Delirium Books
Release Date: December 2004
Format: 5.5″ x 8.5″ hardcover
Page Count: 307 pages
MSRP: $50
ISBN 1-929653-65-4
Limited numbered edition of
250 copies signed by Everson

At first, Joe Kieran “had assumed there was some kind of serial killer at work here, something that the Terrel cops just didn’t know how to handle, and didn’t want to talk about with a relative stranger.” But after plying his trade as an investigative journalist and doing some research, Joe realizes “this was not about serial killing”–that is, “unless the entire town was in on it.”
        Could this be the fatalistic covenant of this novel’s title? Had Joe relocated to the sleepy town of Terrel only to uncover his own Village of the Damned, where the locals willingly aid and abet a murderous criminal? Or, as Joe fears, is it “something much more deadly than some guy with some rope and a thirst for hearing screams from flailing people” on their descent down the side of Terrel’s Cliff, a notorious spot that claims at least one life every year since the late 1800s. And every year the date is the same: October 31st, Halloween night.
        ”Terrel’s Cliff, Joe decided, was haunted” and nobody “knows what spirit dwells in that cliff.” Regardless of “whether it’s a lesser demon or the devil himself” that inhabits that ill-fated peak, all the townsfolk agree that it “is a deadly place where bad things happen.” It is Joe, the protagonist of our tale and an everyman representative of the reader, that is convinced he should uncover the truth and stop the deaths.
        Presented in too straight-forward a fashion to be considered a mystery, the tale unfolds at a steady pace without distracting the reader with any sum of unnecessary tangents. By the end, all aspects are cleanly and tightly meshed together into one cohesive and intertwined whole. The climax is devoid of surprises, as all clues clearly indicate one solution, but the tale as a whole succeeds.
        Covenant is not a mystery, attempting to force the reader into predicting a solution, but rather a ghost story with all the trappings. It is an exhibition of what can only be called a pleasing terror: derived from horror but not meant to truly inspire terror. Herein is a lengthy and modernized variation of the campfire story, dosing out goosebumps and smirks in equal quantities.

Publisher: Delirium Books
Release Date: November 2004
Format: 5.5″ x 8.5″ hardcover
Page Count: 410 pages
MSRP: $50
ISBN: 1-929653-64-6
Limited numbered edition of
250 copies signed by Laimo

Is this book worth it? The answer is yes, regardless of who you are. For readers: Shane Ryan Staley, Editor-in-Chief of Delirium Books, has an amazing track record regarding finding the gem authors that have fallen between the cracks; this is the man, after all, who uncovered both Jeffrey Thomas and Greg F. Gifune (two names to certainly watch). For collectors: Delirium Books has never failed to deliver a beautifully crafted edition, always sure to become a central piece on your mantle. And for investors: Delirium Books knows its market, producing editions in a small enough number to create almost immediate demand and, to date, no Delirium Books release has failed to increase in value.
        Who is Michael Laimo, author of Sleepwalker? He’s been working in the background for a while, having created two short story collections and two novels. His previous work, Atmosphere, garnered high praise in the form of a Bram Stoker Nomination — one of the most prestigious awards in the genre — and, if there is any justice in the world, Sleepwalker will win him a Stoker Award.
        A strange blend of The X-Files and Quantum Leap, Sleepwalker primarily follows two lives that are bound to intersect. Leonard Moldofsky, small town police detective, has stumbled upon the case that will surely make his career, assuming he can deduce the strange solution to this very convoluted mystery. Richard Sparke, nice guy and frequent somnambulist (sleepwalker), fears he violently attacks people while he slumbers. The characters that decorate the background are no less interesting: the beautiful girlfriend who knows too much; the psychologist who expounds paranormal theories; the still wet-behind-the-ears partner; the paranoid ex-wife; the imbecile sheriff’s son who is always in the wrong place at the right time, and the infamous man in black. Any of them can have their lives change or end in a flash of blue light.
        As with any good mystery tale, the red-herrings are plentiful and Laimo reveals skill rarely seen anymore as he nonchalantly delivers clue after clue to the reader but keeps the final resolution out-of-reach until he expertly conjoins the pieces. It is with this same deft proficiency that a highly elaborate explanation is slowly conveyed to ensure comprehension on the reader’s part.
        The epilogue reeks of being a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of Highlander, and its sequel, remaining nonetheless both logical and pleasurable within the context of the story. In Highlander there could be only one; luckily for you, with Sleepwalker there are 250 copies. Do yourself a favor: get one.