Blue Night (Winter Passing Trilogy #2) [Paperback]

Cindy McCormick Martinusen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 13, 2001

An epic story of a woman's search for her missing husband. A mysterious blue tile is a clue that takes her search back to World War II Austria. This beautifully written novel will endear readers to the fresh voice of rising new author Cindy McCormick Martinusen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This second novel by Martinusen (Winter Passing) fuses two seemingly unrelated stories one of a young American woman whose husband has disappeared, the other of members of the WWII Austrian resistance. Ambitious in its scope and narrative complexity, the novel explores several well-developed themes, like fragmentation, treasure hunts and the color blue itself. While such structural care is usually the province of literary fiction, Martinusen crafts a historical novel with popular appeal and a memorable female protagonist. Novels by, for and about Christian women abound, but they all too rarely give us protagonists like Kate Porter, a woman who, despite tragedy, is managing beautifully as a single mom, business owner and amateur sleuth. Also satisfying is Martinusen's treatment of Nazis and the Holocaust; in particular, she resists telling a simplistic story of evil Nazis and saintly resisters and instead focuses on a Kurt Waldheim-like character and others whose histories include both Nazi involvement and commitment to more noble causes. The novel's only weakness is that it does not quite succeed as a thriller. At nearly 400 pages, it can be a bit sluggish, with too many skimmable passages. This doesn't completely destroy suspense, but many plot developments are predictable and would be less so in a tighter, better-paced narrative. Regardless, Martinusen's gift for storytelling and passion for history add much to the world of Christian fiction.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A lot of people like Martinusen's first novel, Winter Passing , about a contemporary woman's attempt to solve a mystery associated with the Holocaust. Though the characters change, Blue Night is a sort of sequel in that the connivings long ago of a group of German soldiers directly affect a modern woman, Kate Porter, whose husand disappears when the two are vacationing in Venice. There's no clue what happened except a small blue tile left on Kate's pillow. Five years later, prepared to declare her husband dead, Kate receives another tile in the mail. The reader knows, and Kate must discover, that the tile is from the soldeirs, aged now, gathered in Phoenix to fulfil their strange plan. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (July 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842352368
• ISBN-13: 978-0842352369
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars...Entertaining and Enlightening, September 19, 2003

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blue Night (Winter Passing Trilogy #2) (Paperback)

Martinusen writes with confidence in this sequel to "Winter Passing." She paints believable characters, beautiful landscapes, and conflicts that aren't oversimplified. Although the book stands alone, the tie-ins to the previous novel are well handled.

The story starts with a heart-rending hook: Kate Porter's husband disappears during their trip to Venice. The only evidence of any wrongdoing is a broken blue tile. Three years later, she has no answers and is going on with her life. Soon, Kate is dragged into a plot that involves family secrets and national sins. The search for the truth will lead her back to Europe and the heart of the Nazi evil.

I had two complaints while reading. First, on the trivial side, the city of Corvalis (Kate's hometown) is actually spelled "Corvallis." I lived near there, so this inaccuracy tripped me up throughout. Second, the meaning of the blue tiles was anticlimactic and felt forced. Still, this is a story that is so much stronger than those issues and deserves to be read for entertainment and enlightenment both.

"Blue Night" has its dark side, but it won't leave you feeling blue. I can't wait to read the third book, "North of Tomorrow."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, January 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Blue Night (Winter Passing Trilogy #2) (Paperback)

Set in Oregon, California, Venice and Austria, Cindy Martinusen's wonderful book, Blue Night, is a compelling, suspenseful read, the next in the Winter Passing trilogy.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Kate Porter's plight as she attempts to put her life in some sort of meaningful order after the disappearance of her husband, Jack, was a heart-tugger. She was all that a heroine needed to be: tender, brave, frightened and adventureous. I loved coming alongside Kate, walking with her as she tried to find Jack and solve the mystery. Since I didn't want it to end, it made me happy that one more book in the trilogy was yet to come.

Be sure to consider Cindy's books when you are looking for a good read. They are terrific!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome, December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blue Night (Winter Passing Trilogy #2) (Paperback)

I thought this was a great book. I loved it and I would recomend it. I hate it when I'm reading and the book is totally predictable, but this book wasn't at all, and that's what kept me reading. I also liked how it has stuff in there about God.