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John Wells #2
Сянката на Колт
A newspaperman investigates a war correspondent's hotel room murderAs snow falls on Manhattan, three old colleagues warm themselves in the wood-paneled confines of the Midtown Press Club. Two are editors at highbrow New York publications; the other is Timothy Colt, a daring war correspondent whose face is not famous but whose byline is known the world over. New York Star crime reporter John Wells listens as they rehash old times, then follows Colt back to his room to drink some more. He wakes hung over, just in time to see Colt murdered. After a struggle with Wells draws the attention of hotel security, the assassin flings himself out the window. To unmask Colt's killer, Wells will have to reach deep into his fellow reporter's past--for the root of this murder lies in a long-forgotten love, and an atrocious war too terrible to be remembered.
- GenresThriller
206 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1988
56 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Klavan
103 books2,355 followersReference for now:
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 10, 2022
Very engrossing second installment in Klavan's John Wells series. Seriously good mystery/crime novel.
March 11, 2021
This involving and gripping book was like reading a black and white classic film noir. The murder mystery is taut and the writing is spare and clean with descriptions that smack you in the face like a tumbler of ice water. The characters are tough, mean, smart, savvy, grimly clever, brave and - as a nod to the days of Bogart, Mitchum, Ryan and Garfield - all smoke cigarettes and drink way too much alcohol. It's a story of war correspondents, revolutions being covered by journalists and photographers, love affairs and triangles, political corruption, betrayal, and of course, murder. The author lays the Chandler/Hammett/Gardner on pretty thick, but never crossing the line into parody. It all reads very real. And the mystery is puzzling without being frustrating ... and the solution is believable and surprising.
I kinda hope they make a movie out of this one!
He took a long swig of his drink and plunked it down on the table. He reached into his jacket. I tensed in my chair. He pulled out an elegant black cigarette case. He removed an unfiltered job and lit it with a silver lighter. The smoke drifted toward me. It smelled like perfume.
"A fair request," said Lester Paul. "I have detained you long enough." For another moment he smoked and gathered his thoughts. He shrugged, his cigarette smoke tracing a spiral in the air. "Well, let's just say I am planning to leave your lovely country soon; when I do, I would like very much to be free of any suspicion of murder." The hand holding the cigarette kept moving. The tendrils of smoke unraveled along with his story. "There was, as you might suspect, a woman in the case. A woman named Eleanora." He stared into the smoke that surrounded him. The whole room seemed to have sunk beneath the haze of smoke."
I kinda hope they make a movie out of this one!
He took a long swig of his drink and plunked it down on the table. He reached into his jacket. I tensed in my chair. He pulled out an elegant black cigarette case. He removed an unfiltered job and lit it with a silver lighter. The smoke drifted toward me. It smelled like perfume.
"A fair request," said Lester Paul. "I have detained you long enough." For another moment he smoked and gathered his thoughts. He shrugged, his cigarette smoke tracing a spiral in the air. "Well, let's just say I am planning to leave your lovely country soon; when I do, I would like very much to be free of any suspicion of murder." The hand holding the cigarette kept moving. The tendrils of smoke unraveled along with his story. "There was, as you might suspect, a woman in the case. A woman named Eleanora." He stared into the smoke that surrounded him. The whole room seemed to have sunk beneath the haze of smoke."
April 9, 2022
Such a gripping, well-done crime thriller. Very hard to put down!
So many trademarks Klavanisms throughout - the snappy, hard-boiled dialogue that seems straight out of a 1940s film noir, the supporting characters who really pop (Gottlieb, Watts, McKay, etc.), the horrifically detailed violent skirmishes that leave our hero bloodied but unbowed, the unabashed appreciation of femininity, the gibbous moon ...
This plot was particularly tight and had an internal logic that I felt was somehow missing from the first Wells novel, The Trapdoor. Every event followed the prior one in unexpected but fully understandable ways. I was never left scratching my head, thinking, "Well, that didn't really fit together ..."
This second installment finds newspaperman John Wells - who drinks too much, smokes too much, and has too many ghosts living in his head for company - unwittingly wrapped up in the fallout from the downfall of the African nation of Sentu a decade beforehand when he witnesses the murder of star journalist Tim Colt and finds himself subsequently also marked for death. What happened all those years ago in that corrupt and corruptible country where rebels and officials murdered each other with impunity and everyone was on the take that led directly to Tim's death? How was the short contretemps between Colt and the shadowy figure of Les Paul (not of guitar fame) related to Colt's death and Wells's continued danger? And who is Eleanora and how does she tie all the actions and reactions together? Klavan shows us how in an enthralling tale of lies and betrayal, dreams and fantasies, punctuated throughout with the sort of humor only a true tragedian could conjure.
Looking forward to Wells #3 - and the inevitable gibbous moon certain parts of the action will take place under.
So many trademarks Klavanisms throughout - the snappy, hard-boiled dialogue that seems straight out of a 1940s film noir, the supporting characters who really pop (Gottlieb, Watts, McKay, etc.), the horrifically detailed violent skirmishes that leave our hero bloodied but unbowed, the unabashed appreciation of femininity, the gibbous moon ...
This plot was particularly tight and had an internal logic that I felt was somehow missing from the first Wells novel, The Trapdoor. Every event followed the prior one in unexpected but fully understandable ways. I was never left scratching my head, thinking, "Well, that didn't really fit together ..."
This second installment finds newspaperman John Wells - who drinks too much, smokes too much, and has too many ghosts living in his head for company - unwittingly wrapped up in the fallout from the downfall of the African nation of Sentu a decade beforehand when he witnesses the murder of star journalist Tim Colt and finds himself subsequently also marked for death. What happened all those years ago in that corrupt and corruptible country where rebels and officials murdered each other with impunity and everyone was on the take that led directly to Tim's death? How was the short contretemps between Colt and the shadowy figure of Les Paul (not of guitar fame) related to Colt's death and Wells's continued danger? And who is Eleanora and how does she tie all the actions and reactions together? Klavan shows us how in an enthralling tale of lies and betrayal, dreams and fantasies, punctuated throughout with the sort of humor only a true tragedian could conjure.
Looking forward to Wells #3 - and the inevitable gibbous moon certain parts of the action will take place under.
December 27, 2019
Mi sono imbattuto in questo autore un po' per caso. Un caso fortunato, mi vien da dire dopo aver finito questo libro. Un giallo classico, molto noir, dove non manca nulla: azione, introspezione, dialoghi azzeccati, descrizioni convincenti. Il libro viene raccontato in prima persona dal protagonista John Wells, un giornalista particolare e molto determinato. Lettura molto piacevole.
November 24, 2024
Gritty crime thriller with a mysterious woman/romance, foreign war, betrayal, and aching loneliness. Reminiscent (in feel, not plot) of a really good old black and white movie… Casablanca. A quick but satisfying read. Would make a terrific film.
July 19, 2019
Another good, fun, mysterious read.
January 7, 2020
Terrible writing, clunky and childish. Plus the writer is a misogynist, anti-feminist and it comes across quite strongly in how he writes about women.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.
December 20, 2021
I like the protagonist but didn’t like the plot line.
December 1, 2022
Dark but entertaining story. I enjoy Klavan's writing
June 3, 2023
More like a short story than a full book
January 6, 2025
Decent story about a hard-bitten, ageing, loner reporter in NYC. Not sure why he is so good in hand-to-hand combat despite being clearly out of shape (and even drunk/hung over).
June 4, 2012
I like this character John Wells - will be reading more in this series!
July 29, 2019
Book 2 of the John Wells mystery series...murder & mayhem up & down a frigid NYC. John Wells is a reporter, who knows how to fight! Pretty good action packed noir-thriller.....3.25 outta 5.0!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews