The Color of Night [Import] [Unbound]

David Lindsey (Author)

Product Details

• Unbound
• Publisher: iPublish.com (April 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0759583277
• ISBN-13: 978-0759583276
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite writing, especially if you are an artist, February 27, 2000

By 

martha woodworth - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Night (Hardcover)

As both a writer and artist, I was taken with this exquisitely-drawn - and I do mean "drawn" - novel. It is like a perfectly beautiful colored drawing, sometimes black and white, in brush and inks, just like the works of art Lindsey writes about with obvious knowledge of his subject.

You just saw everything so vividly. I particularly appreciated the mouthwatering European travelog, the descriptions of scenes, restaurants, food, hotels - visited by the rich and famous.

There is a flaw in this book that keeps it from being a great, however. (Sorry if it bothers some amazon review readers, but I often give five stars to a book for having entertained me thoroughly, and this one did). It is this: every truly great book is laced with wit. Read the grimmest novels, say, by Dostoevsky, Dickens or Tolstoy, and even and even some of the best contemporary detective and mystery writers and you will be chuckling, laughing, amused. "The Color Of Night" would have benefited had Lindsey given us a few wry touches here and there. He was too dead serious, which sometimes lent it a slightly precious tone. Of course, "precious" can be hilarious, and he might have capitalized on some of his foppish characters, but I found this novel too stolid.

Another flaw: like some of the beautiful drawings one sees, the perfect, deft creations of the greatest artists, there is a coldness about the book itself. If I didn't know otherwise, I would have guessed that the author wrote the whole book with a quill pen and ink. I can see him thinking, dipping, scribing, again and again, with a dispassionate hand - and heart. Not exactly an insult, but sometimes I like a feeling (and the word 'feeling' is exactly the word I meant to use) that the work is coming from the artist's gut. Like Van Gogh, for example, who wasn't afraid to make a mess.

Nevertheless, despite these flaws, "The Color Of Night" is a fun book to read and Hollywood would be crazy not to make it into a movie. Clint Eastwood as Harry? This time, clean, of course. Harry Strand is a morally upright man, despite his years of spying and his (acceptable) thievery. I'm glad he lived to "watch" Mara cross the street.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Decent, Exciting Read, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Color of Night (Hardcover)

I read Color of Night, because it sounded interesting (though I don't usually like spy novels). I am still glad I read it, but my opinions are mixed. Lindsey's treatment of action was superb - I really almost felt the anxiety of the characters as they executed their plans. But the book was quite a bit longer than it needed to be, and only a few characters did I really like (or care about). Attention to detail was good, and the various European locales were refreshing. All and all, while the story could have been better, it was still a decent and thrilling read for me, and I may well read more of this author's works.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars very disappointing.lindsey should return to his texas roots., May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Color of Night (Audio Cassette)

i have been an avid reader of lindsey since heat from another sun. a cold mind was superb and the dark underbelly of guatamala city in body of truth made for good social commentary as well as a nicely constucted thriller.Lindsey is now out of his milieu. obviously took a first cabin trip to europe on the proceeds of his earlier works. a conde nast guide to europe is no substitute for a convincing plot and real characters. i also have to say the three stooges look alike serbs were quite ridiculous. Mr lindsey should return to Houston immediately and base his next novel between bogota and oklahoma city. there is enough things going on in Tia Juana for 3 major novels. San Antonio would be a interesting study as i am sure Mr Lindsey knows full well.