The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]

James Swain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2009

Just days away from execution, Abb Grimes reaches out to ex-cop Jack Carpenter with a surprising request. Despite the fact that Carpenter was instrumental in putting the notorious serial killer behind bars, the doomed convict now wants Carpenter to find his missing grandson. The cops are convinced that the boy’s father–Abb’s troubled son, Jed–is behind his disappearance, but Jack’s not so sure. And yet, when the evidence in a gruesome murder leads straight to Jed, the question must be asked: Have the unspeakable sins of his father taken root in this disturbed young man? Searching through an underworld of predators, assembling the jagged pieces of a depraved puzzle, Jack Carpenter is desperate to catch a ruthless killer before he strikes again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What crime fiction fan can resist a guy who isn't afraid to knock a few slime-bag heads when no one is watching? In Swain's fine second suspense novel to feature South Florida PI Jack Carpenter (after Midnight Rambler), imprisoned serial killer Abb Grimes hires the tough, unrelenting ex-cop to find his kidnapped grandson, Sampson Grimes. The chief suspect is the child's father, Jed Grimes, but Jack thinks Jed is innocent, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. There's plenty of action and intelligent sleuthing, but it's Jack's uncompromising character and Swain's equally uncompromising writing that will keep readers turning pages and eager for the next installment: I'd visited many prisons, and the smell was always the same: a choking mixture of piss, shit, fear, and desperation, wiped down by harsh antiseptics. The winner of France's Prix Calibre 38, Swain is also the author of Deadman's Bluff and six other books in his Tony Valentine gambling series. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A nonstop nail-biter . . . Hero Jack Carpenter is one for the ages.”—Lee Child

“A superb thriller: Travis McGee meets Philip Marlowe.”—Randy Wayne White, author of Black Widow

“A compelling, complex hero. . . . Swain’s sturdy storytelling and his intelligent plotting excel in The Night Stalker.”—Orlando Sentinel

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345475534
• ISBN-13: 978-0345475534
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Swain is the author of fourteen nationally bestselling novels. His novels have been translated into French, Japanese, Russian, German, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Croatian, and chosen as Mysteries of the Year by Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Swain has received three Barry Award nominations, a Florida Book award for fiction, and the prestigious Prix Calibre .38 for Best American Crime Writing. An avid magician, he has written and lectured extensively on the subject. Visit his web site at www.jimswain.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jack Carpenter (and Buster) Do It Again, October 7, 2008

By 

TMStyles (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

"The Night Stalker" is James Swain's second Jack Carpenter novel following "Midnight Rambler". As usual Swain is efficiently concise in his prose and his plotlines. He writes of the sordid underbelly in South Florida and often his characters and his descriptions of the areas are sufficient to alter the travel plans of any curious tourist.

Jack Carpenter, former cop and current PI, is still a master at finding lost persons, especially missing children. Following the Swain formula used both in his Tony Valentine novels and now his Jack Carpenter novels, Jack quickly solves a missing child case to establish his "creds" in the first 30 pages and then proceeds to solve the big case that, of course, contains several twists, turns, unexpected developments, and maybe a crooked cop or two. Along the way, we learn a lot about child stealers and the techniques and strategies used to solve their crimes.

In "The Night Stalker", Jack is asked by Abb Grimes, a man he helped to convict as a serial killer and who is scheduled to die in four days, to find his abducted grandson, Sampson Grimes. Abb's son, Jed Grimes, is suspected of abducting Sampson as well as perhaps beginning another reign of murder and terror in South Broward County.

Jack becomes convinced that Jed is innocent but is unable to persuade the local police nor the FBI who seem intent on apprehending or perhaps killing Jed on sight. With the reluctant help of his former colleague, Candice Burrell, and his trusty dog and partner, Buster, a cranky Australian Shepherd, Jack begins the arduous task of proving Jed's innocence, finding the real killer, and alienating the FBI and local police in the process. Toss in missing evidence, a rogue cop, and several hair raising escapes from trouble and you arrive at an unexpected (to some readers) ending. A good, relaxed read that you will forget about a day or two later.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Topnotch writing you expect from Swain, September 30, 2008

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

James Swain's latest book is fast paced and riveting, with more twists than a roller coaster-just what you'd expect from him.

Abb Grimes spent twelve years on death row for murdering eighteen women that had gone missing. Jack Carpenter helped put him there. And now Abb Grimes needs help. His grandson has been abducted and he wants Carpenter to find him. And Carpenter is good at finding missing people, especially children. He should be. He was head of the Broward County missing persons unit until he lost it with a suspect. Then he resigned in disgrace before he was fired.

He now makes his living consulting with various law enforcement groups on their missing persons cases. So Carpenter takes this case on, with only four days to solve it. Except that the guy who took his job at Broward doesn't want him on the case. The FBI has already decided who the perpetrator is and is looking at him-to the exclusion of all else. And Carpenter is convinced they are both wrong.

But for Carpenter it's not about the law or procedure-it's about the missing child, and he won't stop until the child's back in his mother's arms. Through the worst neighborhoods of Broward and with the help of people who believe in Carpenter and his methods, Jack battles bullies, drug dealers, and bad cops to get to the truth-and find the boy before it is too late.

Armchair Interviews says: A must read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive foray into a (sort of) new genre, March 23, 2010

By 

cardplayer (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense (Mass Market Paperback)

I was (am) a huge fan of Swain's books about Tony Valentine and his casino consulting business. They were a fantastic series -- maybe my favorite detective series ever -- and I was very sorry to see him giving up that line of books for a new, more generic, detective series. However, this book delivered. It was a great read, plenty of plot twists, very readable, very enjoyable in every way. Good character development and a good story.