The Night Gardener and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used - Acceptable | See details
Sold by BaySideBooks.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading The Night Gardener on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Night Gardener [Mass Market Paperback]

George Pelecanos
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $8.89  
Hardcover --  
Paperback, Import --  
Mass Market Paperback --  
Audio, CD, Abridged, Audiobook --  
Audible Audio Edition, Abridged $17.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial
Summer Reading
Summer Reading
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store.

Book Description

August 1, 2007
Also available as a Hachette Audio.Gus Ramone is "good police," a former Internal Affairs investigator now working homicide for the city's Violent Crime branch. His new case involves the death of a local teenager named Asa whose body has been found in a local community garden. The murder unearths intense memories of a case Ramone worked as a patrol cop twenty years earlier, when he and his partner, Dan "Doc" Holiday, assisted a legendary detective named T. C. Cook. The series of murders, all involving local teenage victims, was never solved. In the years since, Holiday has left the force under a cloud of morals charges, and now finds work as a bodyguard and driver. Cook has retired, but he has never stopped agonizing about the "Night Gardener" killings. The new case draws the three men together on a grim mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. All the love, regret, and anger that once burned between them comes rushing back, and old ghosts walk once more as the men try to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams. Bigger and even more unstoppable than his previous thrillers, George Pelecanos achieves in THE NIGHT GARDENER what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character, and unstoppable fate.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With a soft, unemotional delivery worthy of the late Jack Webb, Pelecanos puts a cool, effectively dramatic vocal sheen on a novel that is arguably among his best. The initially straightforward police procedural quickly evolves into an emotionally complex tale of three Washington, D.C., cops who in 1985 were on the trail of a serial killer known as the Night Gardener. The killer stopped before he was caught. Twenty years later, that lack of closure has its effect on the trio. Gus Ramone, now a member of the department's Violent Crime Branch, is assigned a murder case that suggests the Gardener has returned. His former rookie partner, Dan "Doc" Holiday, booted from the force for impropriety, finds key information about the killing and takes it to T.C. Cook, the original detective on the case, who, in spite of retirement and a recent stroke, continues to hope the Gardener can be harvested. Using subtle changes in pitch and pace, Pelecanos suggests Ramone's low-key intensity, Holiday's edgy resentment and Cook's weary but dogged dedication as the three men move toward a conclusion that is strikingly original and far from the predictably neat wrapup of less ambitious works.
Copyright© American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Bookmarks Magazine

In this 13th novel, George Pelecanos returns to the gritty streets of Washington, D.C.—a far cry from Georgetown and Capitol Hill—at the top of his game. Critics agree that Night Gardener transcends the crime-novel genre. While it contains whodunit elements, it's much more about crime, criminal motivation, and the souls of everyone involved. Authentic descriptions of Washington's urban landscape, the compelling characters, and the story line's immediacy make Night Gardener one of the author's best to date. A few critics noted a meandering plot and stylistic quirks (the victims' names are all palindromes), but most agreed that Night Gardener "is heart-in-your-throat gripping from beginning to end" (New York Times).

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446619213
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446619219
  • Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

George P. Pelecanos was born in Washington, DC in 1957. His first novel was published in 1992 and alongside his consequential success as an author, he has also worked as producer, writer and story editor for the acclaimed and award-winning US crime series, The Wire. His writing for the show earned him an Emmy nomination.

He is the author of fifteen crime novels set in and around Washington, DC. The Big Blowdown was the recipient of the International Crime Novel of the Year award in both Germany and Japan; King Suckerman was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger Award in the UK. His short fiction has appeared in Esquire and the collections Unusual Suspects and Best American Mystery Stories of 1997. He is an award-winning journalist and pop-culture essayist who has written for the Washington Post.

Pelecanos can also claim credit for involvement in the production of several feature films. Most recently, as a screenwriter for film, he has written an adaptation of King Suckerman for Dimension Films, and was co-writer on the Paid in Full.

His novel Right as Rain is currently in development with director Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential, Wonder Boys) and Warner Brothers. He is a writer on the upcoming World War II miniseries The Pacific, to be produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and HBO. Pelecanos lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and three children. He is at work on his next novel.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 64 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Just Didn't Work for Me October 18, 2006
Format:Hardcover
In The Night Gardner, we are introduced to a trio of police officers at the scene of a crime, the third of it's kind...two rookies and one seasoned veteran. Outside of outlining them as determined, seasoned veteran that everyone looks up to (legend), Holiday, cop destined not to be a straight arrow, and Ramone a cop destined to be a straight arrow. The introductory section serves as a brief interlude to introduce the bare facts that the book is based on...the nature of the crimes (pedophilia, dumping bodies in community gardens, and the palindrome thing) and the men who ultimately solve them, sorta.

The largest chunk of the book wends it was through the murder of Asa, which has striking similarities to the original three crimes 20 year ago...and touch close to home for Ramone, because his son was once friends with the murdered boy. In the end, each of the four distinct storylines merge and become interconnected. This is my first encounter with Pelacanos' work...and he seems to have quite the loyal following. I can't say that I enjoyed The Night Gardner as much as others seem to, it had good bones and a compelling plot...but somewhere along the way, it just didn't quite pan out into a story I really got into.

For me, it was a struggle to keep reading, I almost gave up half a dozen times...there were so many characters and the perspective shifted throughout, there were four distinct storylines to follow, and it was heavy on the dialogue and light on compelling the reader to be interested or care about these people. If I had read this over more than two nights, I would have easily lost track of the characters (and their level of importantce at various times during the storyline) and had trouble remembering what was important when and why. I've read a number of other books with convoluted story lines where many tributaries eventually wind their way to the main point...but his one was just painful to navigate and for not that great a reward at the end. I will say that the second half was more intriguing than the first half...but beyond that I just didn't find much to love about this book.

In the end, The Night Gardner really doesn't seem to be a police procedural or even really a murder mystery...it really seems to be more of a commentary on how we live as people, how racial lines are drawn. Pelacanos presents some stereotypes and the characters live through the reality of them as we sit in our comfortable homes and experience it through them. In the end, we are mainly left with the unsatisfying feeling this book is really about dealing with the fact that murder, crime, race issues and the like aren't stationary events...that they flow out into the community as a whole and beyond, affecting us all, yet which never really seems to be "solved" or fixed. In the end, it was an ok way to spend a couple of nights...but I wouldn't add The Night Gardner to my permanent collection, nor would I be inclined to recommend it to others. It is an interesting read as a slice of life...accurate Washington D.C. place descriptions, up to date cultural and popular culture references...and it's certainly well written, but as a murder mystery, it doesn't quite make it for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
47 of 56 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable August 20, 2006
Format:Hardcover
This book kept me awake for two nights running. The first time, it was because the story was so good that I couldn't put it down. The next night, it was because even though I'd finished reading it, the book wouldn't let me go: I kept going back and rereading portions of it, haunted.

Everything works, here, and every piece seems perfect: the narrative (gripping, yet beautifully formed), the setting (no American city lives on the page more exactly than Pelecanos's D.C.), the dialogue (it's so right, he might have tape-recorded it), and--above all--the characters and the complex, tragic, unillusioned, and deeply humane understanding that commits them to your memory like living persons long after you have turned the final page.

Pelecanos has been a hell of a good writer for awhile now. With The Night Gardener, he becomes something more: someone whose writing can twist your heart wide open and change how you see the ordinary world.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical March 2, 2007
Format:Hardcover
I loved reading this book. I guess I was expecting a novel like this to be essentially about a murder and the hunt for the killer, with everything else working in service to that end, but what i found was that the real joy of this story was in its moments and conversations and rhythms, which were intoxicating and had the power to move me along all on their own. It is a crime novel almost as an afterthought, although there is plenty of blood and guns to keep the demons happy, but the real payoff is in its complex portrayal of the unpredictable and realistic human nature of the characters. In a genre that deals mostly in two-dimensional black and white characters, this book never stops surprising you with who does what and (most importantly) why.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading, make sure you can clear your schedule
I randomly came across Pelecanos' novel Hard Revolution at the library, was quickly engrossed and enjoyed it thoroughly. I downloaded this book last night and found it as enticing. Read more
Published 16 days ago by D.villalon
2.0 out of 5 stars Unforgetably boring
Admittedly I only read the first half of this book. I coud never develop a feel for it or any of its many, many characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gordon Reiselt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great novel from a great writer
I am a big fan of George Pelecanos, and this is one of my favourite Pelecanos novels. An excellent plot with a very moving ending.
Published 7 months ago by Henrik
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read!
After watching The Wire I had a hankering for more and thought I would give this book a shot given George's work on it. This isn't your traditional serial killer story. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Zac Lipman
2.0 out of 5 stars Not that great
There are times that I have liked George Pelecanos and other times that I haven't. I'm kind of in the middle here. Read more
Published 16 months ago by JohnnyApril
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Not Compelling
I've read three Pelecanos novels, and I always have the very strong sensation that I'm reading a book written by somebody trained in journalism. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ohioan
1.0 out of 5 stars Good author, poor performer
This is in reference to the audio version of the book: while Mr. Pelacanos can weave a tale, he would be advised stick to the written word and let an actor perform his audio... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Judith Hood
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Standard For Crime Literature
I enjoy good genre fiction as much as the next person, but this book from George Pelecanos defies genre and really description. It is just a truly fantastic book. Read more
Published on March 28, 2011 by Matthew Erwin
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible crime writing
This is the third book I have read by Pelecanos and I just can't say enough good things about this writing - incredible dialogue, multi-dimensional characters, well researched all... Read more
Published on December 20, 2010 by A. E. Pagano
5.0 out of 5 stars Conflict is the stuff of drama.
The Night Gardener is an excellent book. It is a great book for the same reasons that The Wire, for which Pelecanos wrote, is a great television show. Read more
Published on December 19, 2010 by MaceQuantex
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

Topic From this Discussion
Advance Review Be the first to reply
Have something you'd like to share about this product?
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions


So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category