The Night Watcher

by John Lutz

Book Overview

From bestselling author John Lutz comes a lightning-paced thriller of a city gripped by a killer's savage reign of terror. . . Someone is killing wealthy Manhattanites. One by one, the victims are discovered in luxurious high-rise apartments. Bound, gagged--brutally murdered in the "safety" of their own homes, by someone whose modus operandi is as horrifying as anything NYPD Detectives Ben Stack and Rica Lopez have ever seen. As Stack and Lopez investigate the cruel deaths, they have no idea that they are being watched from the shadows--observed by a cunning murderer picking up all the clues necessary to stay one step ahead of the police while perfecting a deadly craft. And when a pattern slowly emerges, the detectives realize that the killings aren't the random acts of a maniac, but the personal campaign of someone bent on retribution. . .someone who's been watching closely and knows their case too well. Someone whose vengeance will burn forever.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786015152
• ISBN13: 9780786015153
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

An Edgar nominated work

The wealthy are dying in Manhattan. A serial arsonist is setting their bodies on fire and watching as they burn to death. On the trail of the killer are NYPD Detectives Ben Stack and Rica Lopez. The killer is aware of their presence and calls them to alert them to the killing and to prevent the fire from spreading any further. They desperately must seek the identity of the killer and discover what the victims have in common, if anything. John Lutz is a veteran mystery writer with many previous books published. He has previously won the Edgar for a short story in 1987. The experience is quite evident in both the pacing and the rhythm of the story. Events move seamlessly and inexorably to the conclusion which is both clever and surprising. Ben and Rica, the main protagonists, are engaging. Other characters are well portrayed but lack the emotional depth of these two. The story is rapidly paced. It is a very impressive work and well worthy of the Edgar nomination.