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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780786019694
ISBN number: 0786019697
Label: Pinnacle
Manufacturer: Pinnacle
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: October 01, 2007
Publishing house: Pinnacle
Sale Popularity Level: 230930
Studio: Pinnacle
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Product Description:
A killer dubbed 'The Night Prowler' has turned the city that doesn't sleep into a town kept awake by terror. Unseen, he enters couples' homes. Unsuspected, he lingers until the perfect moment arrives. He leaves 'gifts' for his victims - before taking their lives. Enter ex-homicide cop Frank Quinn, still reeling in the wake of an elaborate setup that ended his career. For Quinn, this isn't just any job - it's a last chance to salvage his reputation. As the investigation proceeds, the murderer loses no time stalking new prey: a loan officer and her high-earning husband; a couple who made a killing in the stock market; a pretty actress and her prosperous lover. With the body count rising, it's up to Quinn to unlock the mystery of a madman's past and end his bloody reign. Quinn's got his work cut out - because in a city the size of New York, anyone of eight million faces could be that of a killer or his subsequent target.
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Rated by buyers -
Darker Than Night is the fourth book in a series of six by prolific thriller novelist John Lutz. The "Night" series features six stand-alone novels connected by a common theme: serial killers and the endeavor to stop them.
Lutz, who has written more than forty novels in a career now well into its fourth decade, has clearly learned a thing or two about writing thrillers along the way. Darker Than Night hooks the reader from, quite literally, the very first page and rarely lets up in intensity until the final chapter. The plot is complex and multilayered--something of a rarity in the genre--and features interesting characters (especially the villain), dramatic crime scenes, and believable police work.
Lutz does an excellent job of presenting the story through the point of view of a large cast of characters, some of whom are killed off fairly quickly but nevertheless have an interesting perspective to add to the reader's experience. A particularly interesting series of scenes shows a man whom the reader assumes to be the villain undergoing psychological therapy. The scenes feature realistic dialog and give an interesting perspective not only on the psyche of a killer but also the reaction of the city, interpreted through the therapist's eyes, to the killings.
For much of the novel, the story switches between the present-day hunt for the Night Prowler, as the nighttime killer terrorizing Manhattan has been dubbed by the media, and the past life of an artistic young man who, having been adopted into a dysfunctional family, slowly devolves into a killer. As the tension builds in both stories, the reader can't help but draw conclusions about how the two plots must be related, but Lutz does a masterful job of concealing till the very end exactly what those ties are. Lutz does a good job with his characters as well, giving them backgrounds and motives that make them come alive.
Unfortunately, in spite of the good writing and careful pacing, there is much to be concerned about in this book. In both the past and present storylines, the protagonists engage in rather explicit sexual affairs. Foul language is minimal, but the depictions of the Night Prowlers murders are quite graphic--more so than necessary even for a book about serial crime. The book contains no spiritual dimension or even any uplifting themes to speak of.
Darker Than Night could have been a stand-out book in a crowded genre; the quality of the writing makes Lutz an author worth reading, and--at least on a purely literary level--the book is entertaining and compelling. It's too bad the gratuitous content makes this book impossible to recommend.
Rated by buyers 
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I read night spider, and enjoyed it. When I saw this book, I thought "hey, that one was entertaining" and most authors I read tend to be pretty consistent. This book was awful. It was boring. I think it took me about a month or more to finish it, and I usually read books in a few days tops. The things the other reviewer said are all true -- why not change the locks? Isnt it weird they're all having decorators? I am now going to start writing down the authors of books this boring, so that i don't buy anything by them again. I actually threw this book in the trash, because I didn't want to torture anyone else with it.
Rated by buyers -
Ok, so all the couples killed have recently moved into new apartments and/or had decorating done. Yet it doesn't occur to the police to check who's been in and out recently. The murdered women find mysterious gifts inside their apartments, yet they don't have their locks changed and the police don't look into who might have had acess to keys. The murdered couples hear intruders in the middle of the night, yet they don't call 911.
Gimme a break!
Just a really badly plotted book. Pretty much a mediocre example of the serial killer mystery genre.
Rated by buyers 
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While investigating a drug deal murder, New York Police Department Lieutenant Frank Quinn discovered that a group of his peers were receiving kickbacks to look the other way on illegal activities. Before he goes to Internal Affairs, someone informed IA that Frank raped a fifteen years old girl. He chooses the moral path, but his wife and IA do not believe in his innocence and takes their daughter across the country leaving a stunned Frank behind. He took a half pension rather than be fired
A serial killer The Night Prowler is murdering married couples in their kitchens. Nobody seems to hear him when he lets himself in using an apparent key. Assistant Chief of Police Henry Cortez, with a chance for the top job, feels Frank can solve the case and brings him on as a civilian consultant. Frank feels he has a chance to redeem himself and get his job back.
Readers will believe that they just stepped off a tilt-awhirl after reading this action-packed police procedural. Though he knows he got a raw deal, the protagonist instead of whining and feeling sorry for himself, he jumps into the fray the very first chance he has to prove himself. Fans will root for Frank, who has powerful enemies that he is unaware of who want him removed form the scene. John Lutz places Serpico in a serial killer venue with his blue knights still after him.
Harriet Klausner
Rated by buyers -
I loved this book. In Darker than Night, John Lutz has written an eminently readable thriller. This is a tightly woven web of plot line and character development leading to a surprising conclusion. Characters, including police, victims, and killer are all intelligently and realistically drawn, with just enough blue herrings to keep the reader a bit off balance. Particularly interesting is Frank Quinn, the disgraced detective who is brought back to the department to track down a serial killer who is targeting and brutally murdering happily married couples. And the back story of the "Night Prowler," himself, is intriguingly planted throughout the book, shading the edges and giving it depth. This thriller provides all the anticipated suspense, plus a bonus--truly well written prose. Thank you, Mr. Lutz, for an altogether excellent read.
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