Night Kills by
Edward Gorman
pbk out July 98
(Crime Time)
at £4.99
This is one of those novels where the lives and feelings of individual characters appear to be viewed with more importance than any crimes which might be committed. Night Kills begins with a gruesome murder of a teenage prostitute then shortly after this comes the introduction of Frank Brolan, Ed Gorman's protagonist. Brolan is a successful advertising director who spends much of the story lusting after hard-faced business woman Kathleen. Unable to accept that their brief affair has no future, he plunges into deep depression - a state which is heightened acutely by the discovery of a dead body in his freezer.
It becomes quickly evident that Brolan is being set up, and in desperation, he seeks the help of Greg Wagner and a teenage whore. Greg is wheelchair bound and was a former surrogate guardian to the murdered prostitute. Brolan and he strike up an uneasy friendship and determine to unearth the facts. Brolan's partner Foster is in on the act also but for every step taken forward, another two are taken back. Brolan has no clues, no leads and so the search for the truth begins.
Brolan's investigations lead to some violent confrontations and these, alongside the brutal butchering of various women indicate that this is not a novel for the squeamish or for those who may be a little tired of the whose-getting-murdered-for-being-a-whore theme. Denise, the young prostitute who makes up the trio is young, impressionable but resourceful. Greg clearly feels that Demise replaces Emma, the murdered girl and determines to protect her from any harm. Greg and Demise are both interesting and likeable characters but each represents a particular bleakness and misery; a sort of allegory for the uncaring face of society.
The book never flags and the climax is reasonably exciting but there's often that feeling of predictability about certain outcomes as they unfold. Mainly, I felt that the horror element dominated, sometimes at the expense of the plot and the book being dedicated to Dean Koontz perhaps explains this at least partially.
Night Kills by
Edward Gorman