John Lutz Fear the Night

Fear the Night

John Lutz

Pinnacle, Nov 2005, $6.99

ISBN: 0786016345

The Night Sniper kills the Manhattan store owner making him the third victim. He taunts the police and demands that his only competition retired detective Vincent Repetto oppose him in a game of cat and mouse. Assistant Chief Lou Melbourne begs Lou to come out of retirement, but the former cop says no as he wants to spend time with his beloved wife Lora and their twenty year old daughter Amelia; besides he left on disability with a collapsed lung from his last case.

The Night Sniper refuses to accept a no from Vin. To force Vin to participate he kills a friend Dal Bricker in front of Vin. Now the twenty year veteran comes out of retirement to take on a vicious serial killer who sees this as a superheavyweight contest between two champions with similar childhoods only Vin had his beloved aunts to save him.

Though the temperament of the Night Sniper is so similar to other serial killer novels, fans will feel the suspense that builds up until the final confrontation. The story line is action-packed with incidents that seem innocuous and everyday at first turning lethal when the killer acts. Readers will enjoy FEAR THE NIGHT while wondering whether the Night Sniper will kill those close to his opponent as part of his efforts to win his game of death.

Harriet Klausner