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Night Kills
In the world of Minneapolis advertising, murder strikes and the ex-wife of top ad executive Mike Squire is set up for the fall
- GenresThriller
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 13, 1990
About the author
Ed Gorman
463 books123 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2024
Frank Brolan works as an adman in the brutal and often cutthroat advertising/marketing business. He is attending a party with his fellow people in the business when he has an unusual encounter with a woman he does not know. The business will quickly become literally cutthroat when the woman appears dismembered in his basement freezer. It turns out that the woman is a hooker, albeit an unusual one.
Fearful of bringing in the police, Frank decides to try to determine the actual circumstances before informing anyone other than his closest friend. This begins an unusual murder mystery where a teenage runaway and a man confined to a wheelchair become his allies. The man in the wheelchair was a close confidant of the murdered woman and is very smart.
The case proceeds as with assistance, Frank begins unearthing clues that make him realize that his colleagues in the ad business are not what they appear to be. His agency recently managed to snag major accounts from other agencies and Frank discovers that this was accomplished using underhanded methods. The murderer and his henchpeople are uncovered, although not without significant cost.
As unusual feature of the story is the repeated references to classical films. Frank and the man in the wheelchair are both movie buffs and they often debate the merits and qualities of old movies and their more modern remakes. This does a great deal to improve what is otherwise a routine murder story.
Fearful of bringing in the police, Frank decides to try to determine the actual circumstances before informing anyone other than his closest friend. This begins an unusual murder mystery where a teenage runaway and a man confined to a wheelchair become his allies. The man in the wheelchair was a close confidant of the murdered woman and is very smart.
The case proceeds as with assistance, Frank begins unearthing clues that make him realize that his colleagues in the ad business are not what they appear to be. His agency recently managed to snag major accounts from other agencies and Frank discovers that this was accomplished using underhanded methods. The murderer and his henchpeople are uncovered, although not without significant cost.
As unusual feature of the story is the repeated references to classical films. Frank and the man in the wheelchair are both movie buffs and they often debate the merits and qualities of old movies and their more modern remakes. This does a great deal to improve what is otherwise a routine murder story.
May 12, 2018
Definitely a five star book!! I highly recommend it. Ed Gorman is another one of my favorite authors. This twisted mystery is well written and every character is so believable that you can relate each to someone you know in real life. (The snarky secretary at work, the flirtatious guy in the other department who thinks he is a real catch, etc). Some characters I absolutely loved, some were just the opposite. I wanted this book to go on and on. I love it when a book is so good I don't want it to end.
This is a murder mystery, and there are so many possible suspects that I kept changing my mind throughout the entire book as to who the killer was, and why - and I still didn't get it right.
If every book I read was this fantastic, it would be a lovely world indeed!!!
Read this.
This is a murder mystery, and there are so many possible suspects that I kept changing my mind throughout the entire book as to who the killer was, and why - and I still didn't get it right.
If every book I read was this fantastic, it would be a lovely world indeed!!!
Read this.
June 29, 2024
"Night Kills" is an ugly and forgettable 1990 murder mystery in which an irredeemable scumbag advertising guy finds a dead body in his basement. He's being set up by a sadistic thrill-killer and we're supposed to find out who it is.
Verdict: A boring mystery drowned in gratuitous filth.
Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Verdict: A boring mystery drowned in gratuitous filth.
Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews