This is the second book by Masterton that I've read but even though there were a few things I didn't like about it, it certainly won't be the last I read of him. This was an earlier publication by him. A few months ago I read Trauma, which was a more mature effort, in my opinion.

But, there was a lot to like about Pariah, as well. This guy really knows how to move a story along without any needless bogging down. And
atmospherically, there were moments, especially early on in the story, where he really knocked it out of the park. I was reading this at 2:30am and was getting nicely unnerved.

What I didn't like about the novel, and what made this a two-star read, was his main character, John.
Here's a spoiler-rich rant on John:

Spoiler

OK, so John loses the love of his life, his wife, and unborn child, in
a traffic accident. A month ago. Well, I guess life goes on as he sleeps with this woman he just meets, dates the girl at a cookie shop, and is also attracted to a young witch. Oh yeah, he's also ogling the niece of a local historian. But, don't get me wrong here, he still wants to save his wife from the region of the dead because he loves her so much.
Oh, and John, who says you can't trust a demon? They're true to their words, right?

BTW, about this historian guy: I was under the impression he wanted to
keep all references to the David Dark secret. So why does he sell a painting that any schmuck (that would be John) could figure out the name of the ship?

So, this book was a two-star read. Until:

Spoiler

I loved the state in which the demon returned John's wife to him. Well played, Mr. Masterton.

That earned the story one more star. It made it was worth the entire read.

A recommended read all in all, and I'm looking forward to reading Mirrors and Prey. I hear they are among his best.