Frightful Friday: Nocturnal by Scott Sigler

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.

This week’s Frightful Friday featured book is Nocturnal by Scott Sigler:

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1St Edition edition (April 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0307406342
• Source: Publisher

Inspector Bryan Clauser of the San Francisco Police Department is horrified of the dreams he’s been having, dreams of horrible crimes that have come true. With the aid of his partner, Pookie, he begins to investigate these crimes. Both become frustrated when it seems that those higher up in the department are attempting to prevent Bryan & Pookie from discovering what is really happening. A common thread among all of the victims: they were individuals known to have bullied a teenage boy, Rex Deprovdechuk.

Rex has quite the horrible life, beat up continuously by a gang of bullies at school, then beat by his ultra-religious mother at home. He’s a bit of a wimp, unable to stand up to those that ridicule him. To seek his revenge, he draws horribly graphic pictures involving cruel punishments beset upon this bullies.  When these bullies wind up dead, cause of death identical to the acts in the drawings, Rex isn’t frightened. He feels empowered.

Forensic evidence indicates the savage crimes originally believed to be performed by an animal are in fact done at at the hands of a human. This is just the beginning of a host of evidence revealing a dark and terrifying world, hidden under the streets of San Francisco.

Joined by Aggie, a vagrant held captive by the very men/creatures who are committing these crimes,  Bryan and Pookie embark upon a war with creatures beyond imagination.

Nocturnal is truly a unique book, a perfect combination of police procedural, urban fantasy, bio-tech science fiction, and horror. At nearly 600 pages, this isn’t a book that you pick up and read within a few hours, but a true investment of time. An investment that is well worth it, in my mind.  The length of the book is necessary, giving Sigler the opportunity to really lay out and develop the characters.  The chapters are short, allowing the reader’s attention to intensify with each turn of the page. While I did take breaks while reading, I found myself melded to the pages, unable to take a break, desperate to learn more. Several late nights were involved in the reading of this book!

As with his previous books, Sigler provides readers with a completely unique and ingenious storyline.  The world he creates is one like none other, filled with monsters that make your skin crawl and force you to sleep with the light on. In other words: brilliant.  Certainly not for the week of heart (or stomach), if you think you have what it takes to face the underbelly of San Francisco,  Nocturnal  is the book for you. Highly recommended.

Following is the book trailer. Also not for the weak of heart (or stomach):