Customer Reviews

The Night Crew

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Like other reviewers, I am a big fan of the Prey Series. And like other reviewers, I found the style of Night Crew substantially different from that of the Preys.

But I liked it.

With respect to the style -- there are two really obvious differences. One is the location, Los Angeles, as opposed to Minneapolis-St Paul, the center of the Prey universe. This is perhaps the biggest weakness of the book. The reader doesn't get a real feel for the locale, or the feeling Sandford spent much time there. LA was just a name, with its associated collection of street names, but it could have been almost anywhere else, for all I knew. I had no sense of the atmosphere that comes out in Michael Connelly's work.

The other obvious difference is the main character is female. I find it fascinating when an author writes on a protagonist of the opposite gender. In this case, Sandford is more successful, as far as I can tell as a male. I never had the feeling that the character was straying into a male perspective.

Other aspects of the book were also good. Unlike most of the Prey material, this book was a bit more mystery, a bit less thriller. In mysteries, the question is what did happen, while in thrillers, the question is only what will happen. And Sandford plays fair. He provides enough clues for educated conjecture without making it easy on the reader to guess the answer.

I also liked the characters. Probing characters isn't Sandford's strong point in any of his work. But I found the ones in this book likeable and, unlike other reviewers, I found them believable.

So I recommend Night Crew. It was a lot of fun to read, and I didn't feel at all cheated at the end. It isn't Lucas Davenport, but it doesn't need to be.

Fortunately, this was not the first John Sandford novel I've read. Had it been, I probably would never have discovered the delights of Sandford's "Prey" series, which is far more accomplished and enthralling.

"Night Crew" is about Anna Bantory who runs a free-lance TV crew that roams Los Angeles at night, gathering footage they hope to sell to television stations. One night, they tape a raid by animal activists. Coincidentally a call comes in that someone is on a hotel window ledge and may jump. Anna's crew records the jump.

Hours later, someone murders a member of Anna's crew and off we go into the pursuit of a crazed killer who is obsessed with Anna.

Ho-hum. The characters are thin, the plot contrived and the novel interminable. It's not a total waste of time, but there are many other cop-novels out there that are far more enjoyable, including Sandford's own "Prey" series, which I highly recommend.

Jerry

Written with the same choppy scenes of an MTV video or the guerrilla journalism film of the story's main characters, this novel is quite unlike Sandford's Prey or Kidd series. Not only is the pacing and style different, but also his male characters have fully embraced their feminine sides to the point of being almost wimpy (even a minor character, a massive weightlifter, can freely admit to his fear of surgery). Perhaps this is to enhance his female protagonist's machoness, perhaps it's a slam at sunny California from the security of his snowbound Minnesota; either way it's a noticeable departure from his stubborn, tough-as-nails, manly-men characters.

Sandford has structured The Night Crew like a standard mystery, where the reader doesn't discover the identity of the killer until the heroine does. This means a lot of dead ends, as every last red herring has to be tracked down before the case cracks wide open. This too is a departure from Sandford's standard fare.

As with any "introductory novel," Anna Batory's story is packed with background information about its characters. Combined with the brief story segments, accommodating all the backstory makes for some very choppy, occasionally disoriented reading. I'm sure some of this is intentional, but at times it all became a little overwhelming. Combined with a lackluster serial killer (there's really nothing to him beyond general creepiness and a generic FBI profile) and several noticeable plot holes (How is Anna's neighbor able to check up on Creek who's registered in the hospital under an alias? Why aren't suspects immediately written off when they lack the requisite facial damage?), and The Night Crew becomes a run-of-the-mill story, rather than a masterpiece.

For all its shortcomings, though, The Night Crew is still an enjoyable read. Television is full of shows that didn't gel right away or took awhile to find an audience. Should Sandford choose to send Anna, Creek and company off on another investigation I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

An interesting start, but fades quickly. Plot is very disjointed and several characters are never developed or developed very poorly. I read the entire "Prey" series before this book, and highly recommend those stories.

John Sandford is obviously a prolific and talented writer, as evidenced by the success of his Lucas Davenport "Prey" series. However, with "The Night Crew," I have to wonder why all the hoopla? Granted, this book has a very interesting and unusual premise---following a bunch of "reporters" who film unusual or bizarre accidents/murders/arsons, as they occur. The main character, Anna, is sympathetic and you can relate to her, in some ways. The book's best character, Jake, the ex-cop, is also quite different and interesting.

Alas, however; the plot gets so confusing and the identity of the murder is so "convenient," yet unexplained. The ending, both in regards to what occurs with Anna and Jake's relationship, and Creek's strange visit to Anna's ex-boyfriend, is just frustrating. No closure!

Now, if Sandford intends a series, this ending might work, but if he doesn't, he's robbed the reader of the all-important resolution of vital closure. A real disappointment.

After reading this , I'm convinced some guy who has it in for the real John Sandford somehow got this book published under his name. It seems almost impossible that the same author who turns out the great "Prey" series could also be responsible for this. Weak , unexplored characters, a uninvolving plot and a "who cares?" resolution makes this the worst book I've read in awhile. I can understand how an author can get sick of writing the same characters over and over and want to try something new, but this entry was just a wasted effort. I don't mean to sound so brutal, but I can't fathom how someone can write such consistently excellent books like the "Prey " novels and then turn around and write something so terrible.

Anna is an interesting character; she's complex, tough yet likeable. The story is a thriller, with a good amount of suspense and tension. I enjoyed the bits of dark humour and the well written dialogue.

This book is not quite as good as those in Sandford's 'Prey' series, but it is worth reading. I'd look forward to another book in this series.

I too am a fan of "The Prey Series" and can't believe this book is by the same author. There were so many things that were unbelievable and stupid in this book that you will just start shaking your head. I would have to say at the top of my list is that the main character lets a man she has met once move in with her to protect her... come on. I'll let you guess what happens next. The climax was anticlimactic as a three year old child could see through the so called "trap" the villian fell into. If you want true enjoyment in a novel BAINE KERR'S HARMFUL INTENT is the best courtroom thriller I've ever read, buy that not this garbage.

The Night Crew was a different twist for Sandford. I really like most of the Prey series. I was prepared to not like this book but it was fair. Anna Batory was a little unbelieveable. With no real police training she did better than the real ones did. I liked Jake Harper and Creek, they were more believeable to me. A killer is after Anna, no one can figure out who it is. Of course they finally do and that part ends ok but then the last chapter is added and the whole book does not end right unless Sandford is coming back with these same people. I doubt he is as the copyright is four years old. You are left hanging at the end. Part of the book is very scary and hard to put down, but because of the unbelievealbe Anna and the bad ending I only gave three stars. If you like a book with fast action but it doesn't seem possible then this is the book for you.

It's a good John Sandford. I admit Lucas Davenport is my favorite from the Prey series. I did like Lucas better as a bachelor. He's a bit boring now that he's married, but The Night Crew will keep you up late with them until the last page. I guess even John Sandford needs to get out of Minnesota once in a while so he takes us to Los Angeles for a change and it is an exciting change. I did think I knew the bad guy at times, but I wasn't certain until the very end. It's an old Sandford but a good one. Anna Batory is an interesting character. She is tough, intelligent and relentless. Give it a try. It's worth it.