Customer Reviews

Hell to Pay (Nightside, Book 7)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't know who wrote the blurb on the back of this one but it had little to do with the book itself. In the wake of the Lilith War the Nightside and its inhabitants is in a state of recovery. One of the most powerful remaining is the immortal Griffon. He contacts John to find out who has kidnaped his granddaughter. She was to be the sole inheritor of the Griffon's enormous estate but now she has disappeared. But right at the start of the case John finds out someone, or thing, is shutting down his gift when he tries to find the heiress. He is going to have to solve this case the old fashioned way.

John only has a short period of time to find the missing girl. As a gumshoe he proceeds to interview the entire Griffon clan in hopes of getting a lead. Meanwhile the Griffon is hoping that John's reputation can succeed in forcing the kidnapper's hand. John delves deep into the family history and keeps coming up with absolutely nothing until the pieces finally start to fall into place and make sense.

The back of the book claims this is a book about the power vacuum and how some want Taylor to assume power but it is not. Instead we get a book much closer to the first in the series. We get a good hard-boiled mystery and more insight into the Nightside and its denizens. Most of the usual support cast are not present. Although some are mentioned we never see Susie Shooter or Razor Eddie. This was also a nice return to earlier days as Taylor really has to rely on his own skills to solve the mystery and set things as right as they can be. A very good tale. Check it out.

PI John Taylor has been hired, for ten million pounds, by Jeremiah Griffith to find his missing granddaughter. Griffith is not the most powerful man in Nightside and immortal. He is said to have made a pact with the Devil and as long as his grandchildren don't reach the age of adulthood, he, his wife and children, remain immortal. So why is he now so determined to find his missing granddaughter just days before her 18th birthday. Is he tired of immortality, or does he want to destroy?

I'm very happy to have the Angel Wars over and have John Taylor back investigating with his usual humor, strange "friends," and array of powers. Nightside is a fascinating place to visit, but only from the safety of my sofa. Although this entry could stand on its own, it is a series best read in order. I find these books to be delightful escape, although they are not particularly recommended for the weak of stomach.

Welcome to the Nightside, an alternate London where it's always 3 AM and the living isn't easy. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant--if you're willing to pay the price. Think about that--in the Nightside, ambulances are fueled by pain and suffering and taxis run on virgin's blood.

John Taylor is the premier private eye in the Nightside. Just recently, he saved the place from extinction when his mother, Lilith (yes, that Lilith) tried to take over.

Now, the biggest baddest man in the Nightside has hired John to find his 17 year old grand-daughter, Melissa. Jeremiah Griffin is immortal and nobody really knows what bargain he made for that. One thing everyone knows is you don't cross the Griffin and live. And John's got less than 24 hours to find Melissa.

This seventh book of the "Nightside" stories is one of the best so far. "Hell to Pay" is hard to put down, full of the dark Chandleresque humor that typifies Simon R. Green's work. While I'd recommend anyone start with the beginning of the "Nightside" series, "Hell to Pay" is a good introduction--and trust me, you will want the six books prior to this one.

The culmination of the first cycle came to an end with the Lilith War and our hero John Taylor is back for more. John Taylor is hired by the most powerful and richest (not to mention immortal) man in the Nightside, The Griffin, to find his missing granddaughter. Of course there are catches, such as his finder's ability doesn't seem to be working properly and then there's the intrusion of the SAS - the Salvation Army Sisterhood, a militaristic convent of nuns. We visit some new locales in the Nightside and return to a few old ones. Dead Boy tags along briefly and there's cameos by Alex the bartender, Walker, and Shotgun Suzie.

Overall, a nice introduction into the supposed new cycle of John Taylor adventures in the Nightside, that hidden section of London where it's always 3:00 am and the greater Powers, Beings, and Gods walk. This is a great series of books and Simon Green has added another successful sequal to the series. It's good enjoyable fantasy fiction that doesn't require alot of brainpower.

John Taylor is quite possibly the most feared man in the Nightside, a city hidden within the city of London that is populated by some of the most fearsome men (and monsters) that exist...and even a few that don't. However, there is one invididual whose notoriety matches Taylor's: Griffin, the Immortal, the man who owns most of the Nightside.

Since the Authorities were destroyed in the Lilith War (in which Taylor fought and defeated his own mother, the first wife of Adam who got kicked out of Eden because she was just a tad too evil), the Griffin has set his eyes on authority over the Nightside. But it all hinges upon his niece, who has was listed as his sole inheritor--just before she was kidnapped. Now, Taylor has been put on the case, to find the Griffin's niece within 24 hours and return her safely, no matter who has to get hurt. But while investigating the troubled and immortal Griffin family, Taylor begins to suspect that things aren't what they seem...which is usually the case, in the Nightside. This time, however, because his powers are blocked by some Being, Taylor will have to work the old-fashioned way--and that clock is ticking...

I thought, with the climactic ending of "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," the Nightside series had come to an end; thank God I was wrong. "Hell To Pay" picks up shortly after that novel's ending, and features the ecclectic cast of characters Green's fans have come to look forward to. John Taylor is one of the most interesting private detectives since the days of Holmes, and it is a genuine treat to let him narrate his adventures as he goes up against goblins, demons, terrorist nuns, and even man-eating cars. The Nightside series is truly unique, and is certain to go down as a mystery/sci-fi classic.

Having read all of the other Nightside novels, I was very pleased to see that there was another Nightside novel out after the conclusion of the story arc of the last novel. That being said, this novel seems a little bit adrift compared to some of the other intrigue going on in the other novels. That's the only reason that I would give it a 4 out of 5. It's still a Nightside novels so that means it's still a great read. But I felt that this novel was not as tightly written as some of the past novels where the story line was building to a conclusion of John vs. his mom. Definitely not the starting point for any budding reader but a must for a Nightside fan.

The War in the Nightside is over and who's still around? Our hero John Taylor who must be indestructible. It's business as usual for John who has been hired by the Nightside's resident immortal, the Griffin. John's quest? Find the Griffin's grand-daughter. Oh, but there's a catch: John's gift isn't working correctly! It's never easy in the Nightside.

If you've read my reviews of this series, you know I'm in love with the Nightside. Simon R. Green has such a rich imagination and is able to translate those ideas into books that are very easy to read. I read every single word in this book while sometimes I skim past useless descriptions in other books. Green's descriptions are so vivid it's hard not to visualize the Nightside. I have not been disappointed by the other Nightside books and I'm certainly not disappointed this time! BUY THIS BOOK. Even if you haven't read the rest of the Nightside books, this one can stand alone. YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES. Period.

John has gone back to being a detective after a stint of metaphysical adventures and saving the nightside. This book has a lot of humor: parody, satire, sarcasm and irony. The Salvation Army Sister hood is pretty good as is the scene on The Street of the Gods. John has been contacted by the Griffin ( a very wealthy immortal) too find his granddaughter Melissa who is missing an presumed kidnapped. The Griffin's fashion hound wife, their two children and the grand children all make up a nicely dysfunctional family, The characters are very well done and the plot if quite good with a nice twist.

IN Sweet Silver Blues (Garrett Files) Garrett is a plain detective but later in the series goes off into saving the world, similarly Jim Butcher detours into saving the world in Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, Book 7), So far the only one who hasn't is Kim Harrison For a Few Demons More (Rachel Morgan, Book 5) but she is coming close. It appears to be an occupational hazard of the authors of these paranormal detective books.

But this book is back to the detective part and is an excellent read; highly recommended.

In this book, the seventh Nightside, Simon Green does an admirable job of continuing the series after the six book story arc concluded in the last book, Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth. Hell to Pay is a return to the case-solving earlier books in the series without seeming too much like a regression. It is a light, fun, book without the angst of the last couple and also without much mention of the creepy romance between the main character and a certain shooter (which was a bit disturbing, to me at least). All in all, Hell to Pay might be a little bit of a letdown after the fast-paced, frantic and large-scale resolution of the last book, but it was a throwback to the classic formula of the first few books without being, I think, too boring or tired, and at the end the stage is set for what could be the next large plot arc.

If you're looking for something extremely different for the series, Hell to Pay is not it; however, it does seem to plant the seeds of another large-scale story...so I would say it's worth your time. If, however, you're looking for a quintessential John Taylor case and an entertaining romp in the Nightside, look no further. Hell to Pay is up to par with the standards of excellence and entertainment set by books 1-6, if a less ambitious plotline than the last few.

Hell To Pay (2007) is the seventh Urban Fantasy novel in the Nightside series, following Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth. In the previous volume, Lilith raised the dead in the private burial grounds of the Necropolis, including Charles Taylor. When John Taylor found his father, he reunited him with Henry Walker and Mark Robinson and the three of them started work once again on the Babalon Working, but this time in reverse.

The followers of Lilith started fighting among themselves and Julian Advent soon defeated the rabble. Lilith's children slunk back to the Street of Gods and resumed their former ways. Suzie and John became partners in the detective agency.

In this novel, John Taylor is invited to Griffen Hall. Jeremiah Griffen is an immortal and the richest man in Nightside. He owns most of the properties and many of the inhabitants. The Authorities had kept him from taking over everything, but now they are gone.

Jeremiah's granddaughter and heir is missing. Three days before, someone -- or something -- had killed Jeremiah's family lawyer and his copy of Jeremiah's will was stolen. Shortly after that, the whole family had learned that Melissa was the sole heritor of Jeremiah's estate. Now she is gone -- kidnapped, murdered or fled -- and Jeremiah knows nothing about her whereabouts.

Taylor goes through the motions of obtaining a recent photograph and asking about the movements of the family, yet he plans to use his talent to find the girl. This time, however, something is blocking his extrasense. Then something comes after Taylor and/or Jeremiah, but Taylor counters the attack.

He can use his talent for other things, but not to locate Melissa. Taylor is going to have to locate the missing heir the hard way. He starts by asking Jeremiah to describe his family.

In this story, the butler Hobbes has already questioned the servants and learned nothing. So Taylor interviews the family. He even talks to the grandson Paul through a locked door, but learns nothing helpful at the time. Later, he talks to the son and daughter and their spouses, as well as the grandson, in less formal settings and learns more about the family. Eventually, Jeremiah even tells Taylor how he became an immortal.

While searching for Melissa, Taylor encounters the Salvation Army Sisterhood, gentry bodyguards and backstreet thugs. He helps Walker dispose of a homicidal shapeshifter. Yet he just can't find Melissa.

This story involves Taylor in a struggle against Hell itself. Only the highest powers in Heaven and Hell can block his talent and Heaven is unlikely to do so. At least his talent works outside of Griffen Hall.

Highly recommended for Green fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of supernatural powers, corrupt and venal socialites, and teenage rebellion.

-Arthur W. Jordin