Customer Reviews

The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

I've read a couple of James Swain's novels now, and enjoyed them both. The Tony Valentine character, a genius at casino games and the darling of casino owners because he helps catch cheats, is a guy you can't help liking, and so is Jack Carpenter, the protagonist of "The Night Stalker". What distinguishes writers who are just so so from the writers you return to again and again is that ability to make you like their characters, to care about them and root for them to succeed. I won't go into any detail about the books other than to say that his characters are real and sympathetic, people you'd probably like to know in real life.
I heartily recommend this book, and from what I've read, the rest of Mr. Swain's output is probably just as good. I look forward to reading all his work as I find it.

This is the second Jack Carpenter mystery. Jack is an ex-Broward County (Florida) cop - he retired under somewhat of a cloud - now turned Private Eye. He specializes - and has an uncanny ability - in finding missing children. In fact he's so good at this, police departments and hospitals throughout the state of Florida - and even the folks at Disneyworld - call him when a child goes missing. And in the two books of the series I believe he's found every youngster, infant and baby he's been tasked to find. In The Night Stalker Jack is hired by a soon-to-be executed serial killer to find his kidnapped grandson. "It's all about the kids" for Jack so he has no qualms about taking on the job.

You may sense a touch of sarcasm here as I review this book. Here's the good news, both this book and its predecessor are exciting and engaging reads. There are enough twists and turns, enough hooks in the stories, and enough action - saving kids and catching bad guys - that you'll keep turning the pages as the author pulls one rabbit after another out of his literary hat.

The bad news is that after two books the series has all ready pushed the bounds of credibility and believability - Hence my slight sarcasm. Besides Jack's 100% success record at finding missing children, he plows into police and FBI cases, offices and crime scenes without a care or concern and against all odds is always right. And as a character Jack is none too deep, so it's the proverbial rabbits that have kept things going up to this point. We'll see how long that will continue. That being said, if you're fan of authors like Harlan Coben, James Grippando or even John Sandford I think you'll like this series. They're fun reads.

Really good follow=up to author's Midnight Rambler . Most readers probably
tune into the news that baby and children kidnapping is really happening
in our USA . I enjoyed Swain's gambling books but this new lead detective
is a fresh face with real issues . I read most mystery authors and today
feel that this series by Swain is now the best . -- Waiting for his
next one with these characters and BUSTER !

Pack a lunch before you start this book. You won't want to put it down. Jim Swain has created a character you want to identify with. Jack Carpenter and his partner/dog Buster are relentless when they are on a case. Jack proves his skill as a missing person expert by solving other cases even while on his persistant search for the grandson of a convicted serial killer.

Jim Swain knows his material. His depiction of law enforcement and missing children procedures is right on the mark. Get two of these books. One for yourself, and one to share.

It's too bad that this author is not better known. I have read all his books and can't wait for the next one. He is not as well known as some of the other detective/mystery writers, but he puts out terrific reads. Don't miss this one, you won't be sorry to have read it.

Mr. Swain has an amazing talent in characterization and storytelling. Both this series and his Tony Valentine novels are highly entertaining. I have recommended Mr. Swain to all the readers I know and none have been disapointed.

The Night Stalker is Swain's follow-up to Midnight Rambler, and the book is really good. Ex-cop and missing person specialist Jack Carpenter is hired by a serial killer sitting on death row to find his abducted grandson, and it's non-stop action from then on. Like the previous installment, the locale is the Sodom and Gomorrah of South Florida; there are plenty of bad guys, bad cops, and great sleuthing. For anyone looking to escape the real world for a few days, this book is for you.