The Wolfman [Hardcover]

Nicholas Pekearo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2008

Marlowe Higgins has had a hard life. Since being dishonorably discharged after a tour in Vietnam, he's been in and out of prison, moving from town to town, going wherever the wind takes him. He can’t stay in one place too long--every full moon he kills someone.

Marlowe Higgins is a werewolf. For years he struggled with his affliction, until he found a way to use this unfortunate curse for good--he only kills really bad people. 

Settling at last in the small town of Evelyn, Higgins works at a local restaurant and even has a friend, Daniel Pearce, one of Evelyn's two police detectives.

One night everything changes. It turns out Marlowe Higgins isn’t the only monster lurking in the area. A fiendish serial killer, known as the Rose Killer, is brutally murdering young girls all around the county. Higgins targets the killer as his next victim, but on the night of the full moon, things go drastically wrong. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Spare, evocative prose lifts this impressive debut from Pekearo, who was killed in the line of duty as an auxiliary police officer in New York City in 2007. Marlowe Higgins, who's both a werewolf and a detective, lives in the small town of Evelyn, just outside the Tennessee border, flipping burgers by day and waiting for the full moon that will awaken the blood curse that has afflicted his family for generations. Higgins has hit on a way to alleviate the guilt he feels for having claimed countless innocent lives—he investigates vicious crimes that have gone unsolved by the police and targets the perpetrators in his lupine form. When a sadistic serial killer known as the Rose Killer for the flowers left in the victims' eye sockets appears in Evelyn, Higgins turns his attention to tracking him down. Higgins may remind some of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter, but Pekearo's skill at making Higgins both believable and sympathetic is a considerable achievement that should give this novel crossover appeal beyond crime and horror readers. (May)
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From Booklist

This first novel is conspicuous for its fresh twist on werewolf lore and, unfortunately, the sad denouement of its author. Before it went to press, NYPD volunteer policeman Pekearo was killed in the line of duty. He leaves behind a gripping fusion of detective and horror fiction that includes one of the most riveting werewolf portraits ever penned. After inheriting his father’s lycanthropic affliction and torturing himself with guilt for dispatching helpless innocents, Marlowe Higgins tricks his inner wolf into stalking only ne’er-do-wells. Lying low as a small-town short-order cook, Higgins scours the daily news for deserving scofflaws while cadging clues from his only real friend, detective Daniel Pearce. When an infamous serial killer murders a pair of local citizens, Higgins immediately puts the wolf on his scent. Yet something goes horribly awry, and Pearce, not the killer, becomes the wolf’s next victim, leaving Higgins reeling with guilt and determined to nab the fiend. Higgins’ surly, streetwise demeanor makes him unforgettably appealing both as a werewolf and as an amateur sleuth. --Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765320266
• ISBN-13: 978-0765320261
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,329,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Fun, May 30, 2008

By 

Randal Keith Milholland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wolfman (Hardcover)

I bought this book after reading articles about it and the author's death. Said articles made the book sound cheesy - "a detective werewolf who solves crime by night" - the sort of thing I'd expect to see on Mystery Science Theater 3000. I'd read about the tragedy of who the author was killed shortly after this book's publishing deal was signed and how there was already interest in a possible movie deal. I had to get the book to see if it was good, or it if all was hype.

The book is great. From the minute I started reading the prologue, I couldn't stop reading. The "detective werewolf" descriptor isn't quite accurate but I've no interest in going further than that for fear of spoiling any of the story. The characterization was amazing and the dialogue real. It's a wonderful glimpse into corruption within small town, and every once in a while small parts jump out at you that say, "That was gonna show up in a future sequel." My only complaint was that I figured out who the villain was with 100 pages to spare - but I didn't figure everything out, there were still many surprises I didn't expect, and the climax was impressive and satisfying.

I'm very thankful I got this book. And, selfishly, I'm heartbroken the hands and mind that brought this book won't be responsible for followups to it. There's so much more could be done with this character and his world, but I don't know if anyone else would do it justice.

If you love detective fiction, or a good bit of noir mixed with horror, pick this up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Part Horror. Part Thriller., June 21, 2008

By 

365andMe - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wolfman (Hardcover)

The main character, Marlowe Higgins, is a werewolf. Once a month, he changes into a monster and kills. This dark character reminds my very much of Joe Hill's Jude Coyne. Unlike Jude, Marlowe would have turned out to be a nice guy if not for this curse.

It took me about sixty plus pages to get into this story. In fact, I was beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about. And then, it happened. That warm feeling surrounded me, sort of like the buzz you get from your first drink of alcohol. And before I knew it, I was hooked.

Much of the book was choppy and awkward in spots. The biggest being close to the end, when Higgins and Van Buren had their last conversation before departing. I didn't find the conversation believable and wished it had been worked on more.

There were so many good parts to the book, but the best and I mean, very best, came at the end in the epilogue. What a heck of an ending! Loved it!

In spite of the minor flaws, I highly recommend this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars engaging paranormal serial killer thriller, May 17, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wolfman (Hardcover)

Discharged by the Army after serving as a grunt in Nam, Marlowe Higgins lives in Evelyn near the Ivy River just a spider's web outside of Tennessee. He earns a poor man's living making hamburgers at Frank's greasy spoon make that restaurant as he needs the below poverty level position. Once a month Marloew feels schizoid because he relishes yet fears the full moon when he, like his antecedents before him, turns into a werewolf. He also investigates malicious crimes as a form of sublimation to abate his guilt over killing innocent people during his blood disorder frenzy although Marlowe tries to target killers when he turns wolf albeit not always successfully.

A particularly vicious serial killer has begin horrifically murdering people; the media calls this psychopath the Rose Killer for potting flowers in eye sockets of victims. Higgins begins investigating this predator with plans to rip his throat out when he finally hunts him down.

This engaging paranormal serial killer thriller is an entertaining tale that werewolf fans and investigative vigilante readers will appreciate as the hero seems genuine especially when he agonizes over killing an innocent. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action, but it is Higgins who makes the horror crime thriller work as fans will empathize with his plight while wondering whether we sympathize with the devil. Sadly, Mr. Nicholas Pekearo was killed in 2007 while on duty as a NYPD auxiliary police officer.

Harriet Klausner