Nightjars

By Michael Wehunt

Most Anticipated by Goodreads, Library Journal, and more

Memento meets Dracula in this heart-thudding, unpredictable, and beautifully crafted novel of a man exposed for crimes he doesn't remember committing, and the monsters that dwell at the heart of us all, from celebrated and critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt.

On a rainy night, Luke Oshel gets stood up halfway through dinner. But before his date walks off to the bathroom and never returns, she leaves an old photograph under her napkin--Luke as a child, a dead body in the shadows of his bedroom, and a terrifying masked man. He has no recollection of this event.

Then more photos disrupt his life--Luke posing with murder victims, covered in blood--and he falls back into the deep paranoia and repressed memories he's tried to leave behind. All the drugs and alcohol, therapy, and hypnosis sessions have never conquered his deepest fear--that he hasn't escaped the hidden legacy of his late father, who killed his victims by blood loss. But now there is a new string of serial killings, and the evidence all points to Luke.

As his journey to uncover the truth unfolds in the North Georgia Appalachians, a threat arises that will risk everything he holds close, including his ex-wife and their young daughter. Now Luke must chase his father's darkness through a centuries-old secret and learn what monsters truly are. And decide if he's one of them.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250333725
• ISBN13: 9781250333728
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Love Michael Wehunt!

Michael Wehunt is back with his second novel, and I cannot wait for more! In this story we first meet Luke. After his divorce he's trying to get back out there and goes on a date... that goes awry. She leaves, but sitting at the table is a polaroid picture. Of Luke. As a child. With something... weird hovering over him. He has repressed most of his memories of his childhood and in particular his father. After some hypnotherapy to deal with some of his unresolved trauma, he comes to believe his father might have been a serial killer. Since his awful date, things have started to get... weirder. More photos show up. He's losing time. There's more killings in town. Could he have something to do with this? After Luke goes missing, we shift to his ex-girlfriend Kristen. She can't believe he'd do anything as bad as what those photos and the police imply. She starts to believe that the killings may have a supernatural aspect, though it takes some serious convincing. Kristen and Luke are both dead set on making sure their daughter Sophia has a stable, happy life. One that includes them both, even if they aren't together anymore. If they have to battle an ancient evil to make that happen, so be it. A super creative new take on the vampire story. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.