Cover of Night: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

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Key Phrases: thermal scopes, trenching tool, flash drive, Cover of Night, Trail Stop, Roy Edward (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For breathless action, gripping suspense, and intense romance, bestselling author Linda Howard never misses a beat–and her thrilling new novel will have your heart racing.

In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. Though the overnight guests are few and far between–occasional hunters and lake fishermen–Cate always manages to make ends meet with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades, Calvin Harris, who can handle everything from carpentry to plumbing. But Calvin is not what he seems, and Cate’s luck is about to run out.

One morning, the B&B’s only guest inexplicably vanishes, leaving behind his personal effects. A few days later Cate is shocked when armed men storm the house, demanding the mystery man’s belongings. Fearing for her children’s lives, Cate agrees to cooperate–until Calvin saves the day, forcing the intruders to scatter into the surrounding woods.

The nightmare, however, is just beginning. Cate, Calvin, and their entire community find themselves cut off and alone with no means to call for help as the threat gathers intensity and first blood is drawn.

With their fellow residents trapped and the entire town held hostage, Cate and Calvin have no choice but to take the fight to their enemies under the cover of night. While reticent Cal becomes a fearless protector, Cate makes the most daring move of her life . . . into the very heart of danger.


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, Dying to Please, Open Season, Mr. Perfect, All the Queen’s Men, Now You See Her, Kill and Tell, and Son of the Morning. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034548651X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345486516
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but missing the sensuality and snappy dialogue, July 3, 2006

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cover of Night: A Novel (Hardcover)

Cate is still mourning the loss of her husband who died three years earlier of an infection, leaving her with infant twin boys. Realizing that she could not make ends meet in Seattle, she moves to a small town in Idaho and buys a B&B. When her latest guest leaves via the window rather than the front door and does not come back the next day, she notifies the police. Meanwhile, the town is trying desperately to get Cate and the local handyman, Cal together - even going so far as to sabotage her plumbing, but she does not seem to notice him.

The guest is Jeffrey Layton, an accountant who is blackmailing a Chicago gangster. He has info on a flash drive that would ruin the gangster, and he has left a trail straight to Cate's door. When the gangster hires thugs to bring Jeffrey and the flash drive in, they rough up Cate and her friend and have a run-in Cal, who would do anything to protect Cate. The thugs leave with bruised egos and Layton's suitcase. Sensing danger, Cate has her mother take the twins to Seattle for a visit, which turns out to be smart. The two thugs come up with a ridiculous plan to take the town hostage to obtain the flash drive when they determine that she did not give them all Layton's luggage.

When the hired thugs (their numbers swollen to six) strike, all hell breaks loose in Trail Stop, Idaho. Little do they know Cal is a former Special Forces soldier - a one man army if you will. With the aid of his former mentor Joshua Creed, Cal organizes the townspeople who are cut off from the outside world. Cate and Cal are forced to climb their way out of the valley via a sheer cliff to obtain help.

While the plot is engaging, there is a lack of chemistry between the main characters. We know Cal is in love with Cate, but Cate never even noticed him, so her sudden turnaround is hard to buy. The requisite love scene between the two comes so late in the story that it seems like a last minute add on. Also in short supply is the snappy dialogue that keeps the pace of a typical Howard novel. While I enjoyed this novel, it certainly is not in my top 10 LH faves.

41 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It could have been very good., July 7, 2006

By	Pinktulip "Cat" (Chattanooga, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cover of Night: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was so excited to get this book. The storyline was so promising, but I didn't think it went deep enough. As a previous reviewer remarked, Cate didn't notice Calvin until half way into the book. We got Cate's take on things, but rarely a glimpse at what Calvin was thinking, feeling, ect. That is the element that was missing in her story. It seemed like it was rushed or something. I love Linda Howard, but this one is not her best work. Wait until it comes out in paperback.

Some of her best works are: Mr. Perfect, Kill and Tell, and Now You See Her.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to Howard's talents, July 12, 2006

By	Deborah Verlen "Deborah" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Cover of Night: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book isn't bad, but it certainly doesn't reflect Linda Howard's writing talents. I won't rehash the plot as many of the reviewers have already done so. The characters in this novel were not that memorable. In fact, I read the book a few days ago and I'm having trouble recalling the names of anyone other than the main characters. The plot was totally unbelievable and even worse the way it unfolded didn't create suspense, romantic tension or anything else. It was almost like the author when she was 2/3rd's of the way through the plot thought to herself "this is dumb," but like her bad guys (who were doubting things also) she decided to persevere with the tangled up mess. Even the bad guys were doubting the feasibility of the town attack!
That said, the two main "love stories" had a lot of promise, but they didn't unfold well. I found myself rereading some of the pages to see if I missed something. There were so many opportunities for us as readers to get to know Cate and Calvin through the townfolk's eyes in a humorous, romantic way, but Howard didn't take advantage of this tactic. The romance between the other couple was suddenly there. Again, this could have developed more slowly, more thoroughly and both romances could have made the book more satisfying to the romance reader inspite of the outlandish plot.
Howard did not even begin to reach her potential in both mystery and romance writing with this book. It is a beach read, but not much else. Buy it in paperback or get it from the library!