Night Work: A Novel

by Steve Hamilton

Book Overview

Award-winning author of the acclaimed Alex McKnight series Steve Hamilton delivers his eagerly awaited, breakaway thriller with "Night Work." Joe Trumbull is not a man who scares easily. As a juvenile... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312355009
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Another great book by Steve Hamilton

I was a little leery when I began reading this book, completely different style than his Alex McKnight series, but the more he wove his tale, the more I was intrigued. Five Stars for Steve Hamilton and Joe Trumbull. It would be great to hear more from this character.

Probation Officer Makes for Intriguing Change of Focus

I approached this novel with a little different angle. I am a retired big city probation officer, and I know that while P.O.'s are quite central to the criminal justice system, they almost never make it into novels, movies, TV shows. The novels came first, and since there is no tradition of probation officer fiction, there are few, if any, movies, and no TV shows featuring P.O.'s. Ross McDonough wrote a good mystery in the 1950's, Meet Me at the Morgue, with a probation officer at the center, but Bantam Books thought Howard Cross wasn't hard bitten enough for the paperback trade, so there were no more Howard Cross mysteries. And so it goes. Revenge goes down better in the mystery trade than redemption. So... I was impressed with Night Work. Steve Hamilton got the essentials of the probation officer line of work down right, and he made the contradictory mission of P.O.'s into the driving force of a plot with multiple murders. P.O. Joe Trumbull has come into contact with many hundreds of troubled people in his seven years on the job. When your job is redemption, then there are hundreds of ways for you to fail. The "T" you didn't cross, the "I" you didn't dot: you may have had a good reason, but you never know if and when you will pay. I can remember my own self thinking, please let no one die on my watch. I hope that we see more of this small town probation officer from the Hudson Valley.

This was an outstanding book

This was my first Steve Hamilton book and I can't wait for the next stand alone book from this author.This book catches you from the first page and you can't wait to see what happens next.

ONE MORE STUNNING NARRATION FROM DICK HILL

Looks can be deceiving, and so can feelings. Joe Trumbull learned this lesson not just the hard way but in a way that was almost fatal. To date, life hasn't been good to him. He's a juvenile probation officer in Kingston, New York. Some of the kids are petty offenders, others could be classified as hard-boiled criminals. So, we'd assume Joe was a pretty savvy guy. Perhaps so, but his mind is also clouded by tragedy. It was two years ago that he was looking forward to marrying Laurel. Then, on the night of his bachelor party she was strangled. Since then Joe has turned inward, retreated, doing his job and working out at the gym. But now he thinks that just maybe he's ready to make a better kind of life for himself, so he goes out on a blind date. Surprisingly to him the evening went well. Shocking to him was the murder of his date later that same evening. As other women are killed, women who had some contact with Joe, the police zero in on him as suspect No. 1. It seems the only way he can clear himself is to find the psychotic killer who is intent upon destroying him. Edgar and Shamus winner Steve Hamilton has crafted a suspenseful tale, which is read by another winner - Dick Hill. Named a Golden Voice and a Voice of the Century by Audiophile magazine, Hill delivers one more stunning narration. - Gail Cooke

Much Better Than Expected

I am a big Big BIg BIG fan of Alex McK, and all of the others in his corner of the UP. I was skeptical of a new venue, and a new local etc. But I started to read the book and I could not put it down. It is a very good book in my opinion. I really do understand how a writer can get tired of the same character, and want to try something new. I will bet it is monotonous to keep writing about the same thing book after book, and it ust be hard to come p with new story lines for the same character. BUT others do it and I really hope Alex will return refreshed and ready to do new and exciting things in the UP. It is wierd on my part that of the books I have read lately 5 of them have been related to theUP of Michigan. I had boght the books unknown that they are about that part of the USA until I started reading them. I have or am learning about the UP. (Although this one is not about the UP - its setting is else where). The UP seems like a facinating place. But I do prefer Alex's the best of all of the other books. If you are a Steve Hamilton fan you will not be surprised, or I guess you may be surprised in that he has writen another hit. I do not think you will be disappointed.

"After two long years, it was time to start my life again."

In "Night Work," Steve Hamilton introduces Joe Trumbull, a probation officer who lives and works in upstate New York. Joe is "part cop, part social worker, part guidance counselor, part rehab coordinator, part bounty hunter." His job is multifaceted: he visits his clients' homes and drags them out of bed, investigates their family lives, and writes up sentencing recommendations for the court. If he suggests probation and the judge agrees, then Joe tries to help his "knuckleheads," mostly kids in need of supervision, to stay out of prison. Joe is "your official court-designated guardian angel." He lives in a dumpy apartment above a gym, adores jazz, and dabbles in boxing. Two years earlier, Joe's fiancée, Laurel, was murdered just days before their wedding. The case is still open. Lonely and afraid of staying that way, Joe puts a listing in a singles' site and lands a blind date with a beautiful woman. In a humorous opening, Joe approaches his evening out as if he were facing an impending execution. Fortunately, he and his companion hit it off and, for the first time in a long while, Joe is looking forward to the future. Unfortunately, a series of unexpected and terrifying events follow that make Joe the prime suspect in a series of homicides. To clear his name, he will need to find the answer to a crucial question: Who hates him enough to want to destroy him? Steve Hamilton made his reputation with the solid Alex McNight series, and although this thriller lacks the punch of Hamilton's earlier books, it does have its strengths. Hamilton wisely sets his story in an offbeat location, Kingston, New York, and he gives his protagonist an occupation (probation officer) that is also a bit different. Joe is likeable enough, the writing is crisp and direct, and the mystery is fairly suspenseful. The only negative is that "Night Work" adheres too closely to the old formula: Nice guy tries to get over the death of his fiancée. He suddenly finds himself on the run from the cops, who suspect him of being a serial killer. He must find the real perpetrator before the detectives take him into custody. We have seen this plot too many times before, and Hamilton does not provide enough variations on this familiar theme to make his novel stand out from the crowd.