Nothing but the Night

Three directors of the Van Traylen Fellowship have died in gruesome ways, and now a bus carrying children to the Fellowship's orphanage has crashed, killing the driver and injuring seven-year-old Mary Valley. While in hospital, Mary, the daughter of triple murderess Anna Harb, suffers horrifying nightmares, and psychiatrist Peter Haynes believes she is mentally ill. Is it schizophrenia, or is there another explanation for the strange and vivid images she sees: memories of a past life, psychic possession, or psychological trauma from her lunatic mother's attempts to give her occult powers? When Anna Harb goes on a murderous rampage at the hospital, trying to kill Mary and exclaiming that she is a 'soul that should never have been born', the mystery deepens. General Charles Kirk of Foreign Intelligence and his friend Marcus Levin, an esteemed scientist, believe Harb is connected with the Van Traylen deaths and are determined to solve the case. They will follow the madwoman to a remote Scottish island, where against the backdrop of a blazing Guy Fawkes night bonfire, a sinister and unthinkable truth will be revealed!


John Blackburn (1923-1993) was unrivalled at blending the genres of mystery, horror, and science fiction into chilling, page-turning thrillers, and Nothing but the Night (1968) is one of his best and most frightening. This new edition, the first in over forty years, includes a new introduction by Greg Gbur.


'A real creepy crawly ... Recommended to those who like their thrills chilled.' – Evening Standard


'John Blackburn lives right up to his reputation for the eerie and the sinister.' – The Guardian


'A stylish, genuinely chilling author. Blackburn's devils do not loom vaguely in the background, but seem unstoppable and are among the most malevolent portrayals in the genre.' – St James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers


'An accomplished writer.' – Spectator