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Joe Kozmarski #3
A Bad Night's Sleep
Winner of the Shamus Award for Best Novel
Working late-night surveillance at a luxury condominium development, Chicago private investigator Joe Kozmarski encounters a burglary crew. Two of the crew members show up in a police cruiser dressed in uniform. In the chaos that follows, Kozmarski shoots and kills one of the thieves, who, like the rest of the crew, is one of Chicago's Finest. And just like that Kozmarski finds he’s in for many a bad night’s sleep.
Kozmarski joins the burglary crew, working as an inside agent for his old friend Lieutenant Bill Gubman. Facing dangerous suspicions from both the criminal gang and the uncorrupted ranks of the police department, uncertain about who wishes to help him stay alive and who wishes to kill him, Kozmarski takes his wildest ride yet. A Bad Night's Sleep pushes full throttle through the streets of Chicago to a stunning conclusion.
Working late-night surveillance at a luxury condominium development, Chicago private investigator Joe Kozmarski encounters a burglary crew. Two of the crew members show up in a police cruiser dressed in uniform. In the chaos that follows, Kozmarski shoots and kills one of the thieves, who, like the rest of the crew, is one of Chicago's Finest. And just like that Kozmarski finds he’s in for many a bad night’s sleep.
Kozmarski joins the burglary crew, working as an inside agent for his old friend Lieutenant Bill Gubman. Facing dangerous suspicions from both the criminal gang and the uncorrupted ranks of the police department, uncertain about who wishes to help him stay alive and who wishes to kill him, Kozmarski takes his wildest ride yet. A Bad Night's Sleep pushes full throttle through the streets of Chicago to a stunning conclusion.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wiley
34 books85 followersMichael Wiley’s new novel is The Long Way Out, featuring Franky Dast, an exonerated ex-con who investigates a series of murders in Northeast Florida. Michael is also the author of three mystery and detective series, including the Shamus Award-winning Joe Kozmarski books, the Daniel Turner thrillers, and, most recently, the Sam Kelson PI novels. His short stories appear often in magazines and anthologies, including Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022.
Michael grew up in Chicago and lived and worked in the neighborhoods and on the streets where he sets his Kelson and Kozmarski mysteries. He teaches literature at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville—the setting of The Long Way Out, an earlier Franky Dast novel (Monument Road), and the Daniel Turner novels.
Series:
* Joe Kozmarski Mystery
Michael grew up in Chicago and lived and worked in the neighborhoods and on the streets where he sets his Kelson and Kozmarski mysteries. He teaches literature at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville—the setting of The Long Way Out, an earlier Franky Dast novel (Monument Road), and the Daniel Turner novels.
Series:
* Joe Kozmarski Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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March 25, 2017could not buy it - way over the top - so far beyond plausible I would call it many things, but will not read more of Joe Kozmarski, Chicago locale or not. Abandoned.
December 26, 2023
Runnin’ Blue
At last, the perennially cursed Joe Kozmarski crosses paths with the corrupt boys in blue. Chicago is a perfect lodestone for internecine warfare involving multiple authoritative flavours. The walking Film Noir stereotype has the superpower of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and A Bad Night’s Sleep is driven by such luck rather than any exceptionalism on the part of its protagonist.
As Kozmarski’s business life falls apart, it also ruins his personal one. His resulting backslide into alcoholism is written too flippantly, suggesting that the author has never had to battle such addictions or support a loved one through the pain. It’s darkly hilarious that the detective’s undercover persona is the truth. He has few allies and fewer options. Every scene increases the pressure and leaves him even more desperate.
The tense atmosphere is further enhanced by the tight plot. Events escalate in the blink of an eye, which is critical as the novel has fully embraced being a thriller. There’s no mystery to unravel, though good luck keeping track of the many players, their cascading schemes, and their hidden motivations. Bearing little resemblance to its predecessors, A Bad Night’s Sleep maintains the same flavour while being a fast-paced nail-biter. Numerous subplots collide in the last scene of the last act, resulting in a marvellous photo finish.
Recommended.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
★★★★☆ The Last Striptease (Joe Kozmarski, #1)
★★★☆☆ The Bad Kitty Lounge (Joe Kozmarski, #2)
★★★★☆ A Bad Night’s Sleep (Joe Kozmarski, #3)
Fast-paced and entertaining, fans of Film Noir will be delighted by the author’s dedication to the classic atmosphere. The mysteries are complex, the detective is a mess, and the novel never overstays its welcome.
★★★☆☆ - Recommended for Film Noir fans.
At last, the perennially cursed Joe Kozmarski crosses paths with the corrupt boys in blue. Chicago is a perfect lodestone for internecine warfare involving multiple authoritative flavours. The walking Film Noir stereotype has the superpower of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and A Bad Night’s Sleep is driven by such luck rather than any exceptionalism on the part of its protagonist.
As Kozmarski’s business life falls apart, it also ruins his personal one. His resulting backslide into alcoholism is written too flippantly, suggesting that the author has never had to battle such addictions or support a loved one through the pain. It’s darkly hilarious that the detective’s undercover persona is the truth. He has few allies and fewer options. Every scene increases the pressure and leaves him even more desperate.
The tense atmosphere is further enhanced by the tight plot. Events escalate in the blink of an eye, which is critical as the novel has fully embraced being a thriller. There’s no mystery to unravel, though good luck keeping track of the many players, their cascading schemes, and their hidden motivations. Bearing little resemblance to its predecessors, A Bad Night’s Sleep maintains the same flavour while being a fast-paced nail-biter. Numerous subplots collide in the last scene of the last act, resulting in a marvellous photo finish.
Recommended.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
★★★★☆ The Last Striptease (Joe Kozmarski, #1)
★★★☆☆ The Bad Kitty Lounge (Joe Kozmarski, #2)
★★★★☆ A Bad Night’s Sleep (Joe Kozmarski, #3)
Fast-paced and entertaining, fans of Film Noir will be delighted by the author’s dedication to the classic atmosphere. The mysteries are complex, the detective is a mess, and the novel never overstays its welcome.
★★★☆☆ - Recommended for Film Noir fans.
July 6, 2011
The week just keeps building and building as the novels just keep coming fast and furious. Michael Wiley dusts off my buddy Joe Kozmarski, P.I., for another installment of his great series. I had the chance a little bit ago to yap with Mr. Wiley about his latest novel on my blogtalk radio show, The G-ZONE. Here is the link for you:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatiss...
As an added bonus, on this show, Mark Miller is discussing our The Author’s Lab/Collaboration story “A Prince in Trenton,Seriously?” . Good stuff, great interviews.
Here is the synopsis for the novel:
“Working late-night surveillance at a luxury condominium development, Chicago private investigator Joe Kozmarski encounters a burglary crew. Two of the crew members show up in a police cruiser dressed in uniform. In the chaos that follows, Kozmarski shoots and kills one of the thieves, who, like the rest of the crew, is one of Chicago's Finest. And just like that Kozmarski finds he’s in for many a bad night’s sleep.
Kozmarski joins the burglary crew, working as an inside agent for his old friend Lieutenant Bill Gubman. Facing dangerous suspicions from both the criminal gang and the uncorrupted ranks of the police department, uncertain about who wishes to help him stay alive and who wishes to kill him, Kozmarski takes his wildest ride yet. A Bad Night's Sleep pushes full throttle through the streets of Chicago to a stunning conclusion. “
I am a big fan of Michael Wiley’s work. The plotlines he constructs are twisted and bent in so many ways; trying to figure out all the angles is tough. The ride is quick; the dialogue is crisp and cutting, and Mike delivers a solid novel again and again. My biggest bone to pick with him is that I have to wait another year to my next fix of the characters, which bums me out. If you like a good, flawed private detective, with way too many women in his life, way too many demons to exorcise, and a guy that seems to have to battle each and every page for redemption then this is your novel; welcome to the world of Joe Kozmarski.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatiss...
As an added bonus, on this show, Mark Miller is discussing our The Author’s Lab/Collaboration story “A Prince in Trenton,Seriously?” . Good stuff, great interviews.
Here is the synopsis for the novel:
“Working late-night surveillance at a luxury condominium development, Chicago private investigator Joe Kozmarski encounters a burglary crew. Two of the crew members show up in a police cruiser dressed in uniform. In the chaos that follows, Kozmarski shoots and kills one of the thieves, who, like the rest of the crew, is one of Chicago's Finest. And just like that Kozmarski finds he’s in for many a bad night’s sleep.
Kozmarski joins the burglary crew, working as an inside agent for his old friend Lieutenant Bill Gubman. Facing dangerous suspicions from both the criminal gang and the uncorrupted ranks of the police department, uncertain about who wishes to help him stay alive and who wishes to kill him, Kozmarski takes his wildest ride yet. A Bad Night's Sleep pushes full throttle through the streets of Chicago to a stunning conclusion. “
I am a big fan of Michael Wiley’s work. The plotlines he constructs are twisted and bent in so many ways; trying to figure out all the angles is tough. The ride is quick; the dialogue is crisp and cutting, and Mike delivers a solid novel again and again. My biggest bone to pick with him is that I have to wait another year to my next fix of the characters, which bums me out. If you like a good, flawed private detective, with way too many women in his life, way too many demons to exorcise, and a guy that seems to have to battle each and every page for redemption then this is your novel; welcome to the world of Joe Kozmarski.
November 16, 2014
This was the first book by this author that I have read and I was disappointed. I thought the book was mediocre. The hero is hard to like, the plot was really hard to believe and I didn't buy into it. I downloaded this as an audiobook that I listened to while driving to work which is the only reason I finished it. If I had checked it out from the library I would have returned it without finishing it.
January 15, 2013
Nothing wrong with this book, Wiley gets accolades from his peers, but I am just not interested in smart aleck drinking alkies ex-cops turned PIs kinda deal.
June 11, 2016
Tough, sturdy writing with three dimensional characters, marred somewhat by a disjointed implausible plot.
July 28, 2022
I really enjoyed the ex cop now private detective story and it being set in the Chicago area. The author seemed very familiar with the setting, streets and neighborhoods.
I hope the author writes a follow up book with the same main character.
I hope the author writes a follow up book with the same main character.
July 19, 2022
Enjoyed reading
June 4, 2013
A Bad Night's Sleep, by Michael Wiley, is the most recent winner of the Shamus Award, given annually to the best novel featuring a private detective. Wiley's detective is Joe Kozmarski, a former cop during private eye in Chicago. While the book is fairly engaging, it's also fairly familiar, as Kozmarski struggles with his alcoholism, has an ex-wife he's still in love with, and tends to get into really difficult situations.
Hired to find out who's stealing from construction sites, Kozmarski is shocked to see, as he stakes one such site, that it is cops who are doing the stealing. During the ensuing shoot out he ends up killing a cop who is shooting at other cops. He's arrested, becomes a media bad guy, but then gets recruited by the bad cops to help them set up a protection racket against the city's gangs.
There's a lot of circumlocutions is this book, and people seem to be shifting sides often, but the core of it is police corruption. They are taking in so much money and so powerful that they run a high class members-only brothel. Meanwhile, Kozmarski, like any down and out detective, at least has his integrity, and works with the police to bust the bad cops.
Raymond Chandler and a few other writers, such as Laurence Block, kind of spoiled it for writers in this genre because so often it sounds like rip-offs of their work. Kozmarski is a kind of mixture of Matthew Scudder and V.I. Warshawski (a creation of Sara Paretsky), except that unlike Scudder, Kozmarski still indulges in drink occasionally. But like Warshawski, he has a tender side, especially concerning his mother and the nephew he takes care of.
For fans of the genre, who consume these books like potato chips, I'm sure it's a fine read. But I couldn't help but feeling I've read it all before.
Hired to find out who's stealing from construction sites, Kozmarski is shocked to see, as he stakes one such site, that it is cops who are doing the stealing. During the ensuing shoot out he ends up killing a cop who is shooting at other cops. He's arrested, becomes a media bad guy, but then gets recruited by the bad cops to help them set up a protection racket against the city's gangs.
There's a lot of circumlocutions is this book, and people seem to be shifting sides often, but the core of it is police corruption. They are taking in so much money and so powerful that they run a high class members-only brothel. Meanwhile, Kozmarski, like any down and out detective, at least has his integrity, and works with the police to bust the bad cops.
Raymond Chandler and a few other writers, such as Laurence Block, kind of spoiled it for writers in this genre because so often it sounds like rip-offs of their work. Kozmarski is a kind of mixture of Matthew Scudder and V.I. Warshawski (a creation of Sara Paretsky), except that unlike Scudder, Kozmarski still indulges in drink occasionally. But like Warshawski, he has a tender side, especially concerning his mother and the nephew he takes care of.
For fans of the genre, who consume these books like potato chips, I'm sure it's a fine read. But I couldn't help but feeling I've read it all before.
October 11, 2011
When you think ‘private detective’, you think of a divorced and alcoholic ex-cop, with a plain and unrefined office a few floors up in an old building that drives a beat up car. Well, Joe Kozmarski is no exception. In Wiley’s latest mystery, the Chicago detective takes on both the Windy City's finest…and worst. This is an excellent reminder of why we’ve loved gritty P.I. stories since Spade and Marlowe first hit the mean streets.
Kozmarski is hired to play security guard at a new housing construction site that is experiencing its share of burglaries. When the thieves arrive, they turn out to be…cops. After shooting and killing one, Kozmarski is thrown in jail. A buddy on the force—who works as liaison to a civilian based ethical board—then recruits him to infiltrate the gang of thieves to destroy it from the inside. Kozmarski, who is trying to reconcile a relationship with his ex and fighting the temptations of alcohol, drugs and a sexy partner, soon runs afoul of the FBI agent who also want a piece of the action. Who can Joe trust and just who’s playing who in the bigger scheme of things?
This is a quick read, but thoroughly enjoyable. It contains all the expected elements: bad cop power plays, street gangs, a high priced sex club, a tour of Chicago, the obligatory shoot ‘em up car chase and a few plot twists to keep you guessing. You’ll sleep well knowing you’ve read another fine story to be put on the shelf in the private eye wing of your collection.
Reviewed by Stephen L. Brayton, author of “Beta” for Suspense Magazine
Kozmarski is hired to play security guard at a new housing construction site that is experiencing its share of burglaries. When the thieves arrive, they turn out to be…cops. After shooting and killing one, Kozmarski is thrown in jail. A buddy on the force—who works as liaison to a civilian based ethical board—then recruits him to infiltrate the gang of thieves to destroy it from the inside. Kozmarski, who is trying to reconcile a relationship with his ex and fighting the temptations of alcohol, drugs and a sexy partner, soon runs afoul of the FBI agent who also want a piece of the action. Who can Joe trust and just who’s playing who in the bigger scheme of things?
This is a quick read, but thoroughly enjoyable. It contains all the expected elements: bad cop power plays, street gangs, a high priced sex club, a tour of Chicago, the obligatory shoot ‘em up car chase and a few plot twists to keep you guessing. You’ll sleep well knowing you’ve read another fine story to be put on the shelf in the private eye wing of your collection.
Reviewed by Stephen L. Brayton, author of “Beta” for Suspense Magazine
January 8, 2012
This is the third novel in the Joe Kozmarski series and in my opinion, the best. I was drawn to these novels originally for the Chicago setting and the flawed-hero at the center of the action. Most stories in this genre are so over the top that they challenge the line for realistic fiction. Joe Kozmarski and the situations he becomes involved with are completely believable, especially if you ever lived in Chicago. I also enjoy the flaws in the main character. Today, crime-fiction always seems to center around a super-hero type individual that couldn't possibly exist in real life. Joe Kozmarski strikes me as a guy you could actually pass on the street. I certainly hope this author will continue to write stories for Joe. If not, with Wiley's fantastic writing, I am sure I will love anything he publishes. I highly recommend this book...but be sure to read the first two books!
April 7, 2015
I've finished a lot of books and set them down in shock. It's usually good shock. But "A Bad Night's Sleep" presents examples of everything that can be wrong with a book. The protagonist has zero depth. He could have been ripped apart by lions and I wouldn't have cared. None of the characters is interesting, and neither is the plot, which made me laugh out loud. Not in a good way. The entire premise is so implausible I kept waiting for a brilliant twist, but that twist--if it can be called one--comes with a whimper rather than a shocking AHA! The writing itself isn't terrible, but it lacks any sort of life. Highly disappointing.
May 30, 2012
The premise of the mystery (which I will not reveal, so as not to spoil) is absurd. Chicago is not absurd. This is a solid, traditional, hard-boiled detective novel, a quick read with no profound social message. Sometimes a person needs this sort of read.
Read
January 18, 2016I didn't finish it because I just didn't want to read about gangs, corrupt cops, and a guy with an alcohol problem. I judged it to be an excellent example of its genre, however, from the 60 pages I read.
July 30, 2012
This was an entertaining fast romp through the pages of crime fiction. Just ok
August 18, 2013
This was a very good book. I was kind of surprised, since I didn't like Wiley's last book very much. It was fast-moving, some good plot twists, and lots of excitement. Highly recommended!
July 10, 2014
I like this author & series. :)
August 14, 2015
Excellent , I liked the characters , good plot and the bonus it took place in Chicago , my kind of town.
August 11, 2016
Love this author. Done with Chicago books ready for Jacksonville books.
Want to read
May 1, 2019Synopsis: working late, PI Joe Kozmarski encounters burglars. One ends up dead and he turns out to have been a cop.
April 11, 2022
I hope to find more Joe Kozmarski stories. Fast paced. Tough, smart protagonist. BONUS. I ordered the book and it came autographed by Mr. Wiley.
January 12, 2013
Excellently written piece of noir fiction.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews