The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani reivew

About The Book

Book: The Midnight King
Author: Tariq Ashkanani
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Publisher: Viper Books
Publication Date (UK): 10th April 2025

🔍Standout Read. Awarded to books I highly recommend.

My Review

‘Reminiscent of Mo Hayder at her darkest‘ – OBSERVER.

Wow. What better praise for The Midnight King! Tariq Ashkanani is a new-to-me author, but this is his third book – his debut won the Bloody Scotland Debut Award in 2022.

I was keen to get reading this from the description, especially after hearing Tariq discuss the book during the Viper Panel at Bay Tales.

Following the suicide of his author father, Lucas Cole, Nathan returns to his hometown of Nashville in preparation for the funeral. Lucas was well respected within the community, but Nathan has always known the truth. The truth behind why his father would batch cook but the leftovers would disappear to his cabin… why sometimes other children might stay at their home for a couple of days… See, Lucas Cole was an unidentified serial killer. Nathan was aware something wasn’t right as a child and fled the family home as soon as he was old enough.

Sound dark enough yet? Well, when Nathan goes through his father’s house and belongings, he uncovers a manuscript of an unpublished book called The Midnight King. That’s right – there’s an intertextual novel embedded throughout the book from the get-go. We begin with an Author’s Note from Lucas Cole… Is this simply an unpublished novel or an old man’s confession?

The language of the book is beautifully written, yet at the same time incredibly easy to digest, with short, snappy sentences. It’s dark, emotional and touches on some heavy subjects – but a lot of what happens is also off-page and described in the aftermath, rather than shown in graphic detail as the crimes happen. I found it incredibly difficult to put down and finished it in just two sittings!

Thank you to Viper Books for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.