Into the Night (Troubleshooters, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Suzanne Brockmann (Author) "Their job tonight was to verify that the two known entrances to this cave were still where the map said they'd be-to verify coordinates for..." (more)
Key Phrases: math geek, broken kneecap, holy fuck, Mary Lou, Team Sixteen, Mike Muldoon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A terrorist plot to assassinate the president on U.S. soil transforms what could have been another humorous, larger-than-life Navy SEAL romance from Brockmann (Out of Control, etc.) into a sobering story that will strike a patriotic chord with readers. Brash, 30-something White House PR assistant Joan DaCosta and shy, super-polite 25-year-old Navy SEAL Mike Muldoon are an unlikely couple, but the two quickly connect when Joan is sent to scope out the naval base in Coronado, Calif., for a presidential visit. Though their attraction is immediate, Joan can't bring herself to get over their age difference and the fact that they live on opposite sides of the nation. Intertwined with their off-and-on romance are the recollections of Joan's grandparents (one a WWII veteran and the other a WWII widow); details of a terrorist plot to sneak machine guns onto the base; and a side story involving SEAL wife Mary Lou Starret's friendship with a man of Arab descent. As always, Brockmann's snappy dialogue infuses each encounter with wit and vigor, but what really stands out is her sympathetic portrayal of Mary Lou, arguably one of her least likable recurring characters. Although it will take readers a while to warm up to Mary Lou, as well as to Joan and Mike, who are less dynamic than the protagonists from Brockmann's earlier books, this is a worthy addition to the author's SEAL saga.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
When the president decides to honor the United States Navy SEAL Team 16 for their bravery, White House public relations assistant Joan DaCosta is sent to San Diego to prepare for his visit. Once Joan meets Lieutenant Mike Muldoon, who is assigned as her liaison, all she can think about is how tempting a fling with the sexy SEAL would be, but believing that for her any affair with a much younger man is doomed from the start, Joan vows to keep their relationship strictly professional. As Joan and Mike fight their attraction for each other, a terrorist group plans their own surprise for the presidential visit. New York Times best-selling and RITA Award-winning Brockmann continues her Troubleshooter series with the fifth book featuring members of Team 16, and she skillfully builds suspense by shifting the focus between Joan's and Mike's romance, the troubled marriage of another Team 16 member, and a World War II story with ties to the present day. All come together seamlessly in a dynamite conclusion and, with its complicated, complex characters and a sexy romance seasoned with humor and danger, Brockmann's latest is absolutely irresistible. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804119724
• ISBN-13: 978-0804119726
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Troubleshooters Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book...but not her best, November 26, 2002

By	"kdindc" (Vienna, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I wish there was a 4.5 star choice.

I own all of the Troubleshooters and most of the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series and consider myself to be a die hard fan of either of Brockmann's SEAL novels. I impatiently looked forward to her new book INTO THE NIGHT, especially because I really loved Mike Muldoon as an ancillary character in her other Troubleshooters books.

As with all Troubleshooters books, there are several stories running concurrently which eventually intertwine. INTO THE NIGHT is no exception. The WWII story is lovely and well told, and I also really enjoyed getting to know Mary Lou Starett who I really didn't like prior to this book. Brockmann does a great job of creating a sympathetic character who you find yourself identifying with. Her humaness is what makes her so compelling. It also shows a new side of Sam Starett, who is my all time favorite SEAL character the author has written, and not all of that side is pleasant. Also fun is getting to see what our favorite past heroines are up to and how they deal with their husbands' scary jobs.

The primary love story, between Mike and Joan DeCosta is well written, but not as dynamic as her other stories. The build up of sexual tension is not up to Brockmann's usual par and when the two finally get together, it's almost anticlimactic, although the scene itself is unbelievably steamy.

I found myself rooting for the secondary characters more than the primary characters and have to admit to being a bit disappointed in not getting to see more interaction between Sam and Alyssa Locke, but I guess that the author is just whetting our appetites for her next outing GONE TOO FAR.

I would definitely recommend this book, however if I were recommending a Troubleshooters book to someone new to Suzanne Brockmann, I'd choose OUT OF CONTROL or THE UNSUNG HERO, which I think are even better than this novel.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wait is finally over, November 28, 2002

By A Customer

I rushed out to purchase this book ASAP. I began reading at 5:00pm, stopped at 1:00am, (Thanksgiving Eve, I had to have some sleep)and began again at 8:00am and was finished by 9:30. It was great, of course. It's Suzanne Brockman, how could it not be?! I felt like I was checking up on old friends. I thought Mike and Joan were great together. Although their relationship was kind of slow to heat up, but once it finally did... I loved the way he proved his point in the bar and the scene in the truck... I know the windows had to be completly steamed! Then there was Mary Lou. I kept thinking, "No, I don't want to like her. I don't want to feel sorry for her! She broke up Sam and Alyssa." Now, of course I want Marry Lou to find happiness, too. There is a sneak peak at the next book from Ms. Brockman, which is supposed to be Sam and Alyssa's story. It left me hanging by my finger tips and now I have to wait until July! But, I know that once agian, it will be wonderful and worth the wait! I miss these guys already. I may have to pull out my old books and start from the beginning.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Should have been subtitled "A Soap Opera", January 21, 2003

By A Customer

Wow, this book has more boring page fillers than any other book that I've ever read.

The main storyline is about Seal Team 16 member Mike Muldoon and Joan DaCosta who works at the White House. Mike and Joan are thrown together when the President decides to present an award to the team at their base in San Diego. Mike is assigned to Joan as her liaison while she scopes out the base for the President's visit. Unfortunately, the the Seal Team commander is not happy about this high profile visit due to possible terrorist threats. Of course, Joan and Mike are instantly attracted to each other, but Joan has a problem with their age difference. Mike is 25 years old and Joan is 32. Mike pursues her and is basically rebuffed due to Joan's insecurity.

The reason I call this book a soap opera in my title is due to the fact that there are so many characters and storylines going on at once. There is Joan and Mike. The love/hate quadrangle of Sam, Alyssa, Max, and Mary Lou. Mary Lou and Ihbraham. Charlotte and Vince. Last, but not least, Donny who has a severe mental illness and the brother of Joan.

Whew! There is just too much going on and these storylines do not connect fluidly with each other. I'm reading about Joan and Mike one minute and the next thing I know I'm reading about someone completely different. Each storyline comes to a jarring halt every few pages. I found the WWII storyline completely superfluous. I was very irritated much of the time while reading this book.

I assumed that this book was a Suspense/Romance story, but it lacked suspense and the romance just dragged on and on between the main characters for strange and unbelievable reasons.

I will try one of SB's other books as I have read some of the reviews for "Out of Control" and "Over the Edge" and these books sound promising.

Moreover, from the reviews that I have read, Sam and Alyssa seem to appear in SB's other books and I did read the preview pages for Sam's story at the end of the book. From the pages that I read, Sam's book also seems promising. I just hope that SB does not add unnecessary characters and storylines so that it seems like a thick hardcover book. The editors should realize that the reader looks for a satisfying read and not necessarily a long read to feel that we got our money's worth.