Under the squalor of the docks, ancient evils are preparing for a ceremony of blood.
Thomas F. Malone, an Irish-American detective obsessed with the occult, finds himself assigned to the notorious
Red Hook
neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. This district is a bewildering labyrinth of decaying tenements, waterfront smuggling, and a vast, dense population of immigrants whose secret, dark traditions baffle and frighten the police.
Malone begins investigating the rise of strange cult activity--bizarre symbols, unsettling rites, and the terrifying disappearance of local children. The trail leads him to a strange, old man named
Robert Suydam
, a reclusive millionaire who has suddenly embraced a secret, wicked marriage to a young, foreign woman and is funding the neighborhood's escalating descent into chaos.
As the detective delves into Suydam's mansion and the hidden catacombs beneath Red Hook, he uncovers the devastating truth: the area is a nexus point for an ancient, global conspiracy. Suydam and the neighborhood's criminal element are not just running a smuggling ring; they are preparing a massive, coordinated occult ceremony designed to summon unspeakable, colossal entities from beyond our world.
The Horror at Red Hook
is a tense, paranoid story that fuses traditional detective fiction with Lovecraft's signature
cosmic horror
. It is a chilling exploration of urban decay, cultural fear, and the profound dread that the modern city harbors secrets and evils far older and more powerful than any police force can comprehend.
The darkness of the alleyways is merely a cloak for the darkness of the cosmos.