Quite an amazing read!
If you appreciate American Gods by Neil Gaiman, this may be just what you need.
Seemingly ordinary people who have extraordinary depths.
When is age "old" and when is it "timeless"?
Certainly not your everyday book. And I mean that in the most complimentary way.

Slow in places, creepy in places but over all a good read.

Do you go camping? This story starts out with a family going camping . Donny is warned to not go into the swamp without notifying his mothers. Donny sees a light in the grounds outside his tent. When he carefully goes to the tent's opening, he sees kids playing and having fun. He decides to go out and join them. Deadlight Jack also know as Professor Foxfire kidnaps him. Why does Deadlight Jack want Donny?He has Donny walk through the swamp to Deadlight Jack's home. The home is not like any home you will ever see. When Donny is discovered missing, his Grandfather George and his friend Jimmy go to help find Donny. George's family is there with forest rangers and police searching for Donny. George will remember parts of his childhood he has completely forgotten. What has George forgotten? Jimmy is a Tlingit shaman who discovers his talents don't work as they should. Why?

The novel is a fantasy with horror and evil in it. Another aspect of the novel is the different backgrounds and cultures that George and Jimmy have experienced and how it contributes to what happens in the story. Jimmy's shaminic heritage and George's "gifts" add much to the novel. The story has a surprise that wasn't expected by me. The author did an excellent job writing about the swamp and myths. He has written a delightful horror novel.

Now, this was fun! Honestly. What a fabulous book! I haven't read many dark fantasy stories, but this absolutely amazed me.

Loved it from beginning to end. Awesome cast, wonderful writing.

Highly recommended.

When I requested "Deadlight Jack", I had no idea that it was the second book in a series. As it is, that does not matter in the least because this book works very well as a stand alone novel.
George Watters is African-American and Jimmy Kalmaku is a Tlingit shaman. They have been best friends for a very long time and both have a connection to the supernatural. When George's young grandson disappears in the Louisiana bayou, George and Jimmy fly across the country to rescue the young boy and come face to face with an ancient evil known as Deadlight Jack.
The characters of Jimmy and George are one of the main strengths of the book. Mark Onspaugh has a gift of being able to develop characters through their interactions and conversations. Jimmy and George are so well developed that I could imagine them as real people. You really get a sense of their personalities and their long friendship through their sometimes hilarious banter. I also enjoyed how the author set up the background to the story. It was just enough to provide a good story line without being too long and drawn out.
I really enjoyed this book very much and am planning to go back and read the first book in the series. George and Jimmy are unusual heroes in the sense that they are elderly men but they are unique in other ways as well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a horror novel that has depth and characters who stay with you even when you have turned the last page.

After reading "The Faceless One," I wanted to try this sequel to see if the magic continued. I was not disappointed. The continuing banter between Jimmy and George is worth more than the price of the book by itself. When you toss in family dynamics, old age and evil spirits in the Louisiana swamps, the story provides remarkable suspense and entertainment. Occasional floods of colorful adjectives flow into great mental images to capture the environment for every scene in the story. The evil spirits and their aides are developed with imagination and detail, and the final battle between good and evil is the stuff of legend. From the emotions within a family in stress to the machinations of an evil monster, the writing is superb and captures the realism to make the story stay in the reader's mind long after the book is put down.

It’s Louisiana in 1946 and little Georgie (age 5) had been told by his Grandpa not to go near the swamp at the bottom of the garden on his own; now Grandpa has died but in the night comes a knocking on his window and Grandpa is there with a man called Professor Foxfire, who claims to be a friend. However Professor Foxfire is no friend and wants to lure Georgie away through the window to join his band of ghost children living in the swamps; the ghost of Grandpa can’t help, but fortunately Georgie’s Mum and Grandmother hear the noise and rush into Georgie’s room and save him from Professor Foxfire . . . this time. It’s now present day in Washington State and an elderly George and his friend Jimmy, an Alaskan American Indian shaman, who have had experience in dealing with entities from the spirit world in The Faceless One (also by Mark Onspaugh), now have to join forces to battle with Deadlight Jack (Professor Foxfire) who has managed to lure away George’s grandson Donny Watters from a camping holiday near that same swamp back in Louisiana. This is an enthralling tale of good against evil and although you know the outcome will probably be alright you don’t know who is going to suffer what terrible misfortunes on the journey. I thoroughly enjoyed The Faceless One and this book was another great read; I am looking forward to further books from this author.

https://lynns-books.com/2017/02/09/deadlight-jack-by-mark-onspaugh/
Deadlight Jack is apparently the second book to have starred the characters of Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters (first appearing in The Faceless One) but, and I do speak from experience, you don’t need to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one – although given how much I enjoyed this one I wouldn’t mind a revisit to check out Jimmy and George’s earlier exploits.

The blurb tells us that ‘Worse things than gators lurk in the Louisiana swamp. . . . ‘ and ‘Appearances can be deceiving.’ and that is definitely the case here in both respects. Certainly worse things creep around in those swamps if this story is anything to go by and if the appearance of two elderly fellas coming in to form the rescue party seems unlikely well this book is here to dispel that notion.

Jimmy Kalmaku is actually a Tlingit shaman with a link to the god Raven and George Watters also has a link to the world of the supernatural. A link that will revoke childhood memories long since locked away in the darkest recesses of George’s mind.

At the start of the book we jump back in time to a young boy living in the swamp and a tale of a creature that lurks in the Bayou. Deadlight Jack, or Professor Foxfire as he is also known, is a creature of the swamps. Feared, for good reason. Put bluntly, if you see his face it’s probably the last thing you will ever see. Completely twisted and evil he really is quite a wonderfully nasty character that adds a decadent flare with his strange attire and ghostly followers. Anyway, I’m ahead of myself. Basically we begin the story with a look back in time to a particularly creepy tale that clearly makes up a part of George’s childhood. A time so scary that his family up sticks and left their home for good and George, as a defence mechanism, buried the memory deep within. Now, jump forward in time to our pair of friends. Witness them as they share harmless banter with each other about which ‘girl’ they’re going to ask to dance at the next social – or just as they plain call each other names. It’s a good, if brief, snapshot of the lives they lead. Sure they’re getting on and they have the aches and pains to prove it but they have few worries or concerns and life is generally good. That is until George’s nephew goes missing during a family camping trip to the Louisiana bayou. Of course George and Jimmy rally to the cause but their help isn’t necessarily quite as welcome with some of George’s family members as you would expect. There’s a family history here and fraught times have a way of dragging up long past memories.

So, what did I enjoy about this. Well, it’s very entertaining. There isn’t too much by way of explanation for what’s actually going on but I don’t think that really matters. What Onspaugh has created is a fast paced story full of creepiness and horror. We delve into the swamps and get tangled and lost in their enormous depths. The whole setting, in fact, is really wonderfully done. Obviously this particular setting really lends itself to the horror genre and the author makes full use of all aspects bringing a quite decidedly gothic feel to the story.

The main characters – well, I really liked them and the reason I know this is because I felt scared when they were heading into the swamp. Perhaps it’s just that some of the scenes had a grim reality/finality to them that made me fear the worst but I did feel for these two. I also think that the two main characters are really well drawn. They both have their own whims, they can be a bit cantankerous every now and again and they’re not going to go rushing around the swamps kicking the butt of everything that moves! (I do so appreciate a bit of reality smack bang in the middle of my gothic horror after all!) Seriously though, I appreciate that these characters are powerful in their own right but this doesn’t make them invincible and wandering around a swamp is just as likely to inflame a bunch of their creaking joints as anything else. I also think the author managed to achieve a really good balance providing us with just enough family history to shine a light on things from the past without slowing down the plot. He gives the characters substance but not with any heavy information dumps that slow down the read and in fact allows you to figure things out a little yourself as you read along.

On the whole I really enjoyed this and would definitely pick up future books with these two characters. An entertaining read with a dash of humour and a good deal of creepy.

I received a copy courtesy of the publisher through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

An enthralling story with some flashbacks that do not distract. On the supernatural side, for those into that. Despite being second in the series (and I didn't read the first), the story can stand on its own. Now I'm going to go back and read the first.

Dead light Jack by Mark Onspaugh is a horror and sci-fi and fantasy read.
Appearances can be deceiving. Take Jimmy Kalmaku. Anyone passing him on the streets of Lake Nisqually, Washington, would merely see an elderly man. But Jimmy is actually a powerful Tlingit shaman, with a link to the god Raven and a résumé that includes saving the world.
This was a really enjoyable read with great characters. I loved the story and Jack and George were my favourite characters. Couldn't put it down. 5* . I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

What a delight to read a book where the heroes are in their seventies! I haven't read THE FACELESS ONE, the book that introduces us to George and Jimmy, but I am definitely going to pick it up now. In DEADLIGHT JACK, Onspaugh gives us characters who are not what they seem, rich description and a fast-paced plot filled with the supernatural. It's also just a great story about good and evil with plenty of adventure thrown in.

Unfortunately I did not finish this book, so I can't accurately review it. I got about 30% in and nothing about the plot or characters was intriguing and what I'd read of the villain was a disappointment.

It’s refreshing to read a story in which the heroes aren’t young, strong, and virile but instead are two senior citizens, old and weary in the ways of the world but still young enough in spirit to have the hope to continue on in the face of adversity. George and Jimmy are good friends, their good-natured japing at each other’s ethnic backgrounds and their courage in each risking everything for the other is evidence of this.

Though this novel is obviously the second in a series, having not read the first shouldn’t be a detriment. It’s self-contained enough to be a standalone, though the various references to Jimmy and George’s brush with the Faceless One are tantalizing enough to pique the reader into seeking out that story also.

The characterizations are realistic; doubtless the descriptions of both George and Jimmy may bring to mind some elderly person the reader knows. Indeed, the entire narrative is set in such a mundane, everyday venue that one might thing it could actually happen . . . that two old men could accomplish what they did . . . even if one is guided by forces he doesn’t understand and the other assisted by “a little creature escaped from a Disney cartoon.”

Deadlight Jack is the kind of tale the reader is cautioned not to read late at night, especially if he lives in the South or near some waterway leading into a swamp or forest . . . and it might be best to close the windows beforehand, as well. It’s an easy read, and that’s makes it less difficult for that disbelief to be suspended . . . the reader is lulled into thinking he’s reading a mere suspense tale before the horrible truths surrounding the will o’ the wisp that is Deadlight Jack is revealed.

These are the kind of tales that cling to the memory because they harken back to the childhood tales and half-remembered stories of our youths. Deadlight Jack is an entertaining read, a thought-provoking one, and a chilling reminder that occasionally things going bump in the night often can’t be explained.


This excerpt is from the full-length review written for the NY Journal of Books Online.

(Lengthened review to come shortly... Stay tuned...)

Deadlight Jack (Kindle Edition)
by Mark Onspaugh
I thought Mark Onspaugh had a scary story in the Faceless One, I was not prepared for the fear darkness in this new story. A cautionary tale of darkness, and light. This book takes the Creole legends and turns them on their head. The darkness in these mysterious stories with their overlays of fairy-lights and wondering evil are given breath within these pages. I would suggest this book for those thrill seekers that would love to be frightened. The Cultural aspects of heritage wither Creole or Native Americans has in interesting and respectful twist.

Hans Christian Andersen meets the denizens of Swamp People in this dark, and disturbing pseudo-fairy tale set in the Louisiana bayou.

Deadlight Jack brings together a cast of interesting characters, drawn into a world beyond the one we ordinary folk see around us. The two main roguish protagonists access abilities, and insight which some might see as being magical. The men are set on a quest to rescue a child who has been taken by a devious, will-o-the-wisp cum pied piper who lures them into a deadly game deep within a swamp filled with horrors both ordinary and magical.

Among some of the strongest and most interesting characters in this book - apart from the two main retirement aged adults - are the children who are caught up in this horror. They are well-realised, and showed a great deal of power in their own right, while standing up to their captors. Aside from the main characters however, most of the other adults prove sort of useless - you would think if they were involved in a family where extraordinary things are sort of the norm, they might be more akin to it.

Re-told fairytales really aren't my thing, but this is a unique and interesting twist on old, but very familiar tales. I really enjoyed this book, and found that I was really engaged and sucked into this world that Onspaugh has created. While it feels like a bit of a one-shot, I think this is a well-crafted, rich environment that is itching to be explored again. The author does not lift all of their skirts - so to speak - leaving enough tantalising glimpses at a world filled with stories beyond those told in Deadlight Jack.

I think this book would appeal to readers with an interest in fairytale like stories, and older YA readers. There is nothing in here in here which is overly adult, but there is a certain level of horror that creeps into the story.

I will definitely be searching for the book The Faceless One to discover the previous adventures of Jimmy Kalmaku and George Watters in their battle against the paranormal. Truly frightening, the character of Professor Foxfire aka Deadlight Jack, aka ? is on a par with Leland Gaunt in King's Needful Things for evilness. The luring of children is a powerful theme, and I would not want to read this in the dark of night. Recommended.

I loved the main characters Jimmy and George and their relationship,this book was very different and strange in a good way but hard to describe without giving too much away.I like horrors occasionally as a break from my usual genre of thrillers, I would say this book was a cross between the two.I wish I could say more but can only suggest if you are looking for some thing different with quite a few strands told from different points of view check this book out,Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

When I asked for this book on Netgalley I didn’t know it was a second book in a duology. But after reading a few reviews on Goodreads that said this book can be read as a standalone, I choose to read it because the synopsis sounded very interesting. They were right, you can read this book without reading book 1.

In this book we read about the two best friends George and Jimmy. They are two men in their 70, living together and fighting supernatural cases. How awesome isn’t that? In this book George’s grandson goes missing, and the two old men goes on an adventure to find the missing boy.

For me the characters are the strength of this book, even though I also really like the story. The story is scary and interesting with lots of supernatural elements and characters. It also has a great atmosphere, especially at the ending. Spoiler Strike-through: How good was the part in the run down house at the ending, the atmosphere and setting was amazing.

I was so much fun reading about protagonists that is elderly, because I usually read books with younger characters.

I love the character George and Jimmy. George is African American and Jimmy is Native American. I love their chemistry and the interactions between them. It is so funny how much they argue and bicker, even though you know they have a great friendship and care for each other.

This book had some great character development, especially George. I wanted more character development on Jimmy, but I have the feeling that he had his parts in book one. I’m very curious about his past though especially because he is native American, so maybe I’ll read book one some time.

I really enjoyed the talk/story George had with Jimmy about his life. In this talk and throughout the book, racism was a theme that came up.

There is also two women who are married to each other and have children together, which I really liked. This book had some great diverse characters.

I rate this book 4 stars

This is not my genre and although I tried it, unfortunately, I just could not engage. Not the author's fault, as he writes well and clearly has a grasp of his plot. Try it if you like horror/fantasy.