In the Lake of the Moon (Paperback)

by David Lindsey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Houston homicide detective Stuart Haydon receives photographs that he has never seen before: two portraits of his late father, two of a woman painting at an easel and standing on a Mexico City street, and one of Haydon himself, with a bullet entering his head drawn on the photo. His search to solve the riddle of these pictures leads to a Mexican professor of anthropology whose interest in pre-Columbian civilization has crossed from the scholarly into the psychotic. Following the intended killer's trail, Haydon travels to Mexico City, where he learns that his patrician father carried on a long affair with the mother of the killer, a fiery, beautiful Mexican artist, in whose studio an explosive denouement takes place. Unfortunately, Lindsey's narrative drags and fails to satisfy. The prose is woodenly repetitive ("Haydon had no answers, only questions, unsettling questions that he was compelled to pursue with a complex sensitivity that combined feelings of urgency and trepidation"). In addition, the characters are cliched: Haydon's father's lover, for example, has "majestic breasts and blazing green eyes." Most crucial, the many allusions to Aztec rites and beliefs don't have a strong connection with the central events of the book. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This truly remarkable and hauntingly atmospheric thriller may well overshadow Jonathan Kellerman's The Butcher's Theater ( LJ 3/1/88) in emotional intensity and suspense. Stuart Haydon, a well-known Houston homicide detective, receives a series of provocative photographs that invalidate the known background of his deceased father. This distrubing puzzle lures Haydon to Mexico City. Lush descriptions, historical insights, and moody, psychological twists accentuate Haydon's insistent excursions into his father's past. Memorable characters, stunning settings, and masterful composition. REK
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Crimeline (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553283448
• ISBN-13: 978-0553283440
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,615,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #25 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Lindsey, David

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lindsey a master of character development and of the complex, October 25, 1999

By	Nancy Rupertus (Frederick, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Previous reviewer lucas (uk) needs to read more often. This is an involving and satisfying read and as with all of Lindsey's works the reader gains a real feel for the characters and for the complexities of human situations...if you're willing to take the time to get involved with the lives you're being introduced to. Am really looking forward to his newest...The Color of Night.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another engaging psychological thriller from Lindsey., April 27, 1997

By A Customer

"[T]he reality is that we can never really penetrate the truth of why some men do the strange things that they do. We can only view such men with pity and compassion, and remind ourselves that none of us are exempt from error, sometimes serious error, from playing the fool. When you look at these men try to temper your judgment with humility, with a modest nod to your own ignorance of the uncertain ways of the heart."

These words, advice long ago offered by Haydon's father, highlight, perhaps, the considered, insightful, and thoughtful prose consistenly delivered by Lindsey. In this intricate, delicately written novel, the author grants the reader a rare glimpse of Haydon's family history, as shocking and unexpected as it turns out to be.

Whether familiar with or new to Haydon, the reader will doubtless be engaged by Lindsey's tale

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much of a Good Thing, July 15, 2008

By	Debra Purdy Kong "mystery writer" (Port Moody, BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Lake of the Moon (Paperback)

Houston Detective Stuart Hayden wants to know why someone has mailed him a photograph of his deceased father, taken decades earlier. Soon, photos of a mysterious women arrive, and finally a current picture of Stuart. On the picture is a detailed drawing showing his brains being blown out. Once Stuart identifies the sender as Saturnino Barcena from Mexico City, he begins a bewildering and unsettling journey to learn what Barcena's connection is to his father and the woman, and why Barcena wants him dead.

IN THE LAKE OF THE MOON is more than a family study. It's a long, painful dissection of events that happened fifty years earlier between two people. The more Stuart learns, the more his beliefs about his father are upended and exposed from differing viewpoints.

I wanted to like this book because author David L. Lindsay was highly recommended, but the more I read the less I enjoyed the novel. Revelations about the past are predictable. Perhaps the author intended predictability in order to build suspense to the final climatic confrontation, except once that scene finally came, I was so exasperated with the time it took to get there, I had no trouble putting the book down in the middle of it.

Although, Lindsay's narrative descriptions and inner monologues are beautifully written, they went on far too long, particularly during scenes in Mexcio City, where street after street, plaza after plaza, and building after building is named. I tried to keep up with directions and details, but it was completely confusing. If you enjoy slow-moving, detailed stories, then read the book. But if you prefer a fast pace and action, better skip this one.