Light Before Day (Hardcover)

by Christopher Rice (Author) "Several weeks after her husband's death, Janice Hughes packed what remained of her belongings into her Toyota Camry, left her daughter's apartment in Berkeley, and..." (more)
Key Phrases: silver bicycle chain, boyhood lover, meth trade, Billy Hatfill, West Hollywood, Joseph Spinotta (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A 20-something magazine reporter becomes embroiled in a Hollywood murder mystery in Rice's (The Snow Garden) third, richly developed thriller. It's a blessing in disguise when Adam Murphy is fired from racy fluff rag Glitz, since he'd been chasing a real story involving a closeted Marine helicopter pilot, Daniel Brady, whose association with a pedophilic pimp produced a sordid videotape that led to Daniel's suicide plane crash. But Adam's still reeling from the demise of a heated, three-week affair with hunky but secretive Corey, who'd outgrown Adam's blackout-inducing drunkenness. Adam soon becomes the assistant to sharp, sarcastic straight mystery novelist James Wilton, who instructs Adam to continue researching Daniel Brady. One of Rice's most spirited characters, James consistently counteracts Adam's hyperactive enthusiasm with candor and a sensible "working theory," and when Corey disappears, Adam discovers that three other gay men have inexplicably vanished over the past few years, supposed victims of the West Hollywood Slasher. Armed with a dossier from a trustworthy Hollywood reporter, Adam sets out to solve the crime that swells into blackmail, murder, a child porn ring and a subplot involving a "rogue assassin" who blows up methamphetamine labs. Though this is a step up from the author's previous efforts, Rice has yet to leave behind the sometimes awkward prose and dialogue (which veers between frivolous and woodenly expository) that dampens the narrative tension he cultivates. Agent, Lynn Nesbit. 12-city author tour. (Mar. 16)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Rice's third novel is a departure from the eerie gothic atmosphere of his first two novels, A Density of Souls (2000) and The Snow Garden (2002). Like the previous ones, this is a mystery--a pure West Coast mystery, set in West Hollywood, where 26-year-old Adam Murphy toils for the fluffy gay men's magazine, Glitz. Adam is desperately in search of a real story that will launch his career, and he thinks he has found his ticket when he learns that Daniel Brady, a marine who died in a helicopter crash, was cruising around with Scott Koffler, a sleazy man who procures teen boys for older gay men, just days before his death. Adam is immediately suspicious--Brady was piloting the helicopter when it crashed, and Adam thinks it may have been suicide. When his investigations into Scott's business cost him his job at Glitz, Adam takes a job as an assistant to thriller- and true-crime-writer James Wilton, who is intrigued by the Brady case as well. But when Adam's ex-boyfriend, Corey, goes missing, Adam begins to learn that both he and Corey are more involved in the case than he first thought. Rice's latest is a complex mystery that should please his many fans. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (March 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401300391
• ISBN-13: 978-1401300395
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #607,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Murky and Muddy., March 24, 2005

By	Paul A. Minafri (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

LIGHT BEFORE DAY is a murky novel that had great potential, but got caught up in its own effort to confound. The characters are never fully developed, and quite honestly, there are too many who serve little or no purpose in the plot(s) development. As a reader, one is confronted with snippets of information that are supposedly designed to weave a web of mystery. Instead, as the reader grasps at the threads of the plot, and tries to piece the story together, the reader finds himself/herself with nothing but an idea that goes nowhere, and a character or characters who disappears from the story. Motivation is also an issue in this work. Why are the various villains and heroes pursuing their course of action? Why is Adam, the primary character, haunted by the ghost of his dead mother? Why do Nate and Adam have a bond that holds them together through the story? And what about Corey and Billy? And what about?...there are far too many "WHAT ABOUTS"! Too many tangential story lines with no resolution contribute to the murky nature of this book. I found myself going back to previous pages to determine who was who, and what their role, if any, was in the plot. Further, too many characters just happened to have the same or similar names. If this was done by intent to create thought, the effort failed. Instead, it generated annoyance and a question as to why Mr. Rice could not use other names to identify individuals. If its intent was to be clever...well, it failed too.

Another aspect of the novel that I found annoying, was the fact that it began to address, but did not fully explore, the abuse of alcohol and drugs in the gay community. If Mr. Rice was attempting to focus attention on this problem, this too was a dismal failure. The destructive nature of alcohol and drugs to the gay community, both in terms of the physical damage, and more significantly, the unsafe sexual behavior that is in some cases a by-product of the abuse, was only casually touched upon. The author's treatment of these serious issues was cavalier and dismissive. Only in his so-called "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" did Mr. Rice discuss the tri-parte threat of alcohol, drugs, and un-safe sex to the gay community. Very few people read the acknowledgements of an author, so this recognition can and most probably will be lost upon the average reader.

I was somewhat disappointed in this work. What could have been a real thriller became a jumble of ideas. If Mr. Rice in-fact had developed the entire story properly, and the resulting novel is a function of the editorial staff of the publisher, then Mr. Rice should find a more competent publisher. If instead, the book rests solely on the creative efforts of Mr. Rice, then he should have permitted the book to be fully developed and published a more complex and indeed longer work. I'm sorry to say, this one falls short of the hype that usually accompanies a Christopher Rice novel. Perhaps his next offering will be more rewarding.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Density of Souls & The Snow Garden Part Two: Lost in LA, September 30, 2005

By	Maggie Tulliver (Palm Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

I was extremely disappointed in this novel, especially after reading his first two. It was far too redundant. It was the exact same thing I had read twice before. Except this time they were in LA and everyone was attractive. I live in Palm Beach, I don't need more hotties in my life. I need realistic gay porn. Dammit. Heh, ok, kidding. But, it was just too cliche'. I couldn't bring myself to finish it, despite my best attempts. I was bored out of my mind. AND ... for back up ... my dear friend who turned me on to Rice in the first place couldn't stand the novel either and refused to finish it. So, I don't think I'm alone on this one. It's not bad ... but it's not worth reading either ... especially if you've read his other two novels. The whole time I was reading going "been there, done that, give me NEW!!"

Don't waste your time. Just re-read one of his others instead.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where is that Light when you need it to help wake me up?, June 14, 2005

By	Eric A. Klee "gapkid" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After giving very positive reviews for Rice's first two books, I, unfortunately, have to give his third the thumbs-down. I couldn't wait for "Light Before Day" to come out. Rice's two previous books were so inventive. Their writing style unique. "Light Before Day" did not capture that essence. And rather than rewrite what has already been written by other reviewers, I echo the sentiments of Paul A. Minafri (so please go and read his thoughts on the novel).

I will say that there were too many characters to keep track of, I didn't care about them, and I certainly didn't feel any connection between any of them. The element of human feeling and/or love wasn't present; at least not enough. And..."Rod Peters?" Come on...unless he's a porn star and this is a cheesy classless detective novel (wait...is it?), please don't use that ridiculous name.

In Rice's previous two novels, he was a master at slowly revealing clues to the puzzle/mystery. Either it didn't happen in this one...or I didn't care about the storyline enough. The story arc seemed amateurish and unoriginal...like an old detective serial where the investigative reporter quits his job to solve the crime himself! Survival be damned!

Lastly, the point of view kept changing throughout. Most of the story's perspective was from Adam the narrator's viewpoint. Then...it wasn't. Adam wasn't involved in that part of the story, so it became a third-party point of view. I was lost...and disappointed, as I've seen what quality writing skills Rice really does possess.

At any rate, I would advise anyone to NOT pick up this book unless you have read Rice's other two novels. Go read "A Density of Souls." That way you won't slight him in the future when he could again turn out an exceptional work of art. Christopher Rice really is a good author. Unfortunately, he chose not to show that side of himself in "Light Before Day," and for that I'm very sad.