The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon [Kindle Edition]

Howard Hopkins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"With its creepy atmosphere and frantic escapes from ghostly danger, The Deadly Dragon will keep you entertained from start to finish."
--Margaret Marr, Night & Weekends Reviews

New Salem--Where everyday is Halloween!

Orville "Ace T" Turner has a hard time staying out of trouble but after moving to the spooky seaside town of New Salem, Maine, he soon discovers his troubles are only just beginning. Because on the day he walks past the deserted old mansion on Tuttle Street, he sees a mysterious and terrifying sight-the ghost of the Dragon Boy! Then when bullies from school start disappearing, Orville quickly finds himself right in the middle of a ghostly mystery. Together with a band of misfit ghost hunters who call themselves the Nightmare Club, a strange girl named Alliecat who wants to shove her way into the group and a potbellied pig named Barnabas, he must solve the riddle of the Dragon Boy's ghost before it claims its final victim and vanishes into the night forever!

"Any young adult who likes to camp out in the backyard will want to bring this book along to read by flashlight while hiding inside the sleeping bag. But beware: it might scare you back into the house. "
--Margaret Marr, Nights & Weekends Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 160 KB
• Publisher: Golden Perils Press (July 12, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005CFEIWY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,544 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Howard Hopkins' life took a dramatic turn after picking up his first Doc Savage book at the age of 13, though he wouldn't realize it until a number of years later. On a snowy November day, the daydream prone, shy child began a journey into escapist fiction that would later inspire him to write over 40 novels in the horror, western, comic book, science fiction and pulp adventure genres. "I never realized at the time how much the author of that book would inspire me to create my own stories and fire a passion to help others escape from their own problems, even if only for a few hours." Many years later Howard sold his first short story, a horror tale, to a small press magazine and not long after completed his first novel NIGHT DEMONS, a generational horror tale set in the supernaturally cursed town of Dark Harbor, Maine. A second horror novel, GRIMM, soon followed, which spawned his most recent supernatural/mystery series THE CHLOE FILES.

Now Howard is the author of numerous horror novels/western novels/comic book fiction, as well as over 50 published short stories, one recently appearing in THE SPIDER CHRONICLES with John Jakes (The Spider being that uber violent and trifle psychotic crimefighting pulp hero of the 1930s. He recently coedited, wrote the intro and two stories for THE AVENGER CHRONICLES, a short story anthology dedicated to the greatest pulp hero of the 40s, The Avenger) and has upcoming work in the Captain Midnight and The Green Hornet anthologies.

Besides NIGHT DEMONS, GRIMM, and THE CHLOE FILES, his novels under his own name include, THE DARK RIDERS (a vampire western) and his short story anthology DARK HARBORS, which were EPPIE nominated finalists and Fictionwise top five bestsellers. He also write a spooky series for children (8+) called THE NIGHTMARE CLUB, the first called THE HEADLESS PAPERBOY.

His recent trade paperback novel PISTOLERO combines horror and mystery with his second writing love, westerns, which he authors under the penname Lance Howard. So far he has written 32 Black Horse Westerns in hardcover and trade paperback, the most recent being COYOTE DEADLY.

His comic book and graphic novel scripts include, The Spider: Judgement Knight and the upcoming The Strange Case of The Spider and Mr. Hyde, and he is a big fan of the pulps, especially Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow.

"I love entertaining people and taking them away from reality and giving something back to others. I started writing because Doc Savage, and other pulp heroes helped me through a difficult period in my life and awakened a creative spark that turned into a roaring fire. Writing is my passion and being able to touch others' lives through words drives me to tell stories. I invite you to take a look at my personal website for excerpts, contests and more info about my work."

Howard lives in a small southern Maine coastal town and his interests include bodybuilding and playing multiple instruments.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for young adults and children!, November 15, 2010

By 

Margaret Marr "Published Author" (NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon (Paperback)

Fleeing from their abusive father and husband, Orville Turner and his mother leave Colorado and settle in New Salem, Maine. Orville hates the spooky little town that always smells of clams, and he ends up letting his anger get the better of him. It often lands him in detention, much to his mother's frustration. She isn't even willing to listen when he tries to explain that the last fight was because he was protecting a girl from the school bully.

A band of oddball ghost hunters offers Orville membership in the Nightmare Club, but Orville isn't sure that he wants to be friends with a bunch of outcasts. He doesn't believe in ghosts, either--that is, not until he walks by the deserted mansion on Tuttle Street and sees the ghost of the Dragon Boy. However, if he doesn't make friends and stop getting into fights, his mother will send him to a special school, where ghosts and bullies will be the least of his troubles.

When bullies start disappearing from school, Orville gets dragged into the search for an angry ghost boy who wants revenge. If they don't find out what's bothering the ghost and put things right, he'll claim another victim.

The Deadly Dragon is not only a spooky young adult tale, but it's also a lesson in getting control of your anger, finding something else to focus on, and bringing purpose to your life. Above all, it's about doing what's right, no matter how it might hurt you or cause you trouble.

I loved reading the good-natured--albeit sometimes unkind--banter between the boys, which lends a wealth of snappy and realistic dialogue to the story. At the same time, Orville brings a bit of maturity to the group, making him a natural leader in spite of his anger problems.

If boys must be part of a gang, then the Nightmare Club would be a good choice--because it actually strives to help others rather than brining them down. Even though the members often sneak out at night to work a case, I wish that young boys of today would find such a place to belong, instead of the bad alternatives.

With its creepy atmosphere and frantic escapes from ghostly danger, The Deadly Dragon will keep you entertained from start to finish. Any young adult who likes to camp out in the backyard will want to bring this book along to read by flashlight while hiding inside the sleeping bag. But beware: it might scare you back into the house.

This Review first appeared at NightsandWeekends.com: http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/10/NW1000454.php