Customer Reviews

Both Ends of the Night (Sharon McCone)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Both Ends of the Night" is one of the best of the Sharon McCone novels. McCone is hired by Matty Wildress, who was McCone's flight instructor when Sharon got her pilot's license, to find her lover, John Seabrook, who had disappeared. Matty does aerobatics and had one final meet for the year. Before that she gets a letter from John telling her not to fly in the last meet. He puts $70,000 into Matty's account and asks her to take his son, Zach, and flee California. Matty choses to fly anyway, and dies in a crash while performing a simple move for her. Since Matty is McCone's friend, McCone continues her investigation. because the murder of Matty and John Seabrook's disappearance, seem to be conected. McCone's lover, Hy Ripinsky, who is usually a minor character, plays a major role helping Sharon to find Matty's killer because of his friendship with Matty from years back. They uncover corporate corruption, government witness programs, and people who will stop at nothing to fulfill their dreams. This novel is very well written. The characters are well-drawn and Muller is one of the best at putting the reader there. I had shivers when she and Hy were in sub-zero weather in Minnesota. An excellent novel!

I'm a big fan of the Sharon McCone series and this one was a very good read. Fast-moving, credible. I enjoyed all the plane-related detail. Muller, like Sharon and Hy, obviously loves flying. I'd never do it myself, but I enjoyed going along for the ride, so to speak.

If you're new to Muller, I URGE you to read the McCone books in order, starting with "Edwin of the Iron Shoes." Believe me, you'll get to this one soon enough.

I keep coming back for Muller's next Sharon McCone story, so it's safe to conclude that I have enjoyed the series so far. By number 19, it's become as much about McCone and her extended family of familiar characters as it is about the mysteries. For that reason, I suggest that somebody new to the McCone books not start with this one. You can, but it all works better if you have some background.

I didn't find BOTH ENDS OF THE NIGHT to be one of Ms. Mullers' most compelling mysteries. It held my interest all the way through, but there was a little more rhapsodizing on the joys of airplane piloting than I wanted. I also thought that there weren't many real surprises in this one and the climax was too straightforward and obvious. Further, given the personal history of the guy living in the woods, he wouldn't have been difficult for a wealthy father to locate over the course of ten years.

I have enjoyed Mullers' McCone novels and will certainly read more of them. This one, however, while OK, was a bit of a letdown. Not bad, but not one of the best. I'm not suggesting that people (especially fans) not read it, just that there are others I liked better. My four-star rating on this one is a bit soft.

Marcia Muller takes San Francisco private investigator Sharon McCone to new heights (no pun intended) in Both Ends of the Night. This is the best book in the McCone series that I have read so far.

McCone is a pilot and learned how to fly from Matty Wildress. Matty is not only a flight instructor but also one of the top aerobatic flyers in the nation. Matty hires McCone to find her live-in lover, John Seabrook. Seabrook left suddenly with no explanation, leaving behind his 12-year old son, Zach. McCone not only has to discover where Seabrook has gone, but also, why he disappeared. The search for Seabrook leads McCone to Florida, Arkansas and Minnesota as she follows leads, assumptions and a trail of evidence. McCone is also worried that perhaps she won't find Seabrook alive.

To solve this mystery, McCone must navigate through the Witness Protection Program, a 10-year old unsolved contract killing, a corrupt aviation company, a federal investigation, a company cover-up, and the disappearance of the owner's son. Along the way, she receives help from her ever growing staff, friend and San Francisco homicide detective Adah Joslyn, FBI agent Craig Morland, and lover Hy Ripinsky (who is also a personal friend of Wildress). In the course of the book, we also learn much about planes, flying and human nature.

The plot for Both Ends is extremely well-developed. Unlike many mysteries, the bad guys aren't all bad and the good guys aren't all good. Also, not all the good guys are still standing at the end, which makes Both Ends more like real life.

Muller has become one of those series which I am determined to read every book--it's that good.

Marcia Muller is the mother of the female private eye genre. If you enjoy Paretsky, Grafton, Cornwell and other women writers who write about female main characters, you need to read Muller. I find her books tighter and more poignant than the other authors I mentioned, even though I really enjoy those. Start with the first McCone book and read them ALL.

Three years ago, Matty Wildress taught private detective Sharon McCone how to fly an airplane. It is time for Sharon to renew her flying license, so she goes to see Matty, who she has not seen in a while. Matty does not seem like the same person as Sharon once trained under. She is nervous and upset because her lover John Seabrook has disappeared, leaving behind his pre-teen son to be watched by Matty. A week later, Matty receives a letter from John pleading with her to immediately flee town (with the lad in hand) before something terrible happens to her (or the child). Matty plans to heed the advice, but only after she does one last air show. Shockingly, the plane crashes killing Matty. ...... Sharon cannot ignore the death of her friend. She begins to investigate the missing John and, with the help of her nephew, traces the vanished man to Florida. Further investigation proves that John has pulled this stunt at least once before, apparently a decade ago following the murder of his spouse. As she gets closer to the truth, Sharon, with the help of her lover, place themselves in danger, needing their best flying skills to survive. ..... BOTH ENDS OF THE NIGHT is the eighteenth Sharon McCone story and surprisingly with that girth of books and the decade that has passed since the first tale, the novel and the character remain extremely fresh as if it is the first story of this classic series. The San Francisco based McCone is a great female detective and the current story line is fast-paced and exciting. However, what makes Marcia Muller's novel a passionate one sitting reading experience is the supporting cast, who add layers of dimension and excitement. Ms. Muller continues to prove that she earned that 1993 Life Achievement Award for one of the best (if not the best) female private eye series on the market today. .....Harriet Klausner

My friend needed more room on her bookshelf and after being a Marcia Muller fan for years she was giving up her collection. I had never heard of Marcia Muller but was headed on a long vacation . . it's a good thing too as I started with the first Sharon McCone mystery and have now read nine of them. . all in a few weeks. This book is the one I just finished. Mystery adventure authors usually run out of steam in five or ten books but Muller seems to be just heating up. Every one I pick up I vow to read slowly. . right! The appeal of this series is that the character of Sharon McCone is so believable and the writer has a vast storage of knowledge on many subjects which she uses to make each mystery/adventure real. Her writing style is rich but to the point with no unnecessary scenes but an easy time line transition that keeps you moving no matter what. In a world where most female characters are portrayed as helpless and mired in a role of expected female traits, Sharon McCone is a breath of fresh air as a capable, smart and skilled investigator. Even though the author is in touch with her character's emotions, these issues do not bog down the stories and the character becomes more and more endearing book after book.

I don't think this book is as good as some of the others in the series. I won't go into detail about what the book is about as it is well said in the above writings. I would just be repeating what has already been written. I felt like there were to many people involved. I could not keep up with who was who and who belonged to who. Also to much technical information about the planes. Do not read books for that. I feel the ending did not close all the loop holds. Muller has done better.

Marcia Muller gets better and better. The plot is well-conceived and fast-paced, the writing always good and at times haunting, and the characters are by now old friends. I literally couldn't put this one down.

My first Muller book. Very happy that I found this author. Almost as good as Grafton's Millhone. Good plot, good characters. I will read more of her.