Dark Humor

A Nils Shapiro Novel #5

By: Matt Goldman

Narrator: MacLeod Andrews

Blacksone Publishing

ISBN: 9781448317936

Publisher: Severn House

Publication Date: 12/02/2026

Folrmat: 4 Stars (ARC)

DEC 2025 MUST-READ BOOKS

Nils Shapiro embarks on an international quest to avenge his wife’s murder in this gripping, emotionally charged thriller from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author Matt Goldman.

“Irreverent and insightful, private detective Nils Shapiro is sure to become a fan favorite” –HARLAN COBEN, New York Times bestselling author

“I want more of Nils Shapiro” –LEE CHILD, New York Times bestselling author

Sammy Sykes is evading the law—and justice.

Nils is on a mission to hunt down Sammy Sykes, the drug kingpin responsible for the ambush that led to his wife’s death two years ago. Despite the efforts of local law enforcement and the FBI, Sammy is still on the loose.

It’s time for Nils to take the law into his own hands.

A trip to see Sammy's daughter in prison gifts him a lead that’s impossible to ignore. Resuming his life as a private investigator, Nils goes deep undercover. Fueled by revenge and a deep sense of justice, Nils’ pursuit of Sammy takes him all the way from Minnesota to Europe, where his survival skills—and resolve—are put to the ultimate test . . .

A page-turning detective novel written in Matt Goldman’s unique, sharp style. The long-awaited return of beloved private eye Nils Shapiro is perfect for fans of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, and Harlan Coben.

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#DarkHumor

My Review

Matt Goldman's Nils Shapiro series masterfully intertwines the shadows of dark stories and deep themes with a bright, humorous undertone and incisive wit. This winning combination captivates readers as Nils delves into intricate murder mysteries, all while skillfully navigating the complexities of his personal life.

He grapples with his own trauma and sensitive nature, adding depth to his character and creating a compelling narrative that balances humor with gravity. Each installment promises a thrilling exploration of both crime and the human experience.

About...

In DARK HUMOR #5, Nils Shapiro (age 47) embarks on a personal, international quest to avenge the murder of his wife, the former Minneapolis police chief Gabriella Nuñez, who was killed two years earlier in an ambush orchestrated by a powerful drug kingpin Sammy Sykes who is highly skilled at evading the law and justice. The novel follows Nils as he takes justice into his own hands when local law enforcement and the FBI fail to capture Sykes.

Two years have passed since Gabriella's murder, and Sammy Sykes remains at large. Fueled by grief and a deep sense of justice, Nils retires from the police force (after receiving a payout) and formally resumes his life as a private investigator with Stone Arch Investigations, with his old friend, Anders Ellegaard, to hunt down Sykes.

A supervised visit with Anna Sykes, Sammy's daughter and a dirty ex-cop now in prison, provides Nils with a crucial lead. He notices a subtle signal indicating a prison guard named William Schmiechen is working for Sammy.

This lead sends Nils on a trail of criminal contacts and globetrotting, a journey across the world, from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Munich, and finally Salzburg, putting his survival skills to the test.

A Side Case: On a transatlantic flight, Nils meets a wealth manager, Casey Van der Ven, and mentions he is a private investigator. She asks him to locate her missing husband, a cheese importer named Ivan Dijkstra, which adds a secondary, seemingly unrelated mystery to his international adventure.

Nils goes undercover wearing an assortment of disguises while orchestrating elaborate plans to evade detection and pursue his enemies for revenge—the Confrontation: When someone threatens Evelyn, Nils's young daughter, further raising the stakes. Will Nils get the justice he seeks?

My thoughts...

DARK HUMOR immerses readers in a tense atmosphere, shadowed by peril and moral complexity, as Nils navigates a landscape of danger, betrayal, and the haunting echoes of his lost love.

The novel maintains Goldman's signature style, blending a very dark and grim premise with Nils's openness, emotional vulnerability, sensitivity, and the author's snappy and sharp, witty dialogue, which is how the book earns its title.

It was fun meeting and catching up with colleagues, his daughter, ex-wife, his social circles of close friends, and new acquaintances Brigitte and Sophie, members of the so-called Widows Murder Club.

Nils's humor often serves as a coping mechanism for his deep personal pain and the dark realities of his work. He uses his internal thoughts and dry wit to provide a sharp, often self-deprecating commentary on the bizarre situations he encounters.

The humor lies in his deadpan delivery of clever lines, which stand in stark contrast to the serious nature of the surrounding events, such as murder, international pursuit, and revenge. The novel also blends an old-school noir-type detective series with a fun new AI tools edge vibe.

Nils's wit shines through his ability to interject normal, human moments and observations into a narrative filled with violence and international intrigue, highlighting the absurdity of life and death.

His willingness to talk about his feelings, even as he's performing "vigilante justice," provides an ironic, almost humorous vibe that makes the story accessible and engaging despite the grim subject matter.

Evelyn, Nils Shapiro's six-year-old daughter, serves as a crucial emotional anchor and a primary motivating factor in Dark Humor. While she is not actively involved in the investigative work, her presence and well-being drive Nils's actions and provide a powerful contrast to the dark world. Evelyn represents the normal, safe life Nils is fighting to protect. The juxtaposition of her innocence and the dark, dangerous world of international crime and revenge underscores the gravity of his mission.

Evelyn is the emotional heart of the story. The loss of her mother, Gabriella, is the initial tragedy that sets the plot of Dark Humor in motion, and Nils's commitment to her care highlights his sensitive nature, a key characteristic of the series.

Even with the globetrotting, he still has ties to home with friends, and his interactions with his daughter serve to humanize him, reminding the reader of the life he has in Minneapolis. While the book can be read as a standalone, fans will certainly delight.

The Series:

Gone to Dust #1

Broken Ice #2

The Shallows #3

Dead West #4

Dark Humor #5

Recs...

Readers who enjoy Matt Goldman's blend of dark humor, sharp dialogue, and compelling private investigator mysteries may also like the following authors and hardboiled PI crime series with wit:

~Robert B. Parker's Spenser series:

~Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series

~Lou Berney (a favorite); November Road and Dark Ride

~P.J. Tracy's Monkeewrench series

~Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club series

Special thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. I have also read Matt's other work, which is equally as compelling.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

Pub date: Dec 2, 2025

My Rating: 4 Stars

Praise

A writer to watch

― Harlan Coben

Taut, grimly humorous . . . Perfect reading for an airplane, foreign hotel, or anywhere else you have a few hours to enliven

― Kirkus Reviews

A somewhat dark, often humorous, and entertaining escapist read

― Booklist

First-class . . .The often amusing dialogue flows naturally, the emotional undercurrents ring true, and the mystery itself offers a full complement of suspects and motives. This novel about love, loss, and family ties isn't to be missed

― Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Carolina Moonset

Goldman has an unerring ear for snappy dialogue and a poet's eye for the beauty of nature. This is a compelling story of how the past is never truly the past, and how we make sense of the gifts that are offered us in every present moment. I loved this book

― William Kent Krueger on Carolina Moonset

A perfect blend of light touch and dark story

― Lee Child on Gone to Dust

Interesting twists, great peripheral characters . . . and enough peril to keep readers turning pages past bedtime

― Booklist Starred Review of Dead West

About the Author

Matt Goldman is an Emmy Award-winning television writer, also nominated for a Writer's Guild Award for his work on Seinfeld. His first novel, Gone to Dust, was selected for the Texas Lariat Reading List and was chosen as the Twin Cities Reader's best novel of 2017. WEBSITE