Lights Out

by Peter Abrahams

Eighteen-year-old Eddie Nye was bound for U.S.C. and a bright future that fateful summer in the Bahamas. But somebody set Eddie up. Instead of four years of higher education, he did fifteen behind bars for drug smuggling. Eddie went in innocent, but with three prison murders under his belt, he comes out dangerous. Although all he wants is to stay clean, Eddie’s future won’t be that easy. The nightmares of his past—corruption, greed, and most of all a stunning betrayal—are on a collision course with a daring plot hatched in a prison cell. To learn the secret of his own life, half-hidden in an ancient mariner’s saga, Eddie must face the hardest choice a free man can make.


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Crime

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Peter Abrahams is an American author of crime fiction for both adults and children.
His book Lights Out (1994) was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel. Reality Check won the best young adult Edgar Award in 2011. Down the Rabbit Hole, first in the Echo Falls series, won the best children's/young adult Agatha Award in 2005. The Fan was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tony Scott (1996).
His literary influences are Vladimir Nabokov, Graham Greene, and Ross Macdonald. Stephen King has referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist".
Born in Boston, Abrahams lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He is married and has four children including Rosie Gray. He graduated from Williams College in 1968.

Peter Abrahams is also writing under the pseudonym Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie Mysteries).

Reviews

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended author and book. He says: “Peter Abrahams is my favorite American suspense novelist.”

In his book On Writing, published 2000, King says on pages 285-286: "These are the best books I've read over the last three or four years, the period during which I wrote The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-up Book, Hearts in Atlantis, On Writing, and the as-yet-unpublished From a Buick 8. In some way or other, I suspect each book in the list had an influence on the books I wrote."

He continues to say "...a good many of these might show you some new ways of doing your work. Even if they don't, they're apt to entertain you. They certainly entertained me."


Please click here to check out my group:
Books Stephen King Recommends

[Nicky Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspense. Crime. And a misunderstood protagonist, what's not to like.

[D.S. Quinton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago and to this day, still remember being so mad at the ending that I immediately left a not very nice review on Amazon. :-) As I remember it, most of the story was pretty good, I was really rooting for Eddie the MC, but the last four or five pages completely destroyed the book for me. The ending seemed completely implausible.

[Gatorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic crime thriller from Abrahams, one of his best. Great lead character and terrific supporting characters with lots of action, a good mystery and a kick-ass ending. Entertaining from start to finish. Highly recommended.

[Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

So as I mentioned before, the reason I started reading this book is because it was recommended by Stephen King on his book On Writing.
Bottom line, I didn’t like it. I can see why King would recommend it, Abrahams has a similar style and exemplifies the points King says are what you need to be a good writer: a strong grasp of grammar and vocabulary; quick and easy sentence structure and not an overly complicated story.
That being said, it just wasn’t my type of story. I also found it lacking in drama and development. I’m not sure what to make of this story. Eddie Nye is released from prison after serving 15 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. We find out he was a victim of circumstance. When he gets out he tools around his old hometown and tracks down his brother in New York City. Eddie becomes an unwitting and unknowing courier for a drug kingpin he has one conversation with in prison. Eddie stumbles across the kingpin’s plan while somehow uncovering how he was made a scapegoat 15 years prior. Oh, there was some virtual reality plot point that went nowhere. And a female agent for some unnamed agency that gets emotionally involved with Eddie while she investigates his brother. All the major players convene in the Bahamas for some reason, you know that old trope how people suddenly show up somewhere for no logical reason other than surprising the protagonist?
This all happened within a week of Eddie leaving prison.
I don’t think I’ll be going back to any of King’s recommendations any time soon.

[Garyt2013 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lights Out" is about Eddie Nye, a young man who has spent 15 of his 33 years in prison, and what happens when he gets released. Events and characters add complication and mystery as Eddie enters back into the outside world learning more about the circumstances of his prison sentence, and for me, the story ending is stunning and unforgettable. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, starting fast, as Eddie is finishing up his sentence, and then showing the back story of how Eddie got there, before getting on with Eddie’s destiny. I like Eddie, and found myself cheering for him throughout his adventure.

[Ken Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, I gave it a 3.8. The book made me sad though for Eddie, because I felt he was trapped and couldn’t see a way out. The pacing was pretty good, although the basic premise and how it was carried out was a bit sketchy. But other than that, I would recommend it’.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second half of this book is FIRE FIRE FIRE.
Get through the beginning. It’s a little slow but it’s great foundation. The characters in this book are also a little shallow. But there are amazing action sequences in here that blew me the F away.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really had trouble getting in to this book. Had to force myself to keep going. While parts held my interest, overall I just wasn't that interested. I was confused and felt a bit lost at times.

[Elizabeth Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protag felt more like the author’s fantasy of being a big tough guy convict than a fully realized person. He bangs every woman he meets in the week after getting out of jail except his brother’s wife and only because she has dementia. Fun though—reads like a movie. I tore through it.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kept my attention and kept moving at a good pace however it just didn't all come together for me.

[Clean Slate · Rating 3 out of 5]

What’s not to like?

Written very well. Learned some new words. Kept the reader guessing. The ending was a bit flat, but it makes sense.

[Mohan Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a movie. Every page is so graphically narrated. Enjoyed it.

[Salahuddin Hourani]

ملاحظة لي: لم اقرا الكتاب بعد

مقترح من ستيفين كينغ

[Cia Mcalarney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I found it on a list of best books. It did not disappoint. Memorable characters, a dreamy almost surreal setting and many twists and turns.

[Giocina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letto in lingua originale: intrigante, con bei colpi di scena.
Peccato che il protagonista risulti scialbo: il titolo italiano (l'idolo) rende giustizia puntando le luci sul secondo personaggio

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eighteen-year-old Eddie Nye was bound for U.S.C. and a bright future that fateful summer in the Bahamas. But somebody set Eddie up. Instead of four years of higher education, he did fifteen behind bars for drug smuggling. Eddie went in innocent, but with three prison murders under his belt, he comes out dangerous. Although all he wants is to stay clean, Eddie's future won't be that easy. The nightmares of his past--corruption, greed, and most of all a stunning betrayel--are on a collision course with a daring plot hatched in a prison cell. To learn the secret of his own life, half-hidden in an ancient mariner's saga, Eddie must face the hardest choice a free man can make.

Wow! This book was great! The Chicago Tribune said "A tightly wound thriller.. A cryptic puzzling tale." and I completely agree with that! This is the second Peter Abrahams book I've read, the first being Oblivion. So far he's 2 for 2! I'm definitely reading more by this guy, and soon!

[Amy Ritscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am new to the Suspense/Thriller genre. Read about this author in the back of Stephen King's book, "On Writing."

The main character was very interesting and the plot well-planned. The only issue I had with the book was Mr. Abrahams emphasized the "good" and "naive" part of the character well after he had left prison. It was almost too much.

If you are a Suspense/Thriller fan, I highly recommend this book. It was written for intelligent people and the plot will not fail you.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. I've read a couple other books by Peter Abrahams, & I loved them - couldn't put them down. This one had an intensity to it, but there was something that just didn't hold it together enough. I liked Eddie; I found him sympathetic; I wanted the best for him. But ultimately I was left still wanting.

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie kommt nach 15 Jahren raus. Keine Bewährung, denn er hat im Gefängnis 3 Männer gekillt, die ihn vergewaltigt haben (auch wenn man es ihm nicht nachweisen konnte). Nun hat er keinen Plan und kaum Geld.

Ich hätte einiges zu meckern, aber letztendlich hat es mir doch ganz gut gefallen und ich "muss" ihm 4 Sterne geben.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is finally released from prison after serving 15 years for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He eventually finds out who framed him and a little twist at the end. Keeps you reading til the last page.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty good. I quite liked the first part of the story where you learn about him and the happenings. But I struggled with the motivations of the characters and not liking the characters very much because they are not very like able.

[Diogenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Cain and Abel story of betrayal, greed and payback. Compelling characters and an intricate plot, but at times the switching timelines are somewhat confusing, at least to this reader, but the threads come together together nicely for an unexpected ending.

[S]

sk booklist

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Violent and cold. A compelling read lacking suspense and a final goal.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book ... nice narrative - the twist at the end was predictable but other than that believable characters and interesting story.

[Wren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't Like

[Sandra Canil · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining, action-packed and suspenseful read that is given added heart by the leading under-dog character.

[Tara]

Horror. Lights. Out. It. Very. Scary. And. There's. Someone. Called. Diana