An ex-cop, Coop, teams up with a mystery writer, Deni, to investigate the death of his daughter for a true crime book thought to revitalize her waning career. Deni attributes the death of Coop's daughter and several others to a yet undiscovered serial killer. A killer so crafty that he changes the rules for what law enforcement expect of a serial killer to avoid being detected. Throw in a bitter ex-wife, a greiving sister holding herself out as bait and a "determined" editor and you have an entertaining read.Reading primarily mysteries/thrillers along the lines of Patterson, Ablow and Kellerman, I get excited when I find a new author to break up a sometimes monotonous or disappointing series. This is the first book I have read by Lutz, and I enjoyed it enough to read on. The style is easy to read, the story was entertaining and overall, the book didn't leave me with the feeling that I have read this plot before. The characters are not overly complex, but they are likeable enough. I will be interested in seeing if he carries any of these characters over into his other books (that all seem to have the word "night" in the title).
John Lutz takes his readers through a life of agony that gradually learns to rebuild. The life is that of Ezekiel Cooper, the former NYPD detective who struggled through cancer, divorce, and the death of his daughter. Coops' journey leads him to Cara Callahan. Cara is brave enough to lure her sister's killer, also the killer of Coop's daughter, into his own destruction.In the process, Coop finds life still has blessings as Cara becomes his new reason to live and enjoy.I enjoyed the way John Lutz leads his audience into the hospital scene towards the end. I was pleased that I didn't suspect the killer's profession, which provided a pleasant surprise.The ex-wife was the character a reader loves to hate. I would've liked to have read more kindness into her towards the end, but her self-absorption denied that possibility.Nicely done, Mr. Lutz.
