Customer Reviews

Chill of Night

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

 

 

I have read several of this author's previous books and have always enjoyed them. While they can't be considered "great literature", they have always been fun books to read. However, CHILL OF NIGHT is a big disappointment.

I think the problem is that the author seems to be rehashing his same old tried and true formula and it's becoming quite tedious and boring. Retired detective is called upon to catch serial killer who considers said detective to be his nemesis and equal. The detective is assigned a couple of cops to assist in the investigation. These two cops (one is always a woman) are considered to be good, but trouble. The serial killer is so clever and manipulative that he is able to not only manipulate the cops involved in the investigation but can conveniently know where each cop is and what they are doing at any given time, all the while killing more and more people and eluding the cops, who quite frankly aren't doing any real investigating other than sitting around the boss's office dialoging about how they've got to catch this maniac. In the meantime, lets throw in a bunch of meaningless plot points, which ultimately have nothing to do with the story, but does bring the book up to about 500 pages which actually makes it look like there's a lot going on. Oh, and let's not forget to include a couple of love interests, just so that there can be just a bit of meaningless sex to take up a few pages

Where I will give the author some credit is that I think it was a pretty interesting and unique idea for the "Justice Killer" to be going after Jury Forepersons. Unfortunately, he veers from this idea about three-fourths of the way in the book and all of a sudden not only does the killer kill an innocent man recently found not guilty of murder, he also decides to go after the only female cop involved in the investigation, who happens to be involved romantically with someone whom she suspects "might" be the killer, yet has no problem telling him in great detail every aspect of the investigation.

The detective in this story, Artemis Beam, has a sister who is meaningless to the story, but she pops up in a few places. She never refers to her brother by his first name. She only refers to him as "Bro" and in one case, by last name. Okay, I don't know of anyone who would refer to their sibling by last name. There were some other parts of this book that so bordered on stupid that if I were to mention them, I would be giving away "who done it." Also, there are quite a few editing errors in this book. Case in point, around page 80 or so, Beam and Nell have entered the apartment of someone who has just taken off running. All of a sudden a new name, Kane, appears. I'm thinking "Who's this? Did I miss something?" I even went back a couple of pages thinking I just over-looked this new character. Nope. So I keep reading. A couple of pages later, A neighbor show's up. Last name - Kane! A truly disapponting effort.

I read a lot of thriller/crime fiction, and I thought CHILL OF NIGHT was subpar. It's readable, but the plot is standard serial killer stuff, weighed down by a bunch of subplots that have little relevance to the main story.

Put simply, this novel is not tightly written. This novel also has too many characters, leading many of them to be underdeveloped and ultimately uninteresting. I found most of the dialogue kind of flat and repetitious. The ending does have a surprise twist, but I personally found it kind of anti-climactic, and not worth the 450 pages of long build-up.

I was also annoyed by certain continuity errors in this novel that should have been spotted by a capable editor.

Lutz is a capable writer, but I wouldn't waste my time with this particular book. Your typical novel by John Sandford, Robert Parker, Michael Connelly, Sandra Brown, or Lee Child is much, much better than this.

In "Chill of Night", John Lutz once again presents the reader with an ever gripping tale of terror about a serial killer. In his "Night" books, Lutz has chosen to create a series of characters--retired detectives, backup detectives--who are well developed and interesting. In "Chill", retired detective Artemis Beam and his partners hunt down a killer whose purported motive is bringing down the justice system which allows guilty killers to go free. There are no gruesome horrors in these killings, but the tension continues to build as the killer broadens his target base and New York City is terrorized. The eventual discovery of the identify of the Justice Killer is a surprise with a twist, with subtle clues presented along the way which were overlooked by this reader, only realized in hindsight. Set aside some time when you start this book--you won't want to put it down.

I truly enjoyed the first novel by Lutz so I quickly ordered 3 more and then 3 more. By the time I got the first 3 and read 2 of them, it was too late to cancel the other order. His books are boringly repetitious. My suggestion: Read 2 and then forget the rest. They are all gruesomely, repetitiously alike.

This was a really disappointing book and I am sorry that I wasted my money on it. In fact, I didn't even bother to finish it, I found it so dumb and the characters so poorly drawn. I have liked the author's books about Quinn, the retired policeman called back to duty, but this book was so bad that it was as if it was written by an amateur. I am wondering if it was the first book published by this author as it surely seemed to be an early attempt and the character Quinn in later novels seems to be patterned after the retired policeman, who heads the team, in this book. The policewoman on the team has a sexual affair with a man who is not even a suspect and constantly is wondering if she can trust him (and blabs confidential stuff about the case to him). In addition, she has the bad judgement to be dating a man who could conceivable be a suspect in the case. Whether this man turned out to be the killer in the end, I never found out because I gave up on the book and never finished it.

I had a hard time putting this book down. Well written and kept my attention.

He retired from NYPD after taking a bullet while chasing down a serial killer, but former homicide detective Artemis Beam knows he really left because he no longer had the patience to deal with unctuous superiors who interfered, not helped, on investigations. However, retirement is tedious and with the recent suicide of his wife ennui has set in on top of the despondency and survivor He, in a dark mood, negatively muses on what he could have done different.

Because of his well earned reputation for catching serial killers, Deputy Chief Andy da Vinci asks Beam to help the department capture the "Justice Killer"; this serial killer murders people who served as foremen on juries that freed the "guilty"; the culprit leaves behind a trademark red J drawn on the victim's body. Beam agrees to investigate, but quickly realizes the Justice Killer seems one step ahead of the police making him wonder if an insider is the murderer. The former cop concludes that the Justice killer has plans to leave a J on the task force hunting him or perhaps even her.

CHILL OF NIGHT is a typical serial killer cat and mouse thriller except that talented John Lutz refreshes the sub-genre with a sense of the terror gripping the city and how much the J-killer debilitates the justice system. The suspense remains in the stratosphere from the moment da Vinci brings out of retirement Beam and never slows down until the final confrontation between the killer and the retired cop ends with a masterful twist that readers will realize afterward was in our face, but brilliantly disguised. Mr. Lutz's fans or anyone who appreciate a tense police procedural will appreciate this high octane thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Homicide detective Artemis Beam has been retired for four months. He left his job at the NYPD after experiencing two traumatic events--the suicide of his wife of twenty-three years, and a job-related shooting that left him with an injury to his right leg. After the shooting, Beam received a promotion to captain and started collecting his pension. He hates retirement; since leaving the force, he is having trouble sleeping and wanders around feeling alone and useless. His psychoanalyst sister, Cassie, thinks that he should try therapy to help him adjust to this new stage of his life.

However, as so often happens in novels of this type, Beam is seduced out of retirement. Deputy Chief Andy Da Vinci asks him to head up a team to track down the "Justice Killer," a man who executes jurors (mostly forepersons) whose "not guilty" verdicts allowed accused murderers, child molesters, and other suspected felons to go free. The vigilante, who calls himself "Justice," has decided to take the law into his own hands and he has an uncanny way of disappearing after committing his crimes. He leaves no evidence behind except for a capital letter "J." Da Vinci believes that Beam is the perfect man for the job, considering his impressive record of successfully tracking down serial killers throughout his career.

Beam's team consists of Detective Looper, a man in his fifties who is trying to quit smoking, and Nell Corey, a woman coming off a nasty divorce who has a tainted reputation in the police department. Although the detectives conduct endless interviews and tenaciously pursue all possible leads, their investigation goes nowhere. Why is Justice able to kill so easily without being caught? The bodies continue to pile up and the cops are increasingly frustrated.

At almost five hundred pages, "Chill of Night" is a bit long, but length has its virtues. Lutz takes the time to humanize both the killer and his victims. He also delves into the delicate relationship between Beam and Nola, the woman he loves, who blames him for her husband's death. Beam desperately wants to make peace with Nola, but she rebuffs him again and again. In addition, there is an engaging subplot about Nell Corey's attempts to embark on a new romantic relationship.

"Chill of Night" is a workmanlike novel with an ending that will probably not shock alert readers. However, there is plenty of suspense and excitement to keep the audience engrossed and Lutz's smooth prose style, crisp dialogue, and gentle humor make this an entertaining and satisfying police procedural.