis has become one of my favorite authors. He delves into his characters, pealing back the layers as he ratchets up the tension. As the story anxiety intensifies, more of the character’s deeper psyche is exposed. It’s really quite brilliantly done here.
About halfway through this story, I began to wonder how in the hell it would end. I’m usually very good at anticipating how an author with wrap up all the loose ends and bring a story to a close, but not this time. Not only did Mr. Banis keep me guessing all the way to the thrilling last pages, but he left it up to me to decide how it ended. Without giving any of the story away, I can say that I was both surprised and delighted when I read that last page. It was much more than I had hoped for.
Like all the tales I’ve read from Victor Banis, Dead of Night is a superb story that I can highly recommend to anyone who loves impeccable prose, wonderfully complicated characters, and a delectably teasing plot.
January 6, 2011
Good ghost story, but a warning to those who come looking for an m/m romance: there isn't one. But Banis knows how to write a gripping creepshow...
December 19, 2011
A chilling, spooky tale of a young man haunted by the grisly murder of his parents.
Not a romance, if that's what you are looking for.
Not a romance, if that's what you are looking for.
February 10, 2011
Wasn't sure what to expect. As always, reading Victor is a lesson on writing. Easy to learn new words with a Kindle, too...no flipping through dictionaries.
Absolutely loved the last line.
Absolutely loved the last line.
February 13, 2021
This is a horror story, and until the end, some things remain mystery, which made me irritated.
November 14, 2015
I love Victor J. Banis books, but this one wasn't my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews