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John Marquez #2
Night Game
Former DEA agent John Marquez brings gritty investigative techniques and a clouded past to his role as head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game. In the second thrilling case of this masterful series, Marquez and his team's cover is blown, leaving him caught between a ruthless band of bear poachers, a corrupt local game warden, and a county detective obsessed with a murderer-at-large. Meanwhile, Marquez's own fragile family is left wide open to mortal danger.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2004
44 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Russell
22 books93 followersI aimed at writing long ago but that turned out to more romance than reality. Looking back, I was lucky to learn something about the world first. Never gave up on writing though. It just took longer. I've written five novels with an undercover California Fish and Game warden, John Marquez, three with a San Francisco homicide inspector, and now Signature Wounds and FBI special agent bomb tech, Paul Grale. Grale is living in the world we're in and dealing with the challenges of our times. I'm very hooked into him and working on a new story.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 14, 2017
I wanted to like this book because of its anti-poaching subject matter and because it had been described in some reviews as a political thriller set in California, which I thought would be a great change of pace from the usual Beltway thrillers. However, it was not a political thriller at all. There is a minor storyline involving a lawbreaking state senator, but that is as close as it got.
It is really the story of Marquez, an investigator for California's wildlife and game agency. He's investigating a gruesome case of illegal bear trapping and the smuggling of bear organs and bile. I would say that this was both fascinating and difficult to read, especially in the very beginning of the book. I am so glad that somebody is writing about this and exposing the nasty trade and highlighting the fine people who are enforcing the hunting laws.
That being said, the execution of the story left something to be desired. This book is said to be 350 pages but it felt like 500. It normally takes me ten days to read a book, but this took me three months. Why? It was dry. Explanations of routine activities were too long and detailed (such as routes from one point to another and which detective called who on the radio and what cup of coffee or glass of beer they got at their next stop, etc.).
Also, there were way too many characters (suspects, their girlfriends, detectives & game wardens, informants, family members, immigrants, et al) to keep track of. Half of them seemed to have love-hate relationships with each other. The dialog was a flawed by too many non-sequitors.
The story wasn't bad and I liked Marquez. But the whole book could have been condensed, characters could have been consolidated, and the whole book needed a more professional editing job. I think that the e-book just became available this year, and the formatting job isn't the best. It kept the hyphenation from the hardback or paperback and transplanted into the e-book, so random words are hyphenated mid-syllable. This was distracting.
It is really the story of Marquez, an investigator for California's wildlife and game agency. He's investigating a gruesome case of illegal bear trapping and the smuggling of bear organs and bile. I would say that this was both fascinating and difficult to read, especially in the very beginning of the book. I am so glad that somebody is writing about this and exposing the nasty trade and highlighting the fine people who are enforcing the hunting laws.
That being said, the execution of the story left something to be desired. This book is said to be 350 pages but it felt like 500. It normally takes me ten days to read a book, but this took me three months. Why? It was dry. Explanations of routine activities were too long and detailed (such as routes from one point to another and which detective called who on the radio and what cup of coffee or glass of beer they got at their next stop, etc.).
Also, there were way too many characters (suspects, their girlfriends, detectives & game wardens, informants, family members, immigrants, et al) to keep track of. Half of them seemed to have love-hate relationships with each other. The dialog was a flawed by too many non-sequitors.
The story wasn't bad and I liked Marquez. But the whole book could have been condensed, characters could have been consolidated, and the whole book needed a more professional editing job. I think that the e-book just became available this year, and the formatting job isn't the best. It kept the hyphenation from the hardback or paperback and transplanted into the e-book, so random words are hyphenated mid-syllable. This was distracting.
July 30, 2010
Second in the series with Marquez inland looking for bear poachers. This time he has a new team and a new boss. Same MO as the first. Dedicated and indefatiguable agent and his team up against a resourceful and violent foe who threatens families of the agents. Also the same plot device of working with a local cop who has his own agenda but less confrontational than the first book's local cop. I liked Marquez in this book more than in the first. The plot is fast paced but the resolution at the end is too violent and perhaps unrealistic-almost like narco-violence. It's realistic in one sense that the perpetrator seems to get away with murder and cops minor pleas. Marquez is a go-to guy who always keeps his cool whether it's dealing with scumbags or the spineless bureaucrats in Sacramento. Going to have to read the third one.
May 11, 2017
Night games
As good a read on the second one of this author as the first one was. The continuing saga gives a bleak picture for the eventual demise of major parts of nature if we don't take a more serious approach to the issues. Was particularly upset by political instance where the power of politics trumped all.. Unfortunately, too often true.
As good a read on the second one of this author as the first one was. The continuing saga gives a bleak picture for the eventual demise of major parts of nature if we don't take a more serious approach to the issues. Was particularly upset by political instance where the power of politics trumped all.. Unfortunately, too often true.
November 27, 2021
Very good addition to the series
I enjoyed the first book in the series and this one just as much. Kirk Russell writes in a way that makes it easier to envision what's happening in the book and the characters. A lot of action and a twist at the end with a full explanation makes it that much more enjoyable.
I enjoyed the first book in the series and this one just as much. Kirk Russell writes in a way that makes it easier to envision what's happening in the book and the characters. A lot of action and a twist at the end with a full explanation makes it that much more enjoyable.
February 3, 2019
Love these books!
March 31, 2025
Although slow to start and with a huge number of complex characters I found this a good read with a satisfying ending.
March 9, 2017
Decent commute read. Second in the series, better than the first, will keep up with the series.
February 4, 2017
Night Game By Kirk Russell. A John Marquez Crime Novel. I picked the book mostly because of the cover. The cover shows woods in the night with shadows and fog which really intrigued me. The genre of this book is a mystery that always made me lean more toward this book than others. I'm not a total fan of reading and a mystery popped out to me as something maybe I would enjoy and that was true. The readability of the book was great. The book kept you guessing so you made a good pace for reading time. Things would happen out of the blue you didn't think were going to happen that kept me on my feet, wanting to know what was going to happen next. It has a total of 365 pages. The book is about this man, John Marquez, a leader of an undercover team trying to take down a bear farming operation. These bear farmers/ harvesters would take the bears illegally and gather their paws and gallbladders and sell them to the Chinese people that would turn the gallbladder and paws in to powders and pills that could somehow help cure cancer. This all takes place in the mountains of California in Placerville and Crystal lake. Marquez and his team run into many challenges along their time trying to take the bear farmers down. For example Marquez trying to relax at the local bar and gets in a bar fight with local game warden named Petroni. Marquez has had past problems with PetronI . The undercover team is lead by Marquez and second in command is Shauf, a woman who doesn't take anything just because she's a female on the team. Marquez works closely with a man named Kendall, a local cop. Kendall gives Marquez information of local people around who know the bear population and who the poacher and hunters are. Nyland one the locals turns out to be seen for poaching bears and baiting them. His girlfriend Sophie, a bartender at the local bar, likes to stir the pot and start trouble and usually knows more about things the she lets on. Many things take the book off track from the bear farmers
December 10, 2012
If you love good eco-thrillers with a hint of drama and mystery, the second book in the John Marquez series in a good one. We're introduced to another tough case by Game Warden John Marquez, when it deals with bear poaching and baiting and a corrupted warden. It started with a murder of a camper and escalated from there, going downhill. We watch Marquez with his SOU team and how he cares about his wife and step-daughter. And when Marquez gets closer to the truth, we see how he reacts in danger and protects his family. Even at night time, there's no time for gun and games, when dealing with dangerous animals. Great action and drama and plenty of suspense. I felt sorry for those poor bears. You'll get an inside look of the world of the fish and game wardens, too.
March 14, 2013
I enjoyed this book but sometimes thought the various plot lines felt somewhat disjointed. Everything did come together in the end though and the story pulls you in enough that you definitely want to keep reading to learn what happens next.
May 25, 2015
Very Well Written
Once again author Kirk Russell proved his great skill of writing. This book was well developed in many ways with a lot of twist and turns. The protagonist John Marquez was great. Looking forward to read the next book in this series.
Once again author Kirk Russell proved his great skill of writing. This book was well developed in many ways with a lot of twist and turns. The protagonist John Marquez was great. Looking forward to read the next book in this series.
January 11, 2017
This book had me rasing some eyebrows , because of how hooked it got me. This story of how a former DEA agent who is now the head of the Special Operation Unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, must stop at nothing to enforce the bear proaching laws.
November 7, 2011
This book was a slow read, but I don't regret reading it.
December 24, 2012
Very enjoyable.
February 19, 2013
Really enjoyed this, the second book I have read by this author. Great read with lots of twists and turns--about as many as Highway 50 going over the Sierra's.
May 23, 2013
Just could not get into this book or connect with any of the characters.
November 20, 2014
I am enjoying this new "eco-thriller/mystery" series. On to book three.
March 29, 2017
Not liking the "John Marquez" series...very predictable
April 20, 2017
The author seems to travel all over the state of California like it's the size of Rhode Island. And in my mine, the action is a lot more exciting in his mind than it is on the written page. Too many loose ends. It took me three times as long to finish this book as it normally does.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews