Dine Elpaso

Nightlife: A Novel

Description

Thomas Perry’s novels of suspense have been celebrated for their “dazzling ingenuity” (The New York Times Book Review) and for writing that is “as sharp as a sushi knife” (Los Angeles Times). By turns horrifying and erotic, Perry’s new thriller takes us on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that pits two women against each other: a beautiful serial killer and the detective who is determined to stop her.

When the cousin of Los Angeles underworld figure Hugo Poole is found shot to death in his Portland, Oregon, home, police find nothing at the scene of the crime except several long strands of blond hair hinting that a second victim may have been involved. Hotel security tapes from the victim’s last vacation reveal an out-of-focus picture of a young blond woman entering and leaving his room. Could she also be a murder victim?

Portland homicide detective Catherine Hobbes is determined to solve the case and locate the missing blonde, but her feelings, and the investigation, are complicated when Hugo hires private detective Joe Pitt to perform a parallel investigation. As the Joe and Catherine form an uneasy alliance, the murder count rises–and both realize that the pretty young woman in the security tapes is not a victim at all.

As Catherine follows the evidence, she finds herself in a deadly contest with an unpredictable adversary capable of changing her appearance and identity at will. Catherine must use everything she knows, as a homicide detective and as a woman, to stop a murderer who kills on impulse and with ease, and who becomes more efficient and elusive with each crime.


From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-30
Summary: "a good read"

Didn't know whether to make it a three or four star. This book by Perry was an interesting book. The thesis is one tht is unusual - a female serial killer - not only that but one who turned on the officer who was after her. Did not think the ending was a sharp as the rest of the book, but it was an enjoyable read.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-04-08
Summary: "Twofold Tension"

This was my first Thomas Perry book, and I was impressed enought to want to pursue his other works, in particular other books with Joe Pitt as protagonist. In Nightlife, the two young women around whom the story revolves are a study in contrasts: Catherine, a dedicated police officer and Tanya, a malevolent sociopath. Each is troubled by her past, each is struggling with total self-reliance and the search for personal peace. The sociopath degenerates steadily as the story progresses, and when she decides to hunt her pursuer and absorb her identity, the tension rises steadily to the climactic moment. The two characters are well drawn out, but the story really "caught" me when the murderous inclinations of the antagonist, Tanya, turn with creepy, disturbing intensity on Catherine. Joe Pitt is present in the story, but the spotlight never wavers from Catherine as the true protagonist. A good read.

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2008-08-05
Summary: "What Up With the Ending?"

Great book - until the ending. WTF? Did Perry have a deadline to make? It was so abrupt... not his best work. Very disappointing.

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2008-04-11
Summary: "Terrible!!"

This book was a total waste of time. I am still wondering why I didn't just abandon it along the way!!

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2008-03-29
Summary: "Proof Reader Needed"

I have only read first 2 chapters, and am at burn out already as this book seriously needed a proof reader simply because they say first and last names way to many times in a paragraph instead of just using first name only .Example is the name Hugo Poole is used 4 times in 1 paragraph when they are only talking about him , and is same for other characters in first 2 chapters . I am almost certain this cannot be the best of Thomas Perry .