A Killing Night

by Jonathon King

Book Overview

Female bartenders are targeted by a killer in this PI novel by the author Michael Connelly calls "the master of the high-stakes thriller." After three young bartenders are murdered in Miami, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525948651
• ISBN13: 9780525948650
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

More Better

The characters (Freeman, et al) get better and better. The plot has many fine twists and suprises. A great read

As thrilling as the first!

I absolutely love the Max Freeman character! Jon King has done a wonderful job in this novel broadening the character and delving into his past. I recommend this book to people who have read the first in the series, you will enjoy it as much as you did the first!

Really, Give this one 4.5 Stars!

Some novels bowl you over from the moment you start reading them. The impact generated by others is more the result of a slow but steady accretion of little things done extremely well. Jonathon King's latest book, A KILLING NIGHT, belongs in the latter category. No one thing in its pages will "knock your socks off." After you've finished it, however, you'll find yourself impressed by the subtly powerful work of an author who keeps getting better with each successive outing. And when that author won an Edgar for his first novel, that's saying something! Max Freeman, ex-Philadelphia street cop turned Florida-based PI, has left his remote cabin in the Everglades and is trying his hand at a partial return to "civilization." Living now in a beachfront condo owned by his friend and employer, attorney Billy Manchester, Max is adjusting to his new environment and doing good work. Then one day his cell phone rings. On the line is his former girlfriend, Detective Sherry Richards. But this is more than a mere social call. Richards wants Max's help with a case she is investigating. Five young women, all of whom worked as bartenders in various establishments in the Miami area, have gone missing. No problem for a guy with Max's skills and training, right? Wrong! It seems that Sherry's main suspect is himself an ex-Philadelphia patrol officer named Colin O'Shea who, one night years ago, saved Freeman's life in a dark alley back on their old beat. Now Max is torn between his loyalty and obligation to a former "brother-in-blue" with a rather sordid history and his affection and respect for his erstwhile lover. Matters become even more complicated when Freeman begins to have serious doubts about O'Shea's guilt as well as about Richard's virtual obsession with the case. Meanwhile, the real criminal (maybe!) sets his sights on his next victim. A KILLING NIGHT is a textured story told with a grace and nuance that belies the gruesome nature of the crimes with which it is concerned and the rather desperate circumstances of the main characters involved. While, as fans of the Max Freeman novels might suspect, the book is set on the sun-draped beaches and steamy swamps of South Florida, it also features Max on a trek back to the gray skies and slush covered streets of South `Philly where he's forced to do even more painful soul-searching. Maybe you can't go home again but, wherever you do go, home has a way of catching up with you. At base, A KILLING NIGHT is a story about punishment and redemption. Along the way, it also raises some important questions about violence against women and the factors that cause and perpetuate it. Yet, without preaching, King also lets it be known where, ultimately, he believes the responsibility for one's actions lies ... with each individual. What you end up with here is a well-written and absorbing novel which accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish without the "cheap thrills" and "special effects" that have become (regrettably) a

King demonstrates a talent that runs strong, deep, and true

Jonathon King, with his new novel A KILLING NIGHT, just may rightfully claim the title as the successor to John D. MacDonald. Although MacDonald was a successful novelist in a number of genres, he was best known for his Travis McGee series. The McGee novels were, at their most basic level, detective stories, but they serve as a subtle yet sharp chronicle of south Florida in the mid-twentieth century. A KILLING NIGHT is only King's fourth novel, yet he consistently demonstrates a talent that runs strong, deep, and true. King's protagonist is Max Freeman, a former Philadelphia police officer who comes unhinged after shooting an unarmed juvenile. Freeman, retired to an abandoned fishing shack deep in the Everglades, ventures out only on rare occasions and usually at the behest of his friend, attorney Billy Manchester. A KILLING NIGHT finds Freeman actually spending more time within society, slowly and reluctantly dwelling among people in an oceanfront cottage owned by Manchester. Freeman cannot escape the past, however, and it collides with his present circumstances when he is asked to investigate an ex-cop named Colin O'Shea. O'Shea and Freeman have a brief but intense history: O'Shea was on the Philadelphia police force with Freeman and saved Freeman's life during a bust gone bad. But O'Shea is now suspected of being involved in the disappearance of two barmaids in Broward County, and he was investigated for a similar disappearance back in Philadelphia. Freeman is reluctant to roll a fellow ex-officer, particularly when there is no indication that a crime has actually been committed. Meanwhile, Freeman is in the crosshairs on another front when Manchester retains him as an assistant in a lawsuit involving a group of injured cruise ship attendants. The attendants are being intimidated and harassed, and Freeman's involvement in the case puts him, along with Manchester and his fiancée, in danger. Freeman narrates most of the story, with some third-person interludes to give the reader a bit more information that Freeman has concerning what's occurring. This accordingly gives the reader a heads-up when Freeman makes an occasional, if understandable, misstep. Manchester has grown into an extremely strong secondary character, to the extent that one cannot help but wish to see him used more frequently. South Florida is a strong and potent backdrop for A KILLING NIGHT, with King serving as a documentarian of the cultural and social mores of the area in the same manner --- and with, dare I say, the same quality --- that MacDonald did four decades ago. The quality of King's work has increased exponentially with each successive novel, and his craftsmanship is gradually becoming the standard to which many of his peers must aspire. If you are unfamiliar with this man's work, now is the time to get acquainted. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

gritty urban "noir thriller"

Max Freeman was a Philadelphia cop until he gets injured so badly he received a disability pension. One of the people he shot was an unarmed youth and he was unable to cope with what he had done even though it was called a righteous shooting. He leaves the Northeast and head to Southern Florida where he works as a private investigator for attorney Billy Winchester. Max's ex-lover Detective Sherry Richard asks him to check out former Philadelphia police officer Dan O'Shea who is also in South Florida. Three women bartenders have disappeared without any reason and O'Shea detests two of them and knew the third. He travels to his old hometown to talk with O'Shea's ex-wife, who tells him that Dan never hit her. Max also talks with his ex-wife in charge of Internal Affairs who believes O'Shea was involved in the disappearance of a young women though charges were never filed. When he returns home he relies on his own instincts because he believes his ex-lover is not thinking objectively and while she has her sights set on the wrong man, the real killer gets away with murder. Every once in a while a fictional private detective comes along that is unforgettable like Perry Mason or Spenser. Max is in their league because he goes the extra mile to see that justice occurs for the victims of violent crimes. Max gets involved so that the wrong man is not convicted of a crime because a police detective believes he's guilty and goes out of her way to harass him. Jonathan King has written a gritty urban "noir thriller" that is hard hitting and exciting Harriet Klausner