Ink is a fascinating story about a human predator who feeds on memories associated with tattoos that people get inked. I have read a couple of books about memories and loss of memories, and it was this unique element of someone stealing memories that drew me to this book. I am happy to say that it did not disappoint though it was much darker than I had expected.

Content Notes: Violence, murder, coarse language, alcohol abuse, suicide, hedonism.

Themes for Thought
“When all you have are memories, there is no greater horror than forgetting.” Ink does a phenomenal job of driving this point home through this book. The small town of Pine Deep has been in the news before for weird happenings, but it’s been many years since that spotlight. However, some dark entity has made the town its home, and one by one, it is targeting people with tattoos. When this person touches the ink, it’s like the reason the tattoo was made and all memories associated with it, fade away. We follow Patty, a tattoo artist herself; Dianna, a psychic; and Monk, an ex-military turned investigator and the local police of Pine Deep. We meet people who have no idea that they had a tattoo to commemorate a milestone in their life. Some of them don’t even know how much they are missing.

On the Crime
Ink is a well written story that kept me guessing at a number of aspects of the storyline. How are all these characters connected? How are these memories fading away? What happens to someone when they are completely gone? The book explores these questions, as well as the moral side of stealing those memories (it’s not a crime per se) and the loss of oneself.

The local police gave me a glimpse into thinking more about catching such a villain. Theft of physical objects are investigated by police regularly but when confronted with the loss of something intangible, yet more important than physical artifacts, it is easy to label this as one-off supernatural happenings. But theft is still theft and losing memories, and in some cases, oneself, is a much bigger and serious crime. I had not thought about that before I read this book, so I appreciate the new perspective!

On the Predator
Ink is also a psychological thriller, letting the reader into the mind of this predator who devours the memories. The story is told in third person with multiple points of views. Though most of it is focused on the present, for the predator himself – this human vampire if you would like to call it – I learned how he came to discover these powers and what led him to the town of Pine Deep.

The kind of twisted mind that would explore and exploit these powers and take pleasure in reliving memories is well portrayed by the book. He was so well written that I hated him with a passion. His actions, his way of thinking, and his hunger… everything spoke “danger”.

On Memories
Our experiences in life make us who we are. We might not remember every single one of them, but that does not mean that they have not influenced us in becoming ourselves. It is only when I started to read about loss of memory in this book and seeing the effect that this had on not just the people to whom the memories belonged but also the people with whom the memories were made, that I started to understand how important memories are.

Tattoos are tokens that represent an important time or even a long period of time. If you have a tattoo, you know exactly why you got it and what it represents. These permanent pieces of art on our bodies are reminders. Through the characters and the story lines, Ink reflects on these aspects of us, while being a fast-paced, high tension plot with some hair-raising events.

Overall, Ink was an engaging read. It took a while to get into it because of the sheer number of perspectives. With a big cast of characters that have dark histories, this is the perfect book to read around Halloween. It’s spooky in its own unique manner and portrays the importance of memories and how the supernatural is integrated into our world in an interesting way.

Ok, so before I get started, some of my criticism is wholly laced in subjective taste, as most reviews clearly are, but other portions are things I hope would at least register on the radar of readers of all types.

I'll admit this is my first read by the author, so I'm not familiar with the previous stories set in Pine Deep, and perhaps that detracted from my enjoyment a bit. I was initially pleased with the diverse cast, but things like references to Indigenous people being "almost extinct", the use of the actual n-word and a conversation referencing white people using it, and a questionable conversation which felt essentially like bi-erasure kind of ruined that for me. There's also a ton of gratuitous sexual content that felt awkward and far removed from me as a reader, and I guess if you loved all the creepy masturbation scenes with Joe in <i>You</i> then you'll love the creepy masturbation scenes with the villain here too?

Outside of those issues, I just found the pacing to be incredibly slow, and there were so many plot points introduced along the way that just kind of dropped off and never found any sort of closure? Also, there are quite a few POV's, which made this difficult to follow at times. Overall, I can see why the author has a large fan base, so perhaps this book just wasn't for me and another choice would resonate better.

Another one that builds s.l.o.w.l.y. but Jonathan's prose is so gripping, I had to continue...

I had an ARC ebook, and once I get my hardback preordered copy, I really hope the editing is better, but that ENDING. Damn!

Also, fellow Maberries, he has a new title for "Ink" from Bronze Book... "Faces"

“If a tribe or village captures someone, an enemy [..] if the community is merciful, they cut the prisoner’s head off or hang him. If they are not merciful, they give him to the women.”

Ink is set in Pine Deep, a place where ‘trouble’ has visited before. For those who haven’t read Maberry before, he’s written a compelling series set in and aptly named Pine Deep and I was excited to revisit this cursed town & its surviving inhabitants. Pine Deep is under attack again but this time by a thief – one who can sneak in and steal your deepest and most personal memories without you ever knowing; leaving the victim with a feeling of devastation and immeasurable loss. This is what the Lord of the Flies does, he is the monster of every worse nightmare come to life. He creeps up on his victims in the most insidious of ways, feeding off their stolen memories without remorse or conscience. Ink is more than just a horror story, though. It’s a story of personal heartbreak and terrible tragedies but there’s also a sense of affinity that is found amidst friends and strangers alike, the bond that is found when fighting against a common enemy. As with all of his books, the story is freaking phenomenal but it’s the characters that really drive it. Richly detailed and deeply flawed, they are easy to relate to because they are just like us.

Ink is a standalone supernatural thriller but it revisits some of my favorite characters from Maberrys’ past series and it introduces some new ones that I have grown to love.
All the stars for this deeply moving horror thriller from one of the best in the genre! Thank you to St. Martins Griffin and Jonathan Maberry for the DRC!

Jonathan Maberry has done it again!! Not that I was surprised...he has been a favorite author of mine for some time. However, I was FLOORED by his latest novel. It was an incredible journey through a mysterious little town what was infamously known for The Trouble it had 3o years ago. The characters were so well developed and the plot was perfectly planned out that I felt myself drift into the book while I was reading it. Having one meaningful tattoo myself, the thought of someone doing what happens to the characters in the book, overwhelmed me with an insurmountable sense of injustice that I had to finish it as fast as possible. Another "out of the park" , "slam dunk" masterpiece from Jonathan Maberry. I have already been raving to my book club about INK and demanding it become a MUST READ for us for next month!

“INK” by Jonathan Maberry

From the pen of the creator of the “Joe Ledger” thrillers comes an outstanding standalone supernatural suspense thriller featuring heroes of relentless strength in the face of unbridled adversity. Some unknowable and unspeakable force has the ability to literally strip a tattoo from an individuals body for the purposes of feasting on the attached memories … the more horrendous the better. Patty “Cakes” Trang’s only memento of her brutally murdered daughter Tuyet is a finely crafted likeness of her face …. that she painstakingly fashioned on her wrist. The disillusioned Patty has recently moved her tattoo parlor from New York City to the small town of Pine Deep. Unbeknownst to Patty, this notoriously weird town is considered the most haunted town in America. It was the site of one of the worst mysterious disasters in history in which 11,641 people were slaughtered … obliquely referred to as The Trouble. (this included mass murders, arson, poisoning and brutality). Over the years the details have dissipated and a new Fringe community started moving in … bringing with it money and youth, energy and apparently Patty. Her friend “Monk” Addison is on his way to Pine Deep to join her when the calamities begin …. a horrendous storm with blinding sheets of rain engulfs his vehicle and intensifies the closer he comes …. Patty is not answering his phone calls or texts. This is just the beginning …. As an all pervasive and ominous sense of dread and impending doom permeate the narrative.
Monk is both a private investigator and “skip tracer” .. a virtual bounty hunter … and his body is festooned with the tattooed faces of those whose murder he has investigated. He cannot escape his past .. once a black ops soldier, whose job was pulling triggers and cutting throats, unfortunately even at the expense of innocents. His past weighs heavy … leading him to an unending sense of need for redemption to lessen his burden of guilt. Monk soon learns that not only Patty but several other town members and visitors have been robbed not only of their tattoos but also their attached memories.
This psychic vampire feeds off the negative emotions and memories. He seeks out victims with broken hearts, buried children … those with grief, shame, regret … these are the choicest and juiciest. The nature and origin of this abominable individual will be unfolded in the course of the narrative.
Jonathan Maberry proves to be a masterful storyteller as he weaves a twisted and demented tale culminating in a relentlessly escalating denouement . Along the way he features the themes of friendship, loyalty and love, that are not detoured by the paranormal occurrences. Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Jonathan Maberry for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is scheduled for November, 17, 2020. ( at readersremains.com)

I read the first one hundred pages of this title and could not get into the story. There were too many perspectives and narrators for my liking. Even though I read so many pages, I felt that nothing really occurred in the plot. I did not want to dedicate any more time to this title because its plot was SO boring and slow-paced.

i always enjoy reading Mr. Maberry's work, and this book really was well done. The characters were great and I enjoyed going on the journey.

First, thank you to both NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review an advance copy of Jonathan Maberry’s latest novel, Ink.

This is my first Johnathan Mayberry novel and I have a feeling that his work is an acquired taste. Make no mistake, he is a remarkably talented storyteller and knows how to weave together the strands of dozens of characters into a single thread. If you are a reader who is turned off by books with a large cast of characters, characters that have depressing and disturbing backstories, and/or the paranormal (or alternatively, magical realism in literary terms), you may want to stay clear of this one.

The novel primarily focuses on a tattoo artist, Patty Cakes, her friend and a private investigator, Monk Addison, and a deranged monster who is wreaking havoc upon the eerie town of Pine Deep, PA, by stealing the memories of tattooed locals through the reminders inked on their skin.

I would round-up my 3-star rating to a 3.5 if I could because the story is certainly enticing, but is not without its flaws. For example, I believe that the length of chapters in the novel were intentionally designed to be short (two or three page turns for the majority of the novel) because there were so many characters and details. Had the chapters been longer, readers would have been bogged down by boredom.

Also, I felt the theme of feminism, the blatant descriptions of characters’ races, and the tossed in comments about the LGBTQ community seemed rather forced. I don’t know if that was a publisher’s decisions or what, but it stuck out like a sore thumb.

I had an issue with the ending as well. While I am glad that the story was eventually wrapped-up in the epilogue, it was rushed and could have been done differently, or at the very least, smoothly. I was fine suspending my beliefs regarding tattoos that have a life force, but the last bit about Big Red went beyond the boundaries of the story. I can’t say much more without spoiling the ending, but you’ll understand once you get to that part. There is also a strange and unnecessary playlist after the epilogue. Not sure why it was included.

On the pro side of my rating, I thought the author used some pretty clever descriptions and witty one-line comments. I was also motivated to continue reading the entire time. The reader is constantly left wondering what will happen next and when are we getting to the chase. In other words, he does a good job leaving the reader in suspense up to the very end.

Finally, although I did not have a strong connection to any of the characters in particular, they were all intriguing for one reason or another, and the reader definitely cares what happens to them by the time they reach the climax—a vivid scene involving blowflies, an aspiring Hells Angels motorcycle gang (i.e., the Cyke-Lones), and violence.

I was given a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley. I honestly didn't find this book tho be super interesting until a bit into it. It felt very different from in it's story telling, and honestly felt a bit messy with how much it jumps around and how hard it is to fully connect with the characters. I did enjoy the detail in the writing, but fair warning it is a bit on the graphic side. I would recommend it, however I didn't find it to be one of my favorites.

**I was provided with an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Jonathan Maberry's newest work, Ink, is a supernatural horror story that surrounds something strange happening in Pine Deep, PA. Pine Deep has always been a strange town with weird things happening. But now, people in the town are finding that their tattoos are fading along with all their memories surrounding the tattoos. Readers follow a cast of characters, including the villainous Lord of the Flies, through their experiences.

First and foremost, I am a fan of Maberry's writing style. He was able to write in a way that was raw but beautiful and had a way of cutting deep. That being said, he also had the skill to write as a detached observer for certain scenes, which made perfect sense in context. I really admire the range of his skill, and will note that this is the first of Maberry's works I have read, though I have many others on my TBR.

That being said, this story was absolutely a slow build. The background information and general tattoo-stealing was still happening deep into the novel. Most of the action really took place in the last 20% of the work, and I likely would have DNFed if I didn't have an ARC due to sheer dislike of pacing. Everything resolved in a way that was fine, but my aggravation at the pace is what gathered this work a low 3 star despite the enjoyment of concept and writing style.

I am absolutely interested in reading more from Maberry, and might be more inclined to read his young adult works in search of pacing that is more my speed.

Review now live at Grimdark Magazine

The concept of a dream thief, or a stealer of memories is fascinating. A creepy villain with the ability to sneak in and access the mind of victims, especially in such a way as to be unnoticed, is quite scary. What Jonathan Maberry does in Ink is that, but he takes it to a higher level. In Ink the method of the villain’s access is as intriguing as the theft itself. He gets in by way of the victim’s tattoos.

Several characters from different walks of life come together in the small town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania. This is a town that Maberry has had as the central location for some of his works before, but it’s not necessary to read those first (I haven’t). There is a good bit of background, but the essentials are provided in story to cover the reader’s lack of experience.

Monk Addison is a skip tracer, a private investigator specializing in tracking down those who have skipped bail. On the side, he’s a bit of a vigilante with a history as a special ops soldier and mercenary. He has faces of the murdered victims of those he hunts tattooed on his skin to remind of him of why he does this grim work.

Patty Cakes is a tattoo artist settling in Pine Deep, with a gift of tattoo artistry handed down through her Vietnamese ancestry. She has a tattoo of her deceased daughter on her forearm, where she can see it each day. Except, it’s starting to fade…

Owen Minor is the Lord of the Flies, named as such as he uses his own tattoos of blowflies to access and steal the ink from people. He isn’t sure how he has this ability, but he makes use of it. The flies move out and upon making contact, can absorb the tattoos and associated memories then transmit them back to Minor for his personal use. He can also use the blowflies to quite literally get under their skin, and he’s able to exert some degree of control in the short term.

Mike Sweeney is a cop in Pine Deep who comes across a couple from out of state who got into a car accident after having an argument about the man’s missing tattoos, which he does not remember having. The woman is upset, as the tattoos were a reminder of her recent battles with cancer – something that she’s quite disturbed that her husband has forgotten. Not only the tattoos, but the memories associated with them.

Several incidents of missing tattoos are soon being connected, as Sweeney and the police chief, Malcolm Crow dig deeper to discover what sinister forces are at work in Pine Deep, which is no stranger to the weird.

As fascinating as the story is, what really brings Ink to life is Maberry’s focus on character. He creates intriguing characters with rich backstory, then as they interact with each other we as readers can really make connections.

“They held each other, clung to one another. Patty screamed and Monk wept and their heartbreak filled the whole world.”

The reader feels not only connected to the characters, but almost as if submerged in the story right alongside them. We feel their pain and confusion as they cope with lost memories and question their sanity. We feel the violation that the Lord of the Flies has made over each as he steals essential parts of their souls, and gets off on it.

I’ve read several Maberry novels and stories before, but this was my first time to visit the town of Pine Deep. It does seem to be set in the same universe as the Joe Ledger stories, of which I’ve read a few. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be putting some of that work on my reading list, starting with the first in the Pine Deep Trilogy, Ghost Road Blues. In a perfect world, I would have read those first, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of Ink in the slightest.

Thanks to Sarah Bonamino at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing this eARC.

The premise was intriguing, and I really wanted to like this book, but it just fell flat. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters, and the villain was just too vile.

This book was quite interesting. It was unique. It had some unexpected twists and turns. I enjoyed the unique storyline

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Take a moment to appreciate this exquisite cover - the designer did a magnificent job.  It's been a while since I've read a Jonathan Maberry book, and after Ink, I'm kicking myself and wondering why.

From what I've seen in other reviews, the town of Pine Deep is featured in other Maberry novels, as are Monk and Patty.  I haven't read those, but never felt as if I was missing anything.  Newcomers won't be confused. 

Antagonist Owen Minor is compared to a "psychic vampire" - he feeds on the tattoos and memories of others.  With such a large cast of eclectic characters, he's got a veritable buffet to choose from in "The Spookiest Town in America".  Two of his victims are Monk and Patty, who are easily my favorites.  Their stories are tragic and profoundly moving, and the loss of their memories and tattoos is deeply personal and gut-wrenching.  I ached for both of them.  Minor is abdominable, revolting, and deeply disturbed, and I felt slimy after every scene he was in.  I'll never look at flies in the same way again and will be quicker to swat them in the future.

And that action-packed ending!  Holy crap, I don't think I blinked once while reading it.  While it was mostly satisfying, I did feel as if some of the characters' stories fell to the wayside and were left unresolved.  As a warning to readers who are faint of heart, Ink has some graphic, gory scenes, so be prepared.

This novel is bizarre, freaky, horrific, and often times gut-wrenching, but it makes me want to read the Pine Deep series.  I'd also love to see Patty and Monk in future books, so I'm hoping the author has a plan.  Highly recommend for horror fans!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a tattoo enthusiast, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. The story takes place in Deep Pine, a small town with a dark history, referred to simply as “The Trouble.” I’m this town, a mysterious phenomenon is occurring where people are losing their tattoos—and the memories surrounding them. Along the way we met many unique characters and learn the stories behind their body art. This was a fast moving book with a satisfying ending, although it did have a bit of the Stephen King wtf endings. I would love to see more from these characters, especially Mike.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my review!

I had been waiting for another Pine Deep book from Jonathan Maberry, and it was well worth the wait.
Tattoos mean a lot to different people. What would you do if your most meaningful ones disappear and take the memories with them? Read this book and find out.
This book deserves more than five stars. I hope there are more Pine Deep books in the future.

I tried so hard to get into this book. I requested it because of the cover - it is amazing. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get past the first couple of chapters.

Jonathan Maberry returns to familiar stomping grounds in Ink, moving two of his newer characters, the tattoo artist Patty Cakes and her heavily tattooed bounty hunter friend, Monk, both of whom featured heavily in 2018's Glimpse, from New York to "The Spookiest Town in America," Pine Deep.

Although Maberry's fans will fondly recall Pine Deep from the mid- to late-aughts trilogy set there, as well a handful of locals who continue to play prominent roles here, like police chief Malcolm Crow, his wife Val, and their adopted son, Mike. For those who haven't explored Pine Deep previously, Maberry makes this visit highly accessible for newcomers, guiding us through this small town's quirks and oddities alongside newcomers Monk and Patty, as well as Mike, Crow, and a few others. It's worth nothing that the cast Maberry has assembled here is pretty large, and while there's a lot of people and relationships to keep track of, they do help serve the story and make Pine Deep feel like a real and well-populated small town.

Shortly after arriving in Pine Deep, Monk finds himself caught up in the town's eerie weirdness after discovering Patty blackout drunk in her tattoo parlor, bleeding from her head and hand. On her hand is the defaced tattoo of her dead daughter, Tuyet, who was brutally murdered a number of years ago, and who Patty now claims to have no recollection of at all. She's not the only resident of Pine Deep to have a sudden onset of memory loss, though, and soon others in town begin to become aware of missing tattoos and holes punched into their own personal histories.

Ink has an intriguingly weird premise - a deranged madman who feeds off people's tattoos and the memories that inspired them - that could easily get bogged down in '80s-styled silliness. Thankfully Maberry plays it all straight, crafting a decidedly serious, and dark, horror thriller. He capitalizes on the importance of tattoos in their wearers own personal narratives, and leans hard into the heartache that would follow their disappearance, as well as the associations tied to that art. Imagine having a tattoo to memorialize a dead child inexplicably vanish and struggling to cope with the guilt that goes with being unable to remember them. Or, in the case of one couple, a husband whose has lost a tattoo commemorating his wife's victory against cancer. The rift that tattoo's absence creates between them is heartbreaking, both because you can understand the wife's anger, but also because you sympathize with the man who has lost it and finds himself now accused of lying and transgressing against his spouse. Other characters don't have it nearly as lucky, though, as mental victories and years of therapy to combat suicidal tendencies are stripped away, along with the symbolically victorious semicolon inked on a hand.

Maberry crafts a sprawling narrative around this central conceit, creating a minor epic of small town horror. The use of psychic vampirism, and attacks against the citizens of Pine Deep that are analogous to rape, albeit one that is wholly mental rather than physical, presents a number of gut-twisting moments. It's difficult to ignore, too, the ways in which the attacks against women are fittingly centered around metaphorical examinations of toxic masculinity and entitlement grounded in our #MeToo era. Women are victimized, both directly and indirectly, but they don't succumb to being passive victims and are quick to fight back when the time comes, and Maberry showcases their strengths in a number of ways over the course of Ink. It's bleak subject matter to be sure, but there are still some rather brilliant points of light in all this darkness. Take for instance the burgeoning relationship between housewife Gayle and psychic reader Dianna. The former is unhappily married and beginning to understand and cope with her own sexuality and lesbian desires, particularly as they relate to the fully out-of-the-closet Dianna. I really dug the hell out of this relationship and appreciated the delicate ways in which Maberry explored their burgeoning friendship with the possibility of more.

On the other hand, my only real complaint about Ink is that, for having such a large number of prominent characters, we don't get quite enough resolution for all of the big players to fully satisfy. For as much effort is devoted toward Gayle's relationship with Dianna, and the complications that ensue on a number of levels, they're sadly forgotten in book's resolution. I could have done with a few more details to solidify the nature of their will they or won't they relationship and to answer the lingering questions surrounding their relationship. And for as thick as this story is, I wouldn't have minded a bit in the way of more gory details relating to psychic vampire's final comeuppance. Maberry gives us a multi-pronged climax, but not all of them deliver in equal measure, proving the old adage about less being more isn't always correct, nor as gruesomely enjoyable.

Despite the climax being a bit rushed and skimping in several of the areas I really wanted to see explored after 450-some pages of build-up, it was great to spend more time with Monk, a character I really wanted to learn more about after his introduction in Glimpse. Maberry does an excellent job fleshing him out, as well as his relationship to Patty. Moving Monk and Patty to Pine Deep opens the doors for further strange going-ons, and I can only hope Maberry is scheduled for another visit to these parts sometime soon.

While, I’ve not read the pine trilogy books, I was still able to read and enjoy this book as a complete standalone. It was very well written and really seemed to bring me into a new world, which I absolutely love when books are able to do that! Within it did have some more graphic scenes, which some might find to be a bit much, but I am not the ones that those bother. Recommend to those who love books that really do seem to create a new world you seek to become a part of when reading, love some great chills and scares, and don’t mind some graphic sex scenes and other types of more disturbing content. I do think it is really fast paced and unputdownable, with a unique abc beautiful writing style!
Will make sure to buzz it up on different platforms and use low reviewer number on release date.