Absence of Light [Paperback]

David Lindsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 1995

When an investigator in the Houston Police Department's Intelligence Division is found dead, everyone hopes it's suicide. If it's not suicide, and related in any way to his investigations, this death could turn into the biggest scandal in the department's history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Relentlessly paced and adroitly imagined, Lindsey's latest thriller (after Body of Truth ) opens with the apparent suicide of Arthur Tisler, a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Houston police. Marcus Graver, in charge of the internal investigation into the death, discovers information implicating Tisler in CID corruption and making his suicide look suspicious--especially when other cops in Tisler's unit start dying. Next, Graver uncovers evidence that links his friend and fellow officer Dean Burtell to the shadowy figure of Panos Kalatis, an ex-Mossad agent who has spent years planning some illicit multimillion-dollar operation. Graver must apprehend this assassin in five days or the operation will be closed down and Kalatis will undoubtedly disappear with the money. Along with deft plotting and abundant surprises (including a socko finish), Lindsey offers suspense shrewdly balanced by a number of thoughtful meditations on the nature of betrayal and deceit. Particularly refreshing is the high degree of verisimilitude: readers can readily sense that the novel's events are beyond the ken of its protagonists and that a sinister world truly exists beyond normal perception. Sure to win Lindsey numerous new fans--and thoroughly satisfy his current ones.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

When a member of Houston's Police Intelligence Division turns up an apparent suicide, a chilling chain of events is triggered, unveiling the compromise of highly sensitive data, a sophisticated drug smuggling scam, and the relocation of vast sums of money. To avoid publicity and scandal, Capt. Marcus Garver hires an old friend in the "intelligence-for-profit business" to assist him and a tight crew from the force in the pursuit of the wily kingpin of the enterprise. As Garver's team closes in, pillars of the community drop right and left while the stealthy "Greek" closes down his operation and prepares to drop out of sight. As literate and polished as it is compelling, this should rank among the best in the thriller genre. Working in a style reminiscent of John le Carre, Lindsey (Body of Truth, LJ 4/1/92) is a master of articulate, involving suspense. Highly recommended.
--Susan Clifford, Hughes Aircraft Co. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (September 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751512796
• ISBN-13: 978-0751512793
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,519,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No absense of thrills and suspense, January 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: An Absence of Light (Bookcassette(r) Edition) (Audio Cassette)

Marcus Graver has his hands full from the very beginning in this international intrigue thriller. Exceptionally well written. You buy into the day by day action and worries of our detective Graver. Very readable and almost impossible to put down. Buy it, read it, enjoy!!

2.0 out of 5 stars Lindsey needs a good editor, November 25, 2011

By 

L. Pitman (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Absence of Light (Paperback)

The premise of the book was compelling, but the book itself left a lot to be desired. There was zero action, but a heck of a lot of telling the reader what had happened and how everybody and his brother felt about it. Of course, the subject matter (stealing "information" and somehow becoming a Big Kahuna Bad Guy by doing it) doesn't lend itself to an action-packed thriller. You could hardly call it a psychological thriller either, as there wasn't any suspense in the story at all. Just a very, very, VERY long recitation of the forces of good and evil battling themselves to the death with . . . uh, well, "information."

And here's the <yawn> crux of it: the good guys looked like a bunch of no-name, no-talent technophobic amateurs. Even in the mid-1990s there were cellphones, digital cameras, and the Internet, yet Lindsey is still having his characters rushing to a pay phone and perusing surveillance photos 12 hours later because they had to be developed and printed. The whole book (and there was a LOT of it) was a little like watching the progress bar of a very long install over a 1200-baud modem.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lindsey Light, May 2, 2005

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Absence of Light (Paperback)

This book is classic Lindsey, it's fast paced and a taunt thriller. I am a huge fan of his work and even though, I would not say this is his best work, it is still better than the best work of Cornwell or Connelly. David Lindsey is a master of the thriller, I know of no writer today who can pace a thriller better than Lindsey, I can assure you that if you read this book you will want to read all his other books, he is consistantly good, which is notable for a writer of thrillers. I have read all of his books and periodically go back and reread them. I enjoy most of Patrica Cornwell's Scarpetta books and I like Grisham and Connelly, but Lindsey is in another league altogether. If you love the thriller and relish great writing then you will not be disappointed in this book. Though I recommend all of Mr. Lindsey's books, my favorites are A Cold Mind, Mercy, Requiem for a Glass Heart, In the Lake of the Moon, and Face of the Assassin.