Maybe the best thing about Jonathan Janz, and there’s a fair bit to choose from, is his ability to write in a multitude of different horror sub genres. He has vampire stories, werewolf stories, coming-of-age stories, haunted house stories, and more. With each one Janz immerses himself in the beats and, if necessary, tropes and infuses them with fully developed characters and elements to scare the hell out of you. Each genre story making for worthy recommendations in the sub genre it fits neatly into.

The Nightmare Girl is Jonathan Janz’s take on cults. The element present that makes the reader say “well, I haven’t quite seen that before” is the addition of an Irish fire cult. Can you name another piece of fiction that used that? I certainly can’t. This story also does an excellent job of keeping the reader on their toes. You’re never quite sure where things are going to next and there are a lot of surprises in store.

The relationships in this book are very realistic. Joe Crawford’s relationship with his wife and daughter drew me in, and I would hazard a guess that Janz took more than a piece or two of his own life and injected them into the story. Joe’s relationship with Darrel Copeland, local law enforcement extraordinaire, really adds a lot to the story as well. This book feels like a tribute to Joe Lansdale at times, and the dialogue between Joe and Copeland reflects Lansdale’s ability to craft sharp and witty banter nicely.

I really enjoyed and enthusiastically recommend this book. It’s got pretty much everything – relatable characters, strong development and relationships, unpredictable beats, careful craftsmanship (even Joe’s profession figures into the final product in a super clever way), and more. This Janz guy seems to know what he’s doing.


I was given an e-copy by the publisher for review consideration.