Comes the Dark [Paperback]

Michael Prescott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

Michael Prescott returns with Stealing Faces...

Twelve years ago Kaylie McMillan fell victim to serial killer John Cray's sick obsession--and escaped. So did Cray.

Twelve years later, the nightmare still haunts Kaylie, putting her sanity in jeopardy--and her life at stake. Because Cray is still out there.

And tonight, he's going to finish what he started...

Praise for Michael Prescott's Comes The Dark:

"Michael Prescott delivers a harrowing thriller of the first order. His characters are flesh-and-blood real, the atmosphere's intense, and the plot races along unceasingly."--Jeffery Deaver, author of The Coffin Dancer

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The past comes back to haunt the residents of Barrow, Pa., when their normally sleepy town is rocked by the discovery of a local girl's remains washed up on the riverbank. Not since the double murder at the Garrison mansion decades earlier has anything so tragic occurred there. Robert and Erica, the two siblings orphaned that violent night so long ago, find themselves again caught up in the terror. Erica, now married and a successful art dealer, is missing, and the new police chief, Connor, with whom she has been having an affair, fears the worst. Although Connor, as well as the rest of the town, assumes the murderer is Robert?known to the locals as "the fool on the hill" because of his irrational rantings and reclusive lifestyle?no one has been able to prove it. Afraid Erica may have set out to find the truth on her own, Connor makes her case top priority, but time is running out. Prescott effectively captures the pain experienced by his characters and how it leads them to terrifying acts of desperation.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451192508
• ISBN-13: 978-0451192509
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #734,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1960, I grew up in New Jersey and attended Wesleyan University, majoring in Film Studies. After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I wrote scripts for several independent producers. I also worked as a magazine freelancer and archival researcher, and eventually started writing books. I authored six titles under the pseudonym Brian Harper before switching to my new identity as Michael Prescott.

My first Michael Prescott novel, COMES THE DARK, grew out of my interest in ancient religion and mythology. I followed up with STEALING FACES, which made its debut as an electronic book and became the bestselling e-book in the U.S. way back in 1999, and THE SHADOW HUNTER, which was praised by Publishers Weekly for its "brilliant elements of psychological horror." Publishers Weekly also had kind words for LAST BREATH ("a chilling, character-driven tale") and NEXT VICTIM ("unrelentingly suspenseful"). IN DARK PLACES was called a "dark, compulsive read" (Publishers Weekly), a "gripping new drama" (Cemetary Dance), and "hard to predict and thoroughly absorbing ... Michael Prescott at his best" (Round Table Reviews). With DANGEROUS GAMES, I began a trilogy about two female characters, Tess McCallum and Abby Sinclair, who had appeared separately in two of my earlier books. The trilogy continued with MORTAL FAULTS and FINAL SINS. Collectively those three books are my personal favorites.

Changes in the publishing industry made it hard for me to get a print deal after FINAL SINS. Ebooks, however, are more than taking up the slack. In 2010, I self-published RIPTIDE as an ebook and a print-on-demand paperback. This was followed by new ebook editions of SHIVER, MORTAL PURSUIT, and BLIND PURSUIT (three Brian Harper titles), as well as STEALING FACES. All have risen into the Top 100 bestsellers among Kindle's paid titles, with most making it into the top ten. By the end of July 2011 I plan to release my first book written directly for the ebook market, a comedy called DIE STUPID.

In addition, E-Reads has put out ebook editions of NEXT VICTIM, IN DARK PLACES, and DANGEROUS GAMES, and Penguin Books offers an ebook edition of FINAL SINS. Before too long I hope to have all my titles available in ebook form, and to write some new ones for this rapidly expanding market.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal!, June 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Comes the Dark (Paperback)

A really great first novel with fascinating, believable characters and an engrossing plot. I can't believe some people found it boring -- I read the whole book in two days, just couldn't put it down! I guess they were hoping for a who-done-it, but COMES THE DARK is a psychological thriller, and the suspense comes from seeing how the characters' lives intersect and how their secrets come out into the open in very dramatic, unexpected ways. Don't let the negative comments turn you off. This is a great book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars captivating, November 24, 1999

By 

Patrick W. Smith (Charleston, South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comes the Dark (Paperback)

I picked up this book without expectations. I was immediately impressed with the prescotts writing style. I was instantly hooked and the pages flew by. Unlike other reviewers, I was not bothered by the author revealing the killer early. To me it made it more interesting (there ar plenty of "who done its" out there). I am not particularly interested in greek mythology... or should I say I wasnt until I read this book. I may just brush up on some of the mythological references, now. Thanks to Mr. Prescott for an interesting and entertaining read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Different, October 6, 2000

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Comes the Dark (Paperback)

Michael Prescott's "Comes the Dark" is a potent and absorbing psychological thriller. What is really unique about this book is the complexity of the characters and the inability to really make them either good or bad, although certainly the villain is definitely bad. The usual childhood traumas are used to justify the mental illness, but even then Prescott doesn't offer this as an excuse, merely as a reason.

I particularly found the characters of Marge and Andrew very well drawn. Marge is the lieutenant who felt she should have gotten the chief position when crusty old Paul retired. But instead, they bring in an outsider from New York with his own hidden secrets. The method in which the sour Marge turns to respect her new boss is done with credibility and sensitivity. The transformation is satisfying.

Likewise, we have Andrew, the husband of the heroine who married her for money, and has a criminally colorful past. Although you immediately want to despise him, as the story progresses, he becomes a flesh and blood character, driven by past greeds, but in the end, turning into a rather surprising force in the novel.

The scenes in the cave are at times tedious and drawn out, but they enhance the feeling of our heroine as she tries desperately to battle her evil brother.

This is a great read--I found myself saying things out loud, like "You just did something stupid," or "Come on, Erica, don't be so silly..."

This is good reading; although after reading "Stealing Faces," I think Prescott tends to supply his leading characters the same formulae, but hey if it works, why not?