Carter & Lovecraft

By: Jonathan L. Howard

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Daniel Carter used to be a homicide detective, but his last case - the hunt for a serial killer - went wrong in strange ways and soured the job for him. Now he's a private investigator trying to live a quiet life. Strangeness, however, has not finished with him.

First, he inherits a bookstore in Providence from someone he's never heard of, along with an indignant bookseller who doesn't want a new boss. She's Emily Lovecraft, the last known descendant of H. P. Lovecraft, the writer from Providence who told tales of the Great Old Ones and the Elder Gods, creatures and entities beyond the understanding of man. Then people start dying in impossible ways, and while Carter doesn't want to be involved, he's beginning to suspect that someone else wants him to be. As Carter reluctantly investigates, he discovers that H. P. Lovecraft's tales were more than just fiction, and he must accept another unexpected and far more unwanted inheritance.

©2015 Jonathan L. Howard (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

" Carter & Lovecraft is a Pandora's box loaded with all the wonderfully twisted stuff I love, including a two-fisted homicide cop turned PI, 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 best-selling author of Dead Ringers)

A mistakes that worked out in my favor.

This book was not at all what I thought it was when I purchased it. What it is is a story of a hardboiled detective who inherits a bookstore, as a story hook. It starts a little slow, but once the chemistry of the characters starts, the story moves a bit better.

The lead characters are forced to hunt a serial killer, who is sort of uninspiring, but he is what propels the story forward. Just because he is uninteresting doesn't mean that I did not appreciated the story; some people are just uninteresting, and I find it believable that some characters can be that way, too.

My biggest complaint about this book is the narrator. Though his male voices are superb, and very much suit the genre, his female voices sound like husky drag queens. It was very distracting.

All and all I would recommend this book to hard boiled fans who have an interest in Cthulhu mythos, but not so much Lovecraft fans or purists.

Interesting ride

I'm not an HP Lovecraft reader, but from my outside understanding this book pays homage to the writings & genre. I enjoyed this enough to look forward to anything JL Howard may write about the Lovecraft universe in the future.

A big setup for the next book.

It was a novel length prologue. A good setup, but a setup nonetheless. The trend is to write a series of novels to tell a story, but each should hold their own. Still, I am intrigued to read on and see where the story and characters go.

Disappointing

I was intrigued by the premise. A few chapters in I was disappointed & I've had a hard time finishing it. I'll explain why:
1. These aren't characters. I think maybe he's going for a boilerplate, noir-ish, rock-jawed Marlowe type, but you don’t walk away with a sense of him as anything other than a pastiche.
The supporting cast is worse: there are the usual suspects, mustache twirling, sneery bad guy, smug rich-guy politician, dumb cop, but the biggest offense is they’re usually just mouthpieces for wikipedia-fueled info dumps: A bookseller with no reason at all to have insight into such things goes into a long explanation of a failed attempt to rig the Irish lottery. The villain gives a long, tedious explanation about math theory to a store clerk.
Wait, let me stop there, cos the villain is a whole problem unto himself. He doesn’t just broadcast his secret knowledge of how he manipulates reality, he also calls up the main character to give him leads on who his accomplices are. It’s not just sloppy plotting, the book hinges on these kinds of leaps: two characters discussing the mystery? At the heart of the book (something concerning an aluminum cube I’m still not clear on and too uninvested in to go back and try to figure out) put forth a pretty ludicrous theory, and because this is (of course) the plot, it is instantly accepted as gospel truth and moved forward with without any fact checking. (By a detective!!) It isn’t stumbled upon, or deduced, it’s just programed into the characters’ mouth and comes out when required. A lot of the plot chugs along like this (and this book purports to be a mystery) plot isn’t uncovered, it’s fed; plot coupons are doled out by background characters like NPCs in a video game.

2. The writer is a goodish plotter; he comes up with interesting ideas, but not a skilled technician as far as taking those concepts and turning them into a fun yarn that is enjoyable to read. Especially when writing about the fantastic, you're trying to describe something the reader hasn't necessarily seen but the author is especially clumsy in this regard: there are markings on an artifact, simply described as 'striations', then he'll repeat the word over and over again, so you're getting bludgeoned with a indistinct word that you don't quite understand in the first place. Are they like letters? Cuneiforms? This happens again with the 'surface' of some sort of air that's also water, he doesn't sell the concept then reeats the word surface like 10 times. the surface was almost to his head, he could feel the surface near his lips, what would happen if the surface covered his head, etc. I guess a guy drowns on air? Doesn't matter in the next scene he's someplace else.

3. This is more of a pet peeve of mine, but the hero has a sort of plot immunity that is never fully explained. Some strange malady causes people to react in an instant and put a gun to their head and kill themselves, except, when it happens to him, for some reason it doesn't work. For no other reason than he's the main character. He gets saved from death a few times in a way I still don't understand, a kind of deus ex machina.

Now, as I write this stuff down and really think about it, this book is actually terrible. It’s a mess. The Lovecraft stuff, if that’s what you’re here for, it’s really short on. If you like serial killer, yarn-wall procedural stuff, you’re also going to be disappointed. If you want a hard boiled noir story, you’re going to be most disappointed of all, ‘cos the writer broadcasts (quite frequently) his avid distaste for PI tropes (though the lead is a PI). All this stuff gets tossed in a pot and stewed till its mush and in the end, nothing surprising happens and most disappointing of all, it’s particularly joyless to read.

Narration was fine.

Howard, Hardboiled

A bit Sam Spade-y for my tastes at first, but a story whose ability to evoke genuine feelings of discomfiture and actually give that creepy feeling that sits at the end of ones nerves. Let me riveted right through to the end. I got over the gum shoe stuff and it fit and grew comfortable. A fun read for a misty dank January day.

Much better than I expected!

First of all, I agree that this isn't for Lovecraft purists but it's smart, well written with excellent dialogue and just the right level of creepiness... I might even say; other-worldliness. Anyways, the narrator is top notch. I believe that his struggles with Emily's voice is more to do with the writer describing her delivery and the narrator attempting to portray it. You get used to it, but it does indeed sound like a TV drag queen for the first few lines. The two things that knocked some stars off for me where the lack of development of the evil-doer and the bizarre plot change where Emily goes from vehemently and repeatedly telling Carter he should walk away, him just as vehemently telling her why he can't, to the exact opposite. Almost like the author forgot where he was and the editor was like "who will notice?"
All that being said, I truly did enjoy this book. I listen to audiobooks on my 40 min work commute and found myself sitting in the garage, waiting until a scene was finished, when I would get back home. Needless to say, I have downloaded the sequel.

If you love HPL this is a great escape!

Where does Carter & Lovecraft rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better adaptations of HPL. I enjoyed it, and will look for more of J.L. Howard's work.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lovecraft the sharp, tough, and wry bookseller.

What does Ari Fliakos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voices and timing that moved the story along.

If you could rename Carter & Lovecraft, what would you call it?

The Perceptual Twist: A Lovecraftian Mystery

Any additional comments?

I would not have bought this book on chance to read it, but as a lark downloaded it. Thanks!!!

Ugh!

JLH Necromancer books were great. Clever,funny and engaging. This was just dreadful. Unappealing characters in a fantastic situation that really was mostly blah,blah, blah. Pause for the lefty lectures: the NRA is bad, white people are racists,Republicans are all stupid and of course there is no God. No need to try any more JLH books. What a wast of time.

A Slog Through Providence

Carter & Lovecraft is a mildly entertaining pastiche, something akin to a Shadow, Doc Savage or pulp detective novel with plenty of Lovecraftian shenanigans thrown in for good measure. Much like some of the material from which it draws inspiration, it plays out as formula. It's homage to Lovecraft never really goes beyond the sort of surface level approach that's been done literally hundreds of times now: chapters named after Lovecraft stories, characters with obvious connections to the author or his work, overly familiar Lovecraftian settings and themes, etc. It might all seem fresh to unfamiliar eyes (or, in this case, ears) but if you're familiar with this sort of fiction it plays out rather predictably, not unlike an evening of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. The addition of some pop culture references does little to enhance the proceedings and by the end of the book, when I should have been most engaged in the story, I found myself impatiently waiting for it wrap up.

It's not bad. The book ends in an interesting place and the narration is solid. It's just not going to surprise you unless you're pretty unfamiliar with this sort of HPL-influenced work.

Fun and Frivolous

Fun reading. Actually hope it turns into a series. The narration was great. Not too sure why all the negativity from some readers.

all things you would expect from a Lovecraftian

this is not a tale for those looking to hear more about lovecrafts creations. instead it is a story that holds up on all its own. For those who haven't got around to understanding or researching the mythos, this book will be all the more brain raching chilling. leaving you feeling small, lost and insignificant in the grander scheme. I think not knowimg allows this story to be even more impressive.

for die hard Lovecraftians there are homeges to lovecrafts work, but mpst importantly this novel doesnt depend upon them. And for me, reinstills why I love the mythos so much.

Enjoyable overall

'Carter & Lovecraft' was my first foray into the work(s) of Jonathan L. Howard and I have mostly enjoyed this initial experience.

I really liked the first half of this book, which plays out like a crime noir infused with eldritch horror, as hardboiled private investigator Dan Carter becomes unwittingly wrapped up in a series of increasingly strange crimes that defy the very laws of physics. The first fifteen or so chapters of the novel are shrouded in dense mystery and otherworldly on goings that really kept me entertained!

As the book moves towards its conclusion however, it seems to get a little confused. For me, a number of the main revelations and reveals come too late and too close to the end of the story. Howard does not give some of his ideas the proper time they need to settle into his story and, as a result, lack the impact I think he wanted them to deliver. It is not the case that these plot points are bad, they are just not as well executed as many of the concepts that are introduced earlier, which are better mapped out and do develop over the course of the narrative.

I have read some complaints that the two main characters are a little insufferable, but I did not find this to be the case. Whether or not Howard intended it, Dan Carter ironically embodies many of the traits of detectives from hardboiled fiction that he claims to be unrealistic and unlikable, as Carter is often fast talking, sure of himself and emotionally unresponsive to normally traumatic circumstances. I especially enjoyed the machine gun style exchanges between Carter and Emily Lovecraft, during their first few meetings. Speaking of Lovecraft, she is certainly more two dimensional than Carter, but she does come alive during the sections of the novel where Howard only focuses on her and it should have been something the author did more!

Narrator Ari Fliakos was good, but not great. Some voices did bleed into each other (especially among the villain characters) and it could be difficult to discern who was talking at times. However, the main cast all have a very unique and individual performances, which is definitely most important!

Ultimately, 'Carter & Lovecraft' has done more than enough to read / listen to the second in the series and I will be interested to see how things play out here.

one of my favs

As reviewers on Goodreads have pointed out, the world of books doesn't have enough Lovecraftian novels, let alone contemporary versions that manage to keep the reader intrested, but this book is one of the most worthy contributions. I've listened to it about twelve times now and its a great book.....as is the narration. The character development is fun and its hard not to like the main characters. They grow on you and you welcome it. And the plot contains some very original ideas which it always a bonus.
I will be getting the next book.....and anymore that come along.

Accomplishes all its goals. A solid outing for Lovecraft fans.

It's not easy to write well in the Lovecraft genre, but this book manages to cover all the bases. A detective story that soon dissolves into a classic lovecraftian mind bender.

The reading is well accomplished and works well with the feel of the book.

Recommended to people who dream of a book that links monsters, maths and retired detectives everywhere!

Did we do the right thing?

Part hard - boiled detective novel, part creepy horror, and entirely enjoyable. The reader nailed characterisation, the plot was pacey, and I am hoping for a sequel.

Started well but...

Beautifully read story that started as a detective thriller with a supernatural twist. But characters never developed and plot got lost, the ending a mess.

Excellent new take on Lovecraft's mythos

The book is really in two parts - the first was 5/5 all round, the second 4/5. Excellent new spin on Lovecraft and the narrator did a good job telling the story.

Good enough for me to buy the sequel without waiting for my monthly credit!

Recommended.

Horror writing at its very best!

Lovecraftian themes crawl out of this smashing, smart, beautifully crafted noir detective thriller. It is about the most gripping example of the many reimaginings of the genre. It opens with a tour de force, starting the novel off with real punch. You don’t often come across this kind of excellence in what is often described as pulp. Read it you won’t regret it!

Great audiobook

interesting story and well narroated. I highly recommend checking it out. 5 stars 🌟

Reminiscent of some work by Mr S. King

From the Cabal series, to Goon Squad and now this book, the author has proven his versatility.
Obviously the talented narrators give different flavours to the work, but the material definitely seems to be constructed specific to each series.
This one I found to have echos of Steven King, the way he sets his characters and develops their environment.
I suppose all that waffle means, I liked the book and I shall be happily purchasing the next one presently.