In NIGHTFALL, author Stephen Leather takes (presumably temporary) leave of his otherwise ongoing hero, Dan "Spider" Shepherd, to give his followers a novel of the occult. Perhaps Leather is contemplating a new direction for the Shepherd series and is stalling for time vis-&agrave;-vis his publisher? Be that as it may, NIGHTFALL is an unexpected treat for those fans seeking a hiatus from the Spider adventures that are perhaps verging uncomfortably close on the too-predictable.