- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Orion (10 Aug 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752875418
- ISBN-13: 978-0752875415
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 757,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Night Gardener
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Among aficionados of crime fiction, the name of George Pelecanos is revered. And the fact that he is not particularly known to the general public -- who spend their money on far less accomplished authors -- only adds to the lustre of his reputation among those who have discovered him. If you are wondering why this is the case, pick up The Night Gardener, and the chances good that you will see the appeal of this highly accomplished author.
Stephen King has called Pelecanos 'perhaps the greatest living American crime writer', and one of the reasons for this praise may be the total verisimilitude of his writing: this is crime fiction that makes most entries in the fields seem glossy and insubstantial. The plot here involves unsolved crimes and a killer who has never been brought to justice. In 1985, a ruthless individual was kidnapping teenagers, killing them and dumping their mutilated bodies in public parks. 20 years have passed, and detectives Gus Ramone and Dan Holiday -- who worked on the original case -- have taken different career trajectories: Gus has made Detective Sergeant, while Dan has lost his job over a series of irregularities. But then a boy is found murdered in a public park, and both men find themselves seeking closure on a dark case from their pasts. All the things that distinguish Pelecanos' best writing -- flinty characterisation, solid plotting and a marked social concern -- are present here. If you haven't already, it's time to join the legions of Pelecanos admirers. --Barry Forshaw. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
'This is much more than just a serial-killer novel; as ever, Pelecanos tackles race, family, loyalties and drug culture with the utmost delicacy of touch, providing a gently panoramic and compassionate view of the ills as well as the positive elements of American society.' (Maxim Jakobowski THE GUARDIAN )
'[Pelecanos'] fiction over the past decade has been fed by anger and an empathy for a majoirty African-American population that has been marginalised by its own city. His 13th novel The Night Gardener ... concerns itself with what it means to be a good parent in a city where baclk children are tempted daily by the quick-fix blandishments of gang activity. ... It's also a quite brilliant crime novel.' (Paul Connolly METRO )
'[The Night Gardener] is almost flawless ... the multi-stranded narrative exhilaratingly displays the equal ease with which Pelecanos depicts blacks and whites, kids and adults, cops and outlaws, men and women. ... The Night Gardener has a strong claim to be regarded as his most impressive indivudual work,' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )
'George Pelecanos is a stunningly good chronicler of the mean streets of Washington DC ... For anyone who has somehow missed out on Pelecanos, he is up there with Elmore Leonard and even Chandler for street dialogue and inner city settings, and there is always a pleasing moral undertow to his work.' (Carla McKay DAILY MAIL )
'Pelecanos rocks! There are no two ways about it. Fresh from The Wire, which is the berst cTV cop show on either side of hte Atlantic, his new novel takes off from the word go, as a serial killer from the 1980s appears to return to the 21st century. ... Things are never quiet in Pelecanos land and we should be grateful. Police prodedural at its very best.' (Mark Timlin INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
'this novel is complex and gripping.' (IRELAND ON SUNDAY )
'By concentrating onthe relationships between the characters as much as on the detail of the pursuit, Pelecanos turns a mystery into a moving story with no easy conclusion.' (Susanna Yager SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
'For some years now, George Pelecanos has been among the higher echelons of American Crime writers such as Denis Lehane, James Ellroy and Michael Connelly, but with The Night Gardender I feel he has outpaced the posse. ... a powerful novel that crosses genres, much like ... Mystic River, and it just demands to be read.' (Vincent Banville IRISH TIMES )
'He is building up not just a series of formidable murder mysteries, but a veritable chronicle of of the social ills and issues - especially racial tensions and drugs - that beset the US capital.' (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )
'[Pelecanos'] fiction over the past decade has been fed by anger and an empathy for a majoirty African-American population that has been marginalised by its own city. His 13th novel The Night Gardener ... concerns itself with what it means to be a good parent in a city where baclk children are tempted daily by the quick-fix blandishments of gang activity. ... It's also a quite brilliant crime novel.' (Paul Connolly METRO )
'[The Night Gardener] is almost flawless ... the multi-stranded narrative exhilaratingly displays the equal ease with which Pelecanos depicts blacks and whites, kids and adults, cops and outlaws, men and women. ... The Night Gardener has a strong claim to be regarded as his most impressive indivudual work,' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )
'George Pelecanos is a stunningly good chronicler of the mean streets of Washington DC ... For anyone who has somehow missed out on Pelecanos, he is up there with Elmore Leonard and even Chandler for street dialogue and inner city settings, and there is always a pleasing moral undertow to his work.' (Carla McKay DAILY MAIL )
'Pelecanos rocks! There are no two ways about it. Fresh from The Wire, which is the berst cTV cop show on either side of hte Atlantic, his new novel takes off from the word go, as a serial killer from the 1980s appears to return to the 21st century. ... Things are never quiet in Pelecanos land and we should be grateful. Police prodedural at its very best.' (Mark Timlin INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
'this novel is complex and gripping.' (IRELAND ON SUNDAY )
'By concentrating onthe relationships between the characters as much as on the detail of the pursuit, Pelecanos turns a mystery into a moving story with no easy conclusion.' (Susanna Yager SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
'For some years now, George Pelecanos has been among the higher echelons of American Crime writers such as Denis Lehane, James Ellroy and Michael Connelly, but with The Night Gardender I feel he has outpaced the posse. ... a powerful novel that crosses genres, much like ... Mystic River, and it just demands to be read.' (Vincent Banville IRISH TIMES )
'He is building up not just a series of formidable murder mysteries, but a veritable chronicle of of the social ills and issues - especially racial tensions and drugs - that beset the US capital.' (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First degree entertainment,
By
This review is from: The Night Gardener (Paperback)
'The Night Gardener' tells the story of a police investigation into the death of a black youth in Washington DC. The apparent murder matches a series of unsolved killings that occurred 20 years previously. Gus Ramone and Dan Holiday, two cops who worked on the earlier cases, come together again to solve the latest crime. But their lives have diverged in the intervening two decades; family man Ramone remains a police officer, whereas the boozy, single Holiday had to leave the force under a cloud.
This straightforward premise is developed well by Pelecanos, who examines family relationships and racial issues in US society today along the way. Aside from having a decent plot, a deal of reading pleasure can be had from Pelecanos's use of language, especially his dialogue, which is always snappy and authentic and often darkly humourous. Overall, this is a thoughtful and well-constructed crime novel, that delivers social comment without slowing the narrative. I've read that Pelecanos has contributed to the acclaimed US series 'The Wire' - anyone who likes this or its ilk, eg 'The Shield' would probably find this a worthwhile read. Readers who've already tried Pelecanos only need to know this maintains his usual high standard.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Pelecanos,
By nickyb (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Night Gardener (Paperback)
I have to give this perfect novel five stars. It is Pelecanos at his best. Superb dialogue enveloping a fine mystery. And he has time for some moralising. I feel Pelecanos is right up there with Elmore Leonard for sheer atmosphere and grittiness.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Police,
By I. Read-Books (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Night Gardener (Mass Market Paperback)
It took me a while to warm to this novel but by the time I'd finished it I was pretty much glowing. It's less of a thriller and more of a literary crime novel. The plot is hardly gripping - no cliff-hanger endings, no mysteries, no conventional action in the form of fights and chases, and no real twists and turns. Instead, what you get is an enchanting portrait of how a real homicide unit interacts - not only with itself but also with its suspects and with its local community. The characters are as real as any I have encountered in the genre - no cliched detectives here; rather uniformed cops with families to feed, bills to pay and vocational callings to fulfill. The dialogue is wonderfully authentic but it was the sheer humanity - the frailty, strength, bitterness and compassion - of the cast that really moved me. Progress on the central murder is slow but this only reflects the reality of the story. I do have some sympathy with the reviewer who complains that the book often reads like a street directory of Washington DC, and I am undecided on the merit of the final page. (Possibly brilliant; possibly a little trite). This isn't a page-tuner but it was an absolute pleasure to read. You'll love the Ramone family by the end of the book and you'll have a great deal of respect for the previously antagonistic 'Doc' Holiday. Don't expect fireworks. Instead, enjoy a masterclass in characterisation and dialogue and savour a biting yet sympathetic snapshot of life on the streets of DC.
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