Habit by Stephen McGeagh

I expected not to like this and intended to read it in a sort of detached intellectual way. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is dark.  And no, it isn’t a comfortable read. There is plenty of foul language. We encounter some quite nasty scenarios. Yet it is engaging and gripping.

This is set in present day Manchester with a huge fantasy / horror theme. Yet it is not gratuitous horror. This city certainly has its creepy moments and we could easily imagine that what lurks behind the doors of its many night clubs is actually what Stephen McGeagh suggests.

This might be described as a new adult novel. Protagonist Michael is young and disaffected. He makes several mistakes yet somehow we like him. McGeagh captures his voice well. He has created a character that is rounded and plausible.

The book is published by Salt, a publisher we can always rely on to offer us something a little bit different, something that will make us think.