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Night Watch

Night Watch

by David C. Taylor

Severn House

Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 01 May 2019

Review

This fascinating thriller is deeply disturbing on several counts. First, it brings up an important but ignoble part of US history - the use of Nazi agents and scientists on the grounds that it was better to have them working against Russia. Second, it reminds readers of the ruthlessness of the early CIA, and the willingness to experiment on our own in hopes of developing new weapons and new ways of extracting information from foreign agents.

What starts as the apparently meaningless murder of a hansom cab driver leads Detective Michael Cassidy into the dangerous world of spies. All the while, someone is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Michael - showing just how close to death he is at any moment.

The novel is good, but dense, and difficult to face at times. The action progresses slowly, which can put off the reader. It does, however, speed up towards the end. I was left with a good impression, but it might be hard for some readers to stick through the first third. This novel can definitely be considered noir, and will appeal to fans of the genre.

4 / 5

I received a copy of Night Watch from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-- Crittermom

Description

"Fans of James R. Benn’s “Billy Boyle” novels will appreciate this fast-paced, intense story" – Library Journal Starred Review

"David Taylor's writing is simply superb, perfectly capturing the noir atmosphere of the times, and sweeping the reader through the storyline until the final page. The originators of the genre, Hammett and Chandler, would have been well pleased." Jim Napier, Reviewing the Evidence

New York, 1956. A couple walking through Central Park on a fall evening are confronted by a hansom cab driver, only to kill him and casually walk away. Who are the couple and did they know the man? A man commits suicide by throwing himself through a hotel window. His colleagues claim he was depressed - but is there more to it than that? Before Detective Michael Cassidy even begins investigating these cases, he is threatened by an unknown man – the reasons for which are unclear.

Are all three incidents connected? If so, how, and will Cassidy live long enough to find out before his would-be assassin claims his life?


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