Darkness on the Edge of Town

Written by Adam Christopher

Part of the Stranger Things series

A detective's past resurfaces, revealing secrets and a dangerous case in 1977 New York.

3.5/5 Goodreads · 6,916 ratings

448 pages· 108,116 words

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Bookroo's summary

In 1984 Hawkins, Chief Hopper faces tough questions from Eleven about his mysterious past. Unveiling a hidden life as a detective in 1977 New York, Hopper recounts a perilous case involving unsolved murders and shadowy agents. As he delves into the city's underworld, a blackout threatens to engulf him in darkness. What truths will emerge from the shadows?

From the publisher

Chief Jim Hopper reveals long-awaited secrets to Eleven about his old life as a police detective in New York City, confronting his past before the events of the hit show Stranger Things. Christmas, Hawkins, 1984. All Chief Jim Hopper wants is to enjoy a quiet first Christmas with Eleven, but his adopted daughter has other plans. Over Hopper’s protests, she pulls a cardboard box marked “New York” out of the basement–and the tough questions begin. Why did Hopper leave Hawkins all those years ago? What does “Vietnam” mean? And why has he never talked about New York? Although he’d rather face a horde of demogorgons than talk about his own past, Hopper knows that he can’t deny the truth any longer. And so begins the story of the incident in New York–the last big case before everything changed. . . .Summer, New York City, 1977. Hopper is starting over after returning home from Vietnam. A young daughter, a caring wife, and a new beat as an NYPD detective make it easy to slip back into life as a civilian. But after shadowy federal agents suddenly show up and seize the files about a series of brutal, unsolved murders, Hopper takes matters into his own hands, risking everything to discover the truth. Soon Hopper is undercover among New York’s notorious street gangs. But just as he’s about to crack the case, a blackout rolls across the boroughs, plunging Hopper into a darkness deeper than any he’s faced before.

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