The Last Nightingale: A Novel of Suspense

by Anthony Flacco

Book Overview

As a serial killer stalks his victims in the fiery ruins of the 1906 earthquake, the police detective hunting him must protect a pair of adolescent orphans.It's 1906, and people from across the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812977572
• ISBN13: 9780812977578
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Masterful novel of suspense

Anthony Flacco is my new favorite crime fiction novelist, and his trio of Blackburn, Shane, and Vignette my new favorite crime fighting trio. His novel of murder and treachery in the aftermath of the great San Francisco earthquake will grab you and not let go, but it's the characters you will never forget. Give this one a try - it will not disappoint!

Boy Wonder

Just over 100 years ago--1906--the Great Earthquake nearly destroyed San Francisco. Amidst the destruction and carnage, the Nightingale family was murdered, although the police observation at the scene attributed the deaths to the earthquake. Hidden in the house undetected was Shane, an adopted son, who heard the perpetrator talking to his victims as he slew them. When the carnage was over, Shane--the last Nightingale of the title--left the house and took refuge at the Mission Dolores, where he was given a job caretaking the cemetery, and a shed in which to live. A larger-than-life police sergeant, Randall Blackburn, makes Shane's acquaintance when the boy writes him a note suggesting a motive for the murder of a prominent citizen for which Blackburne was assigned the investigation. Impressed with Shane's intuitive abilities, the policeman befriends the boy and tries to get him to assist in capturing a serial killer. Other relationships among the main characters develop, to a rousing conclusion. The descriptions of the havoc caused by the earthquake are graphic, and the characterizations excellent. Written at a fast pace, the novel grips the reader from cover to cover. The book is among the first issued under the new Mortalis imprint.

An Unlikely Duo

The novel opens with an introduction to Sgt. Randall Blackburn of the SFPD as he finishes his night shift rounds in the early morning hours of April 18, 1906. Before he can return to the station house, it strikes - the great earthquake . . . and then the fires. What follows is a description of the carnage so vivid that you'd swear the author had witnessed it himself. Against the backdrop of the resulting chaos, operates a serial killer known as "The Surgeon." During a particularly gruesome murder of the Nightingale family, we are introduced to twelve-year-old Shane Nightingale, unseen witness of the torture and murder of his recently adopted mother and sisters. After reading of an unrelated murder in the paper, Shane instinctively knows who the murderer is and sends a note to Sgt. Blackburn. Based on that note, Sgt. Blackburn is able to break down the suspect and get a confession. Impressed by Shane's insights, Sgt. Blackburn seeks him out and the heart of the novel unfolds - the bond that forms between the widower, Blackburn, and the orphan, Shane. Once "The Surgeon" learns that there is a surviving Nightingale, he devotes his efforts to eliminating that "loose end," which leads to the novel's suspenseful conclusion. My only complaint is that the "ride" is over too soon. I'm eagerly awaiting the second installment in January.

Sleep Thief

Less than two days after picking up the book I was done--would've been quicker, but sleep and work got in the way. Of course I live 12 miles from San Francisco and loved the setting--made me want to learn more about this traumatic time in my local history. If you don't mind a raw and gripping read, then Flacco delivers. However, he does owe me a couple hours sleep and may end up owing you the same. Ron

Crisis forces new relationships

Flacco takes a fresh approach to a crisis situation such as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. How many of us have found ourselves suddenly bonded and dependent on people we otherwise may never have known or been close to? The backdrop and story of the earthquake are known, but the finely honed look underneath the rubble is what makes this book so compelling. Flacco does a great 360 on each charater, major and minor. What struck me as unusually sensitive and frustrating at the same time is Shane's, the adopted boy, terror and resultant inability to speak after a terrifying "witness" to his families slaughter. I can guarantee a great read.