The Night Market by Jonathan Moore

San Francisco PD Inspector Ross Carver is called out to a crime scene in a posh neighborhood. No sooner do he and his partner discover a dead body covered in a bizarre substance than they are hustled out by FBI agents in hazmat suits, decontaminated and forced to drink something that sends him into seizures and knocks him out. Carver awakes in his own bed nearly 3 days later being read to by his neighbor Mia and missing his memory of the last 3 days. The Night Market by Jonathan Moore wastes no time in setting the tone for this fascinating and genre-bending book.

Carver barely knows Mia and is not sure he can trust her. He keeps her close during his attempts to recover his memory. Each step broadens the mystery and leads him toward a conspiracy that may be deeper and more far-reaching than he could have imagined.

Moore has created a near-future San Francisco that feels both familiar and disconcerting. It doesn’t feel like our world, but it only feels a beat or two off. His expertly created mood permeates the novel and keeps you off-balance throughout. Carver’s doubts become your doubts. As Carver and Mia, along with Carver’s partner Jenner, learn more about what has happened and what is going on, the story picks up momentum that runs all the way to the final page. The revelations are shocking but they feel earned. Moore leaves you with a sense of tragedy, but also hope.

The Night Market has great characters, great plot, and a very evocative setting and mood. Comparisons to the works of Blake Crouch, China Mieville and Lauren Beukes are apt. It also reminded me in some aspects of the movie Dark City. This is a standout novel and an author worth following. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

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