Publishers Weekly
08/10/2015
This refreshingly original novel updates the eldritch horrors of H.P. Lovecraft for the 21st century. Dan Carter, a New York cop turned PI, heads to Providence, R.I., to claim a windfall inheritance from an unknown benefactor. That inheritance includes Hill’s Books, an antiquarian bookstore run by Emily Lovecraft, a descendant of the great horror writer. (Her African-American heritage may be a sly nod to recent discussions of Lovecraft’s racism.) Shortly afterward, Dan and Emily cross paths with William Colt, a student at local Clave College, whose mathematical savvy has given him access to the Twist, a perceptual portal to the Lovecraftian otherworld of cosmic horrors. Their confrontation proves to have been engineered by master manipulators with their own cosmic agenda, which Howard (the Johannes Cabal series) reveals gradually through the intercession of members from one of Lovecraft’s quasi-human families. Howard sometimes makes explicit ideas that Lovecraft more effectively suggested, but his novel shows a thorough understanding of Lovecraft’s conceptual horrors and features an ending that cleverly bears out those concepts. Agent: Melissa Chinchillo, Fletcher & Company. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Carter & Lovecraft is a Pandora's Box loaded with all of the wonderfully twisted stuff I love, including a two-fisted homicide cop turned P.I., warped realities, a mysterious bookstore, the Cthulhu mythos, a dash of romance, and creepy fish-men. What's not to love? Jonathan L. Howard knows how to show his readers a wickedly good time.” —Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Ringers on Carter & Lovecraft
“Something new under Lovecraft's leering stars. Once again we discover that H.P. Lovecraft 's tales were more than mere fictions, and so is this novel—it's a very good fiction. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more novels from Mr. Howard (no, not Robert E. but Jonathan L.).” —Brian Lumley, author of Necroscope, on Carter & Lovecraft
“So much Lovecraftian fiction misses the point. You want to shake the author and shout, 'Weren't you paying attention?' Jonathan L. Howard gets it right and offers a delightfully original (and non-Euclidean) twist on the mythos and H.P. Lovecraft himself. Highly recommended.” —F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack series, on Carter & Lovecraft
“Layer by layer, Howard deconstructs the Lovecraftian universe. His detective protagonist is plunged into the heart of a bloody mystery where every step forward brings him closer to doom, and where every revelation peels away the familiar, the known, and finally, all that is rational. Carter & Lovecraft is a sleek, addicting horror novel that gleefully inverts and contradicts Mythos tropes.” —Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All
“In the cosmic darkness between Sam Spade and Dirk Gently, there's a nest of tentacles. On that nest of tentacles is Jonathan L. Howard's Carter and Lovecraft. You are here. It doesn't get any more weird-boiled than this.” —Stephen Graham Jones, author of Growing Up Dead in Texas
"Providence (including its more imaginary pockets of cosmic wrongness) comes to life in this pleasant mix of mystery and eldritch horror from the author of the "Johannes Cabal" series. The two engaging protagonists could easily ground an ongoing series of otherwordly whodunits." —Library Journal
"Howard’s take on Lovecraft and his influence is unexpected and somewhat unique – and one of several reasons why this inaugural title is noteworthy." —Bookgasm
“Howard is a supremely talented writer and the Johannes Cabal series makes for superb reading. It would be easy at this point to say if you like Rankin or Fforde or Pratchett or Holt, then you will love these books, but while it may well be true it would be doing Howard a disservice.” —Sci-Fi-London on the Johannes Cabal Series
“Genre fans will appreciate Howard's attention to world building, while more general readers will simply enjoy all the horrific fun.” —Booklist on the Johannes Cabal Series
“Howard's ear for witty banter and his skill at rendering black comedy bode well for the future.” —Publishers Weekly on the Johannes Cabal Series
“Fans of the original Lovecraft will have their rewards ... but this series debut from Howard (Nightclubbing, 2015, etc.) shines brightest when keeping to his characters' easy banter and creepy deaths.” —Kirkus Reviews on Carter & Lovecraft
“This refreshingly original novel updates the eldritch horrors of H.P. Lovecraft for the 21st century.” —Publishers Weekly on Carter & Lovecraft
“Howard brings the fine writing and attention to detail (character, dialogue, environment) that he developed in the Cabal series to this new book, and his fans should follow him to Rhode Island. Those unfamiliar with the Cabal books, especially readers with a taste for modern-day urban fantasy, should also be pointed in this title’s direction.” —Booklist on Carter & Lovecraft
“In Carter & Lovecraft, Jonathan L. Howard (the Brothers Cabal series) crafts a creepy mystery in which the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft is more fact than fiction. Carter is an endearing protagonist with a dark sense of humor and distaste for private eye clichés. Emily Lovecraft resents her famous literary roots but becomes a spirited sidekick when her great-great-uncle's creations come to life. Together they make a formidable team and the solid foundation for a new series promised by Carter & Lovecraft's twist ending. Supernatural mystery and thrilling horror offer something to love for genre fans of all stripes.” —Shelf Awareness on Carter & Lovecraft
"Surely one of the most interesting novels of the year" —Locus
"Carter & Lovecraft is contemporary, smart, pacey — and gets you to care." —Interzone
New York Times bestselling author of Dead Ringers Christopher Golden
Carter & Lovecraft is a Pandora's Box loaded with all of the wonderfully twisted stuff I love, including a two-fisted homicide cop turned P.I., warped realities, a mysterious bookstore, the Cthulhu mythos, a dash of romance, and creepy fish-men. What's not to love? Jonathan L. Howard knows how to show his readers a wickedly good time.
Library Journal
10/15/2015
Inheriting a bookstore in Providence, RI, is a peculiar but welcome windfall for struggling private investigator Daniel Carter, even if he's befuddled as to why his benefactor chose him for the bequest. Emily Lovecraft, the former owner's niece, also wonders why Carter inherited the shop she's been running, but agrees to work with Carter when he makes her a partner. Emily is the last living descendent of horror master H.P. Lovecraft, so perhaps it's no surprise when people start dying around her and Carter in bizarre fashion. A mathematician has found a way to access other dimensions, and Carter and Lovecraft might be the only ones who can stop what's coming through from other worlds. VERDICT Providence (including its more imaginary pockets of cosmic wrongness) comes to life in this pleasant mix of mystery and eldritch horror from the author of the "Johannes Cabal" series. The two engaging protagonists could easily ground an ongoing series of otherwordly whodunits. [Optioned by Warner Bros. TV.—Ed.]—MM
Kirkus Reviews
2015-07-30
A former cop delves into the supernatural when he's teamed with one of H.P. Lovecraft's descendants to solve a crime. Detective Dan Carter's biggest case is his last: his partner blows his own brains out after they've apprehended a serial killer. Unnerved, Dan leaves the force and turns private eye. His eminently predictable caseload is dominated by assignments to follow cheating husbands—until a lawyer turns up and tells Carter that someone named Alfred Hill has left him a bequest that turns out to be a bookstore in Providence. Carter finds this strange, since he's never heard of Alfred Hill. The bookstore is staffed by Hill's niece, Emily Lovecraft, whose other ancestors include the master of supernatural horror. Emily, who hasn't seen her uncle Alfred for seven years, certainly hasn't anticipated an ouster from her place as owner-in-absentia. No worries: Dan takes a shine to Emily and promises to share bookshop responsibilities with her, though he soon gets wrapped up in a local case of his own. A college professor seems to have drowned in his car without a drop of water in sight. Stumped, local police are ready to write it off as an idiopathic asphyxiation. But Dan can't stop thinking about it, especially because the last number the professor's phone called was his own. He'll have to open his mind to a world beyond what's in front of him if he hopes to solve the professor's murder. Fans of the original Lovecraft will have their rewards—Cthulu (spoiler alert) makes an appearance—but this series debut from Howard (Nightclubbing, 2015, etc.) shines brightest when keeping to his characters' easy banter and creepy deaths.
