No Night is Too Long (Paperback)

When Tim meets Dr. Ivo Steadman, (who else but Rupert Everett?) he is certain he must be in love because he has never felt this way before. He has had a few dilatory girl friends that didn't stir him, only occasionally "scratched an itch." So what was this? The shortness of breath? The obsessing for Ivo's presence? This was something startlingly new and different, and it must be love! Tim found it also had a very short duration. As soon as Ivo dropped his Rochester/Heathcliff airs of arrogance and disdain, Tim was quickly out of love and into contempt. Alas, poor Ivo who made more and more frantic and futile efforts to entice and ensnare the errant Tim. I couldn't help but sympathize with Tim at this point. Have you ever had anyone (be it a discarded lover or your great-aunt Sally) shower you with attentions and pleadings of which you wanted no part? It makes monsters of us all. The stage is set.

Ivo more or less forces the reluctant and sulky Tim on a cruise of the shores of Alaska. Tim meets the beauteous Isabel in Juneau while Ivo is off lecturing. And now the story quickly picks up a headlong pace. Ms. Rendell/Vine has us hooked good and proper, and we are in for some mind-boggling surprises. The key to this book is obsession, not romance. The author deftly ties up the loose ribbons and presents us with a nicely wrapped finished package.

Though I don't believe this book is as powerful as "A Dark Adapted Eye," it does demonstrate the author's great versatility and goes way beyond "well developed characterization." You can't help thinking, "there, if not by the grace of God, go I" I would recommend it for when you are in a pondering mood.

The story actually moves pretty slowly, but the suspense and tension is just unbearable. You know very well that cataclysmic events are going to occur, but of how and when you know nothing. The sense of wonderment you feel at Rendell (in any of her incarnations) is simply awe-inspiring. You read and read and read, completely unable to tear your eyes from the story, even though its moving with a slow pace. Its thrilling, suspenseful and beautifully tense. And I loved it.

The plot is simple - a telling of how a gay love-affair leads to the chill Pacific north, and fromt hence to murder - but very strong. There are good, strong, simple, sensible, realistic twists. They turn the story once or twice, adding just the right amoung of freshness and surprise.

The characters are superbly well drawn and believeable. and quite likeable, despite their flaws. The completely unsettling thing about Rendell's books are the fact that, in this case at least, the people seem quite, quite normal. Tim is just a normal young man, struggling with his identity and sexuality, experiencing the world for what it really is. He's nothing special. Has no psychological abnormalities, is not in any damaged And yet he is driven to murder. This novel is a bravura display of how circumstances can drive people to commit horrible deeds. Quite sane, normal people, slowly taken hold of.

This is a wonderful book. A masterpiece. The writing is just first class, cold, icy, gripping, and the descriptions of the places in which this novel are set are simply stunning. I have never been to Alaska (in particular) but through her descriptions i found myself transported there. And now, my window to it is closed, I want to visit it. It's a desire that should pass in a few days, but it's a powerful thing to feel simply after reading a book. No Night is Too Long is a dark, icy wasteland of a novel; an erotic and disturbing slice of Rendell's dangeorus world.

I would reccomend this to everyone. I have in the past held of reading Barbara Vine, because i assumed that they would be something very different. So different as to need publishing under a different name. My, though, was I wrong. After all, a Rendell by any other name is still a Rendell. These books still contain the intensity of subtle plot, great characters, good twists, and all the things I expect from Rendell. It has been months since i've read anything new by her, and now i have discovered this new rich casket of wonders, my future in reading looks very bright indeed.

The story is gripping and I didn't want to put it down. I can not describe how fantastic this book was. I'd recommend it to anyone. The only bad point to the book is that I knew I'd reach the end.