The classic fusion of crime and horror. When Phoenix Police Sergeant Alex Volchak discovers the true nature of a predator that has survived among us unnoticed for generations, he places himself and those around him in mortal danger. It’s older than the desert, a thing without a name, but as vicious, jealous and self-preserving a creature as ever walked the earth. And it hides in plain sight.

A finely crafted, absorbing novel

Stephen Laws

An excellent thriller… a cracking pace… large helpings of deadpan gallows humour and a genuine ability to create a sense of evil

Glasgow Evening Times

Some fine grisly scenes, utterly necessary to the story, and the pacing is spot on

Charles de Lint, Mystery Scene

I wasn’t the only one blown away by Valley of Lights… his work has that kind of beat and boogie that only writers of character and style have. He plots well. But his strength is in the purity of his storytelling and in the development of his characters

Joe R Lansdale

A fast, fun read, with good jokes and a well thought-out modus operandi for its villain

City Limits

Stephen Gallagher’s novels make the case that popular fiction can also be literature. I’ve read several of his novels two and three times and with each rereading I find myself rewarded with images and nuances of character and subtle themes I’d missed previously. I can say the same for his short fiction. He is also a dazzling storyteller. He has Hitchcock’s feel for pace and twist and Claude Chabrol’s for the moments when anguished people come apart.

Ed Gorman