Near Dark was published by Atria Books in 2020. A dying man — enormously wealthy, deeply connected, and motivated by a personal vendetta — places an open contract on Scot Harvath’s life. The bounty attracts the world’s most skilled assassins. Simultaneously, someone close to Harvath has been poisoned, and the antidote is held by the same man who ordered the hit. Harvath must identify the source of the contract, eliminate the assassins hunting him, and obtain the antidote before time runs out.
The novel is the series’ most John Wick-influenced: a single protagonist against multiple professional killers, with the clock ticking on a poisoned loved one adding urgency to every encounter.
The Personal Stakes
Near Dark strips the usual geopolitical stakes down to the personal. Harvath is not saving a country or preventing a war — he is saving someone he loves while staying alive himself. This narrower focus, combined with the relentless pacing of assassin encounters, makes the novel one of the series’ most propulsive reads.
Collecting Near Dark
First edition (Atria Books, New York, 2020): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $15–$25
- Signed first edition: $30–$80
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.