Second Watch (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "From the top of Phinney Ridge, Katherine Murphy saw the Ballard Bridge rising over the Ship Canal that separated Ballard from Queen Anne Hill and..." (more)
Key Phrases: garbage machine, photon clock, garbage compactor, Jack Morton, Market Street, Anne Smith (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second novel from former Seattle police officer Clausen (First Avenue) is equal parts police procedural and character study, and the two halves are balanced to perfection. Katherine Murphy, a cool, competent Seattle cop, has a new patrol, a new shift and a new partner: hard-as-nails Grace Stevens. When the partners discover the bodies of two children, sexually abused and placed in separate dumpsters, they become enmeshed in an undercover investigation that is chilling if far-fetched (readers may find it strange, for instance, that Katherine and Grace play more important roles in the investigation than the homicide detectives). Clausen devotes large portions of the narrative to character development, allowing his protagonists to become highly imagined characters with compelling desires and flaws. The supporting cast is fascinating as well: the tender-hearted Danish grocer, Rigmor, steals every scene she's in; and Dale, Kathleen's kind gay neighbor, is a voice of sanity in her increasingly insane life. Perhaps most interesting of all is Thomas Rosencrantz, a quirky, homeless intellectual who helps pinpoint the killer. This highly readable narrative moves more slowly than many books of its ilk, but readers will likely be too caught up in the characters' lives to care.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Clausen's sturdy new novel, "Second Watch," is a world the author knows well and conveys clearly. -- Adam Woog, Seattle Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Silo Press; 1st ed/1st printing edition (January 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972581103
• ISBN-13: 978-0972581103
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,165,084 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second Book First Rate!, June 14, 2003

By	Robert Carlberg (Seattle) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Second Watch (Paperback)

Officer Clausen's second book is just as good as his first, "First Avenue," but in a different way. Here he writes not one, not two, but THREE very sympathetic and believable female characters (rare for a man). He also devotes a few chapters to the interior monologues of Daniel, the 8-year old central character of this story, and these are rendered with sensitivity and insight without condescension. He even creates a character who is homeless-by-choice, whom he neither vilifies nor glorifies. These are difficult tightropes to walk, and Clausen dances fearlessly across the rope.

The Seattle locations are so accurate that I recognized most of them immediately before he even named them. I think I've even met some of the background characters who work there!

The story is a tough, gritty crime novel which has at its center some crimes which are not easy to watch transpire, so this is not a lightweight or casual book. It is, however, a very well-crafted novel which is at least as good as his first.

That's high praise indeed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A literate and compelling mystery, May 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Second Watch (Paperback)

Two female cops patrol the distinctive Ballard Avenue neighborhood in Seattle, and they do it mostly on foot. They become involved in the murders of two children, who've both been found in places where people dump trash.

I want to meet the characters that inhabit this neighborhood again and again. (Please take the hint, Mr. Clausen!)

Clausen is not a typical shoot-em-up author, although he writes action extremely well, thank you.

However, characters and their relationships to one another provide the bedrock of his story. Many of his scenes are quiet and filled with description and emotion. He is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent mystery writers at the game today.

He created a place that I did not want to leave. While he was at it, he spun a very fine, enjoyable mystery yarn. One of the things I really appreciate about this book is that every single scene was real and believable. It all might actually have happened.

I think discerning readers like those who love Barbara Hambly, Elizabeth George and Peter Robinson would enjoy Lowen Clausen. Fans who read only the scream-ride books by James Patterson and Harlan Coben might not! I'm not a snob - I read Coben myself. But it's Clausen's next book that I'm looking forward to most.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars seattle native, July 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Second Watch (Paperback)

I have recently read both of Clausens books and am thrilled to have found a new writer that I can eagerly watch and wait for the next book. I have lived in Seattle all my life and he made it come alive for me. The city has changed now but at that time I knew those places and some of the other recesses of downtown in those days. I could picture easily where they were and what was going on. Lets have some more.