The Kolchak Papers (1970s Books by Jeff Rice)

Kolchak: The Night Stalker is best known for the 1970s movie and TV show, but the book by Jeff Rice got it all started and is certainly worth a read.

What Is It?

The Kolchak Papers combines the two novels written by Jeff Rice that focus on an investigative reporter as he looks into murders that appear to have links to the supernatural. The Night Stalker (which was originally titled The Kolchak Papers) introduces readers to Carl Kolchak, a tenacious Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigating a series of gruesome murders where victims are drained of blood. As the clues take the mystery in an unexpected turn, he confronts the chilling reality that a vampire is terrorizing the city. In The Night Strangler, Kolchak finds himself in Seattle, delving into a string of murders that echo a pattern from crimes committed decades earlier. His pursuit ultimately uncovers a sinister force lurking in the city’s underground—and he may be the only one who can stop it.

Author: Jeff Rice

Originally Published:

The Night Stalker (aka The Kolchak Papers): 1973

The Night Strangler: 1974

The Kolchak Papers: 2007

Legacy:

Intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak, who often found himself face-to-face with supernatural horrors, is best known from the two TV movies and short-lived series that aired on ABC in the mid-1970s. These books are where he got his start, and they deliver some hard-boiled horror that is worth a read.

A Closer Look:

Many people are familiar with Carl Kolchak because he first appeared in the highly-rated ABC movie-of-the-week The Night Stalker, which aired in January of 1972. That was based on the manuscript The Kolchak Papers by Jeff Rice, which had not found a publisher but came to the attention of Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis and was adapted for television (with a screenplay by sci fi author and Twilight Zone alum Richard Matheson). The novel version was released in 1973, giving Kolchak his first appearance in print.

So many of us associate Kolchak with Darren McGavin’s iconic performance, but the character in the book is a little different. As opposed to McGavin’s put-upon everyman, Rice’s Kolchak is a rather surly individual, a drunk, and not well-liked by most people who associate with him. But he does have a good side, and that’s who the readers root for as the story progresses. In addition, the tone of the book is darker and more cynical than what we would see in the TV movies and subsequent series.

The Night Stalker is essentially a hard-boiled detective tale that takes a turn toward the supernatural, and it does an excellent job with both genres. Kolchak might not be the most lovable character, but deep down he is a good person driven to uncover the truth. And when the facts don’t measure up to real-world explanations, he is willing to consider alternative possibilities—even if it makes him look foolish to others. While Kolchak does cling to rational explanations as long as he can (believing at first that the murderer only thinks he is a vampire), he embraces the supernatural when that becomes the only possible explanation. That helps the story seem reasonable throughout as Kolchak’s conclusion evolves from “insane killer” to “creature of the night.”

The second book, The Night Strangler, also got its start as a television movie, with Rice collaborating with Matheson on the story before working on the novelization. This sequel is equally enjoyable, continuing the hard-boiled roots with supernatural flourishes. The explanation of Kolchak working for his editor Tony Vincenzo again in a different town is a bit stretched just to keep some familiar names around, but the book also develops a tie between the two that establishes why Vincenzo puts up with the often-irritating reporter. Ultimately, the second book stays true to the spirit of the first while offering deeper character development than what we saw in the TV movies.

If you enjoyed ABC’s The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, you’ll definitely appreciate the novel versions—even though they don’t follow the TV movies exactly. Or if you just enjoy a good detective story with supernatural twists, you should find these books a worthwhile read.

The Story Continues:

The two TV movies, of course, led to the short-lived series that would go on to have a notable influence on later genre shows like The X-Files (watch for an upcoming post on Kolchak: The Night Stalker). Jeff Rice only wrote the two novels featuring Carl Kolchak, but other authors would later take up the baton and continue the reporter’s investigations. In 2009, the Joe Gentile book Cry of Thunder: Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker offered a team-up of sorts between Kolchak and Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. The reporter receives a manuscript recounting an investigation by Holmes and Watson that was never concluded. Kolchak then finds himself picking up where they left off as the mystery—and the deaths surrounding it—have continued into the present day. The story also works in the Native American legend of the Thunderbird, and while it’s a bit of a mess, it’s still fun and follows the spirit of the Jeff Rice novels.

In 2012, Kolchak and the Lost World by C.J. Henderson was published and finds the reporter involved with an international investigation in South America linked to the mysterious group of “seventy-two must always be.” This appeared to be a reboot, retrofitting Kolchak into the 21st century, though it did still refer to many of his past adventures. It was written in the spirit of the Jeff Rice novels and also channels the TV show at times, and it would have made a good jumping-off point for the return of the character with a new actor (Darren McGavin passed away in 2006). Henderson did do two more books in this series: Kolchak: A Black and Evil Truth and Kolchak: Necronomicon.  In addition, Moonstone has put out several collections with short stories and novellas focusing on the character (see below).

Note that there was a reboot TV series titled Night Stalker that aired on ABC for half a season from 2005–06, but it had little to no connection to the original and quickly disappeared into the television wasteland.

Should It Be Rebooted?

As mentioned, Kolchak and the Lost World does offer a reboot with a version of Kolchak that still had the experiences from the TV movies and shows, but not as far back—his age is mentioned as being 40 in the 2010s. C.J. Henderson did three total novels in that series.  Then in 2015, Moonstone put out the collection Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles with short stories focusing on the character by different authors.  That was followed by Kolchak The Night Stalker Casebook in 2015, and then Kolchak The Night Stalker: Passage of the Macabre and Kolchak: Penny Dreadful Double Feature in 2016.  Since then Monstrous Books has acquired the literary rights, so I expect that we will see even more Cark Kolchak in the future.

Comments on the Audiobook:

The audio compilation The Kolchak Collection brings together the first two novels along with the two 21st-century continuations Cry of Thunder and Kolchak and the Lost World and it is narrated by Johnny Heller. I have to admit that at first I really wanted to hear Darren McGavin’s voice reading the books, and it’s a shame he never narrated the original novels. But before long, I got used to Heller’s voice as he captures the spirit of the books, and the various accents he adds make it more of a performance than a straight narration. And considering the fact that the Kolchak in the books is not quite the same as the one portrayed by McGavin, perhaps it’s best we have a different voice for the character. This is certainly an excellent collection and a must-have for fans of Carl Kolchak’s adventures.

Interesting Facts:

The Night Stalker was the highest-rated television movie of all time when it first premiered. That led to the sequel The Night Strangler, which Jeff Rice adapted as the second novel in the series. A third film titled The Night Killers was planned, but ABC decided instead to turn the property into a television series. The show wasn’t as successful and was canceled after one season.

Jeff Rice first wrote The Night Stalker in 1970, and it also went by the titles The Kolchak Papers and The Kolchak Tapes. He tried to get it published for several years but received little interest. His agent felt the story would make a good movie, and it eventually worked its way into the hands of Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, who produced the TV film.

Where Can You Read It?

The Night Stalker is available on Kindle and in print, and The Night Strangler is available on Kindle. The Kolchak Collection is available through Audible and on CD.