The Company of Demons

The main character in this book, John Coleman, really irritated me. I saw through every manipulation as soon as they happened, yet he remained a blind idiot throughout. Only when all his secrets came out did he even attempt to start kind of taking responsibility for his actions. The story was good (ish). But there wasn't one character I attached to which is very rare for me.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author Michael Jordan could well be my neighbor, because he sure knows modern Cleveland... from the race tensions, the Eastside vs. Westside rivalry, institutions like the West Side Market, and all of this kept me enthralled.

The idea of serial killers in Cleveland: Well, we do get our share of those! In this book, the real life Torso Murderer is included, and a fictional one, the Butcher.

The author crafts a well-written story with good pacing. There's one unusual author choice halfway through the book. Trust me, you will know it when you see it!

Our narrator/main character John Coleman is inherently flawed, and seems to make every bad decision available to him while rationalizing it away. This adds tension for the reader, and creates a lot of problems to solve besides the mystery at hand. I sighed a lot at Coleman.

I saw a lot of the plot elements coming; that took some of the suspense away. Nevertheless, I find this a good read overall, and I will be looking for more books from Michael Jordan.

This book covers a ton of ground. At times it seemed a bit chaotic but then it took off amazingly. I really despised John Coleman for at least half of the book. I am glad he redeemed himself. I loved all of the plot twists.

Great story. There were times that I could have reached into the pages and throttled a character. Guess that is a sign that I was really involved with the story.

Michael Jordan has created an anti hero who is so flawed it is difficult to like him. The story rattles along at pace with thrilling and terrifying twists and turns. This was impossible to put down as you were kept gripped the whole time. This is one of the best murder thrillers I have read in a long time.

I was a long way into this book before it grabbed me and I almost gave up on it but I’m glad I didn’t as once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. I love gruesome scary books but there’s was a few chapters that had my stomach churning, so good! Slow start but in the end it was a roller coaster!

I loved that this jumped off from a true crime story even if the dates were kind of funky to get it to work right.

The main character, John Coleman, isn't always loveable or respectable when it comes right down to it, but you can see that his heart is in the right place and that his cop father's suicide when he was a kid because he couldn't find the Butcher of the original crime really still affected him, so you have to cut him a break now and then.

The Butcher or some version of him is back and seems to have a fascination with Coleman, toying with him like a cat does a mouse. While this is happening, lawyer Coleman is trying to help the first new victim's (and his friend) family sort the legal stuff out as far as inheritance goes and all.

He would have been better off only mourning a drinking buddy because putting his lawyer hat on leads him into a whole heap of trouble including being charged with murder and the risk of losing his family.

The title is apt because Coleman and the older people of Cleveland are indeed still haunted by the murders that were never solved from the past as well as the new ones. Coleman has more demons than he can handle and asking for help puts those friends right in the new Butcher's sights.

I loved it and it was one of those books that leave you bummed when you finish.

Serial Killer mysteries are my favorite type of thrillers. I've said this again and again. And it still holds true.

And what's even better? When there are two different killers, and another person who's arrested for the murder (who by the way, has not commited it).

And that's what happens in The Company of Demons. It's full of action, murders, encounter with serial killers, courtroom drama, a lot of bad and good characters, and a whole lot of goosebumps.

Overall, it was an exciting read, and I'm looking forward to reading some mellow YA, or maybe a rom-com Manga. Because, The Company of Demons was intense. So totally in keeping with the title.

4.5 "kept me going through all its pages" stars

This was suppose to be a fill in book for me. I was kind of interested and when reading its summary thought what the heck. Boy, was I in for a very surprising, chilling surprise! I guess I should always remember that no one is exempt from being surprised.

John Coleman is a lawyer, son of a dead policeman, married to Cathy and they have one adopted daughter who they love tremendously. John is also teetering on the brink of being an alcoholic and it is during one of those stops in a familiar bar that a friend of his, Oyster, is discovered brutally murdered. The method of the killing is reminiscent of a serial killer known as The Torso Murderer who committed the grisly crimes years ago of dismembering twelve victims. Grisly for sure! Could this be the original Torso murderer is do we have a copy cat serial killer?

John is hired by the beautiful Jennifer, daughter of Oyster, to straighten out her late father's estate. He, most surprisingly, was a multimillionaire and there are only two heirs, Jennifer and her brother, a drug addled low life who will do anything for his next fix even being involved with a treacherous Mexican gang. John takes on Jennifer's cause and eventually takes on a lot more in regard to Jennifer. Unbeknownst to Jennifer is that John was once the lover of her sister who died from cancer.

John is a philanderer and the more he drinks the more he philanders placing in severe jeopardy his marriage to Cathy. He is a man one loves to hate, but there is something pathetic about John. He is tormented by demons both real and imaginary. John has an attack of conscience and decides to end the affair but Jennifer has other ideas and that is when this novel takes off.

John is then implicated for a crime he did not commit. His life, his secrets, his struggles are brought to the surface as he is brought to trial where his life is paraded in front of family, friends, and the world. And to make matters worse, as if they could be any worse, the Torso murderer has emerged once again to threaten John's family, his friends, and John himself. John is forced to confront the many issues that plague his life and eventually come face to face with the killer who stalks his life and his memory.

In this novel one mistake begets another and as the reader follows John down the road to ruin and mayhem, what we find is a finely written novel that keeps the action flowing. This was a wonderful debut novel and my thanks are extended to:
the author, Michael Jordan, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy and with two days of very suspenseful reading.

I was excited to read this one because it talked about the Torso Killings. I just recently read another novel with the same subject so i was intrigued to read a novel telling it differently.

John Coleman almost 60year old is a lawyer, son of a dead policeman, married to Cathy who he cheats on and they have one adopted daughter who they love tremendously. John similar to his father is on the brink of being an alcoholic (this already makes you hate him) and during one of those stops in a familiar bar that a friend of his, Oyster, is discovered brutally murdered. The murder is similar to a serial killer known as The Torso Murderer who committed the grisly crimes years ago of dismembering twelve victims and leaving just the torso of the bodies.
Could this be the original Torso murderer or is this a copy cat serial killer?

This book for sure had it's gruesome moments but that i to be expected with The Torso Killer. I fully enjoyed reading this and would recommend this book.

Thanks NetGalley!!

The Company of Demons is the debut novel by Michael Jordan. It is a great thriller set in Cleveland, Ohio. I was totally in love with this book and was unable to put it down. The author was able to draw me in right from the beginning and held my interest throughout. I felt the pace of the book was spot-on. I also thought the ending was good.

The main character, John Coleman, is a lawyer who has a problem with alcohol and cheating on his wife. Needless to say, John Coleman is a flawed character. I really did not like him and can’t say that I ever felt sorry for him even when bad things began to happen to him. Maybe I am mean but I kept thinking, “That’s what you get for being a dog”. If I was supposed to like him later it didn’t work LOL!! An example that really made me dislike him was when he failed to warn/check on his wife and daughter. He instead goes to check in on a woman he had just met and had sex with once?? What a DOG!!! LOL.

The Company of Demons was a great debut novel. Even though I disliked the main character, the story itself was awesome. I am from Ohio and had never heard of the Torso Murderer. It was interesting looking this information up online. I also learned that Eliot Ness (from the Untouchables) later came to Cleveland to work and he investigated the Torso Murderer.

I would definitely read more from Michael Jordan and recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller. Five out of five stars for The Company of Demons!!! Thank you Michael Jordan, Greenleaf Book Group, and BookishFirst/NetGalley for providing me with an early review copy of this book to read.

This was an interesting debut by Attorney Michael Jordan. It alternates between fact and fiction; it's very cleverly done.
Back in the 40's, there was a serial killer dubbed "The Torso Murderer" who left a string of bodies brutally slain around the Cleveland area. He even alluded the famous Elliot Ness; this is fact.
A generation later another serial killer "The butcher" enters the scene with the same M.O. as the earlier "Torso Murderer".
This murderer, "The Butcher" strikes Cleveland and it almost destroys John Coleman as a young teenager. His father happened to be the lead detective on the case.
Fast forward to an almost sixty-year-old man, attorney John Coleman who finds himself face to face with what could only be "The Butcher" or a copycat killer that sends John's already unstable life into a tailspin. He's still struggling with "The Butcher" did to his family years ago.
It doesn't get any easier when he is present when it looks like "Butcher" or a copycat murder has struck again when the body is found in the dumpster behind his favorite neighborhood bar. The body they learn turns out to be one of his casual drinking buddies, Oyster. This hits John hard, he's already on the edge of an implosion; his marriage is shaky, his drinking is out of control and he's financially strapped.
It gets worse when Oyster's beautiful daughter, Jennifer Browning approaches John to help settle her father's estate. He’s hesitant at first but he really needs the business, it shouldn’t be that big a deal but he was shocked when he learns of the sizable estate. He had no clue that his buddy who he only knew as Oyster, a nickname that was given to him because of his gelatinous eyes had that kind of money! He finds himself drawn to Ms. Browning, she's s widow, whose only other living family member is her drug-addicted brother who she claims she’s not in contact with. Her brother is already making waves regarding his father’s estate.
John is finding it harder to resist the temptation that Ms. Browning is sending his way; he's full of Irish Catholic guilt, but nothing seems to help him as he self-destructs.
As the body count rises he also finds himself drawn to the crime scenes; his obsession doesn't go unnoticed by the authorities. John eventually finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time not only once but several times which has taken a severe toll his marriage, it's compromised his longtime friendship with the lead detective who is working these cases as well. Between all these missteps plus the tempestuous Ms. Browning, how could it not cost the already self-destructive John everything he cares about?
This is no-doubt a thriller, one that has a lot of twists and turns. The flawed character of John Coleman is one that is not that uncommon. Mr. Jordan does a suburb job in weaving this thriller together, from the pain that John suffered as a young teenager due "The Butcher" who terrorized his father. To the damage that the very same or copycat killer is costing him now as an adult. Could history be repeating itself? There are several flawed characters in this novel. They are quite believable and play a major part in pulling this thriller together.
It has an explosive ending that took me by surprise that’s for sure. It does contain some graphic violence, but nothing a thriller fan couldn't handle.

Disclosure: I received this e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, the opinion I expressed above are my own.

I really enjoy a legal thriller. Give me a John Grisham or Michael Connelly novel and I am one happy camper! So, when I read the synopsis of The Company of Demons, the psychological legal thriller by Michael Jordan, I dove right in. Meeting a lawyer, John Coleman, who discovers the corpse of his friend behind their neighbourhood bar sending shockwaves through the city and bringing back painful memories of a killer who dismembered and taunted police decades earlier and vanished. As John tries to cope, he is hired by the victim’s daughter, Jennifer, to handle her father’s estate and soon finds himself entangled with a biker gang, dirty cops and romantic feelings.

Truly fast-paced, I sat down and finished this book over the course of an afternoon. I could not put it down as I watched our protagonist, John, get himself deeper and deeper into trouble. The ultimate anti-hero, I actually found myself hating him. It almost felt completely unbelievable how many terrible choices he made!! Page after page, I read (pretty much in horror) as he continued down the wrong path. I was so mad. However, kudos to Jordan who was able to create a character that made me feel so many emotions!


One feature that I enjoyed about this book was how it felt almost like two totally different reads from the first and second part of the novel. In fact, the author probably could have published both separately and started a series! I liked that I was able to get a full story and then continue on a totally different path.

Like I said, I binge read The Company of Demons over the course of a few hours and feel like any crime fiction lovers will too! This novel is out now, so, be sure to add it to your TBR piles!! I know that I will absolutely read more from this author and will be on the lookout for his next work!

The Torso Murderer had brutally killed twelve victims in the forties and evaded capture. The legend of him was etched into the mind of the residents and history of the town, so when the body, yes literally just the body, of a man was found behind a bar in a skip with all the rubbish, it instilled fear in everyone. The victim, Oyster, was a drinking buddy of Lawyer John Coleman who had been in the bar when his friend was discovered.
John Coleman isn’t the most likeable guy that you could meet, in fact he is quite shallow and selfish. He is alcohol pickled and easily lead, well with very little resistance, to the temptation of a pretty woman even though he has a wife at home and a daughter that he adores. He thought that he had known Oyster pretty well but when Jennifer, Oyster’s daughter hired him to handle her father’s estate he was shocked at the amount of wealth he had left to be divided between her and her drug taking brother.
Now this story takes off in a direction that really made me sit up, I mean I know that I said he wasn’t my favourite sort of bloke but talk about a wake up call for him! Gawd damn it how much can one man take? not to mention his poor wife and daughter. When I thought things just couldn’t get any worse, they just multiplied. I ended up really wanting this guy to get through everything in one piece, like that was going to happen, OMG it is so intense!
This is my sort of book, very dark and violent with suspense that makes my skin crawl like finger nails down a window pane. This is the debut novel of this author and he has smashed it. Just one wicked story from beginning to end. Bring it on Mr .Jordan!

This novel by Michael Jordan was gripping! The characters, the plot and the writing is brilliant and the pacing excellent! Quite a page turner, this one and I hope to hear more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and GreenLeaf Press for the digital advance read!

John is a lawyer with a wife and child and an average legal practice in the city of Cleveland. He was only young when his father committed suicide and John has never really recovered from the traumatic memory. At the time, his father was a police officer investigating a series of murders dubbed the Torso Murders with the killer never caught. John seems set to go down the same path as his father using alcohol and affairs as some sort of coping mechanism.
When the body of a man is found in the dumpster behind the bar he drinks at it reopens old wounds and John feels compelled to conduct his own enquiries. This will be the first of several bodies found with the same trademark as the Torso Murders ie brutalized with surgical precision and still alive at the first cut.
The daughter of the murdered man engages John to handle the family estate and he feels a growing attraction to her while neglecting his own family. It will not be long before his life becomes a lot more complicated.
John was definitely not the sort of guy to impress me. He justified his infidelity by making excuses and blaming his wife. It takes him a long time to sort his priorities out. Also reading that a guy is having a graphic vision of someone’s Brazilian wax doesnt do a thing for me. Even though I didn’t like John he did have the balls to admit he had stuffed his life up and I give him credit for that.
My favourite scene was in the basement where The Butcher holds John and tortures him. The writer really pulled everything together to make a great setting and it really hit the right spot for me.
There was a fair bit of what I would call minor swearing in this book. The language gave the story more of a vintage detective feel to it rather than being offensive. In addition, I was a little surprised a cop would discuss so much about a case with a member of the public even if he had known his father.
The title/cover really appealed to me. Keeping the background simple made the title pop. The downside to that was it led me to assume the storyline would have a different slant and it would grab me right from the start. The sex scenes were great although I would have preferred more crime scene details.
I would describe this as a mystery/thriller/courtroom drama with a slight vintage feel to it, which should appeal to a cross section of readers.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book via Netgalley and the opportunity to provide a review.

When I read the description of this book I have to admit I was intrigued at first by its location. This was due to the fact that my son moved to the Cleveland area of Lakewood last year so I had some idea of the location. The deeper I got into the description though the more interested I became so I decided to give it a read.

John Coleman is a lawyer trying to get by when he learns about a recent murder in the Cleveland area. The method of the murder is reminiscent of the famed Torso murders made famous due to the fact that Elliott Ness was brought in to find the killer and failed, his identity never discovered. But Coleman has ties to this latest victim. He was a drinking buddy and his body was found at one of the establishments Coleman frequents.

Those ties increase when the daughter of the victim, Jennifer, walks into his office requesting his help. She wants to hire him to handle the estate of her late father. A drug addicted brother could be a problem and she wants things handled as quickly and easily as possible.

Coleman is drawn into helping her for several reasons. One is how attracted he is to Jennifer. Another is that the fact he knew the man, not a close friend but someone he was aware of. And lastly because the methods being used to kill, because more die after, are similar to those seen even after the Torso killer, methods that his father was aware of. Coleman’s father was a policeman who tracked down the killer and failed, a failure that haunted not just him but his son as well.

The book is an easy read and moves along at a well set pace. The way Jordan writes is such that you find yourself turning pages and not noticing the time as it passes. It keeps you interested from start to finish. Too many authors try to overuse words and descriptions to lengthen their books but this one doesn’t do so.

On the downside there is the character of John Coleman, a flawed one at best and one of the dumbest at worst. While there are moments you feel for him and the issues he has there are others where you wonder why he isn’t aware of the most blatant things taking place before him. That issue means that as a reader you can see things coming from far ahead before the character realizes what is happening.

On the whole I’d say the book was well written, well paced and entertaining. Fans of mystery novels and crime fiction will enjoy this one. It’s worth picking up and giving a read.

A great suspense that just when you think you have figured it all out throws you down another rabbit hole!
Definitely recommended reading!

Absolutely loved this. Couldn't put it down!

Have recommended this to everyone!!

It was a first time read for this author but I am sure I will read more of him.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to young readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!