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Junior Bender #7
Nighttown
Los Angeles burglar Junior Bender has a rule about never taking a job that pays too well—in the criminal underworld, if someone is offering you more money than a job is worth, someone is going to end up dead. But he’s bending his rule this one time because he and his girlfriend, Ronnie, are in desperate need of cash so they can hire a top-notch kidnapper to snatch Ronnie’s two-year-old son back from her evil ex. The whole thing is pretty complicated, and has Junior on edge.
The parameters of his too-well-paying job do nothing to calm his nerves. A nameless woman in an orange wig has offered Junior fifty grand—twenty-five up front—to break into the abandoned house of a recently deceased 97-year-old recluse, Daisy Horton, and steal a doll from the woman’s collection. Junior knows no doll is worth $50k, so he figures there must be something hidden inside the doll that can get him in a heap of trouble. It takes Junior less time than he would have hoped to realize he’s not the only person looking for the doll. When an old friend ends up murdered, Junior decides he will stop at nothing to figure out who the woman in the orange wig is, and why she wants the doll so bad she’s leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.
The parameters of his too-well-paying job do nothing to calm his nerves. A nameless woman in an orange wig has offered Junior fifty grand—twenty-five up front—to break into the abandoned house of a recently deceased 97-year-old recluse, Daisy Horton, and steal a doll from the woman’s collection. Junior knows no doll is worth $50k, so he figures there must be something hidden inside the doll that can get him in a heap of trouble. It takes Junior less time than he would have hoped to realize he’s not the only person looking for the doll. When an old friend ends up murdered, Junior decides he will stop at nothing to figure out who the woman in the orange wig is, and why she wants the doll so bad she’s leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 6, 2018
82 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Hallinan
44 books454 followersI'm a thriller and mystery novelist with 22 published books in three series, all with major imprints. I divides my time between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia, primarily Thailand, where I've lived off and on for more than twenty years. As of now, My primary home is in Santa Monica, California.
I currently write two series, The Poke Rafferty Bangkok Thrillers, most recently FOOLS' RIVER, and the Junior Bender Mysteries, set in Los Angeles, Coming up this November is NIGHTTOWN. The main character of those books is a burglar who works as a private eye for crooks.
The first series I ever wrote featured an overeducated private eye named Simeon Grist. in 2017 I wrote PULPED, the first book in the series to be self-published, which was actually a lot of fun. I might do more of it.
I've been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the Shamus, and the Left, and won the Lefty in 2015 (?) for the Junior Bender book HERBIE'S GAME. My work has frequently been included in Best Books of the Year roundups by major publications.
I currently write two series, The Poke Rafferty Bangkok Thrillers, most recently FOOLS' RIVER, and the Junior Bender Mysteries, set in Los Angeles, Coming up this November is NIGHTTOWN. The main character of those books is a burglar who works as a private eye for crooks.
The first series I ever wrote featured an overeducated private eye named Simeon Grist. in 2017 I wrote PULPED, the first book in the series to be self-published, which was actually a lot of fun. I might do more of it.
I've been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the Shamus, and the Left, and won the Lefty in 2015 (?) for the Junior Bender book HERBIE'S GAME. My work has frequently been included in Best Books of the Year roundups by major publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
July 21, 2019
Nighttown is the seventh in Timothy Hallinan's Junior Bender series, and the first in the series I've read. I've been a Hallinan fan for several years after reading several of his Poke Rafferty series, but hadn't yet been introduced to Junior Bender before Nighttown. My loss, that.
For readers averse to starting a series several novels in, I didn't have any sense of not knowing essential facts or background. Who knows if Nighttown is the best of the series -- I'll let you know over the next 24 months in reviews of subsequent novels -- but it is a great read for several reasons.
Junior Bender and Poke Rafferty share certain features - they have integrity; they treat women as equals; they aren't pompous, self-pitying drunks; they're observant. Hallinan gets much credit from me as a male author who includes female subject-matter experts as minor characters. Take this the right way -- for a reader of many, many hundreds of detective/mystery novels, it's quite satisfying to encounter female expert safe-crackers, lock-pickers, car boosters and cat thieves in my novels. I appreciate an author who doesn't view crime expertise as exclusively male and female characters as exclusively love-interests, ex-wives or other appearance-only add-ons.
Nighttown isn't literary fiction, but it's smart and thoughtful and the mystery is believable and well-revealed. The pacing might be a little leisurely for some of my reading friends, but if you're up for the ride Hallinan offers, I anticipate you'll conclude it's a fine one. I'll be reading every Junior Bender novel he writes.
Thanks to SoHo Crime and Edelweiss+ for providing a free e-copy.
For readers averse to starting a series several novels in, I didn't have any sense of not knowing essential facts or background. Who knows if Nighttown is the best of the series -- I'll let you know over the next 24 months in reviews of subsequent novels -- but it is a great read for several reasons.
Junior Bender and Poke Rafferty share certain features - they have integrity; they treat women as equals; they aren't pompous, self-pitying drunks; they're observant. Hallinan gets much credit from me as a male author who includes female subject-matter experts as minor characters. Take this the right way -- for a reader of many, many hundreds of detective/mystery novels, it's quite satisfying to encounter female expert safe-crackers, lock-pickers, car boosters and cat thieves in my novels. I appreciate an author who doesn't view crime expertise as exclusively male and female characters as exclusively love-interests, ex-wives or other appearance-only add-ons.
Nighttown isn't literary fiction, but it's smart and thoughtful and the mystery is believable and well-revealed. The pacing might be a little leisurely for some of my reading friends, but if you're up for the ride Hallinan offers, I anticipate you'll conclude it's a fine one. I'll be reading every Junior Bender novel he writes.
Thanks to SoHo Crime and Edelweiss+ for providing a free e-copy.
May 13, 2020
This is supposed to be a book about a burglar. I guess to me a burglar would go around and case out places and steal from the wealthy. But this character gets hired by someone to steal something that was in a house of someone who had passed away. Ok but Junior Bender spends more time having coffee and pie and dialogue with everyone he knows that I found this story very slow and boring. I wanted to quit reading at 50% but I said no, let's finish the book. at 88% I REALLY wanted to DNF but I figured I got this far that I might as well figure out. Myabe it's because it is the 7th book of this series and I hadn't read the other books.
I received this from Edelweiss for review.
I received this from Edelweiss for review.
July 30, 2018
I really enjoy this series, but what's getting it the extra star this time is this priceless quotation:
"I'd learned early that fatness in a book wasn't a warning sign, but rather a promise that you would be allowed to remain in its world for a longer time."
"I'd learned early that fatness in a book wasn't a warning sign, but rather a promise that you would be allowed to remain in its world for a longer time."
December 6, 2024
Always a delight! This time Junior finds himself working the same burglary as another set of burglars, and no one knows who has paid their commission. Fascinating and funny.
November 13, 2018
I stumbled across Timothy Hallinan's series of novels about crime-solving burglar Junior Bender a couple of years ago and boy howdy, am I glad I did. Junior's first-person tales of his adventures in La La Land come across as Philip Marlowe as written by Donald E. Westlake. The plots paint a picture of society at every level of Los Angeles, but with the sass and sarcasm you'd find in a Noo Yawker.
The set-up for this one is edged with desperation. We learned in the last book, "Field Where They Lay," that Junior's whip-smart and frequently brave girlfriend Ronnie has an ex and a 2-year-old kid living in New Jersey, and she can't see either because the ex is a Mob-affiliated doctor who won't let her take the child. Junior has found someone to help them snatch the kid and disappear, but it will cost them -- big.
So against his better judgment, Junior takes on a job presented to him by a woman in a terrible disguise: $50,000 up front, and another 50 when he delivers a doll he has to steal from a grand old house that's about to be torn down. Obviously the doll isn't worth that much money, but something hidden in the doll must be, right?
Nothing goes quite the way it's supposed to, starting with Junior bumping into a second burglar in the house, an old friend he hasn't seen in years whose lonesome existence touches a chord with thim. Before long two people are dead and Junior and Ronnie are hiding out in a cheesy mouse-themed motel as he searches high and low for the woman who hired him.
His search will take him around to meet up with a lot of the vivid characters who we met in previous novels: Jake Whelan, the fading Hollywood lion; mob boss Irwin Dressler; Stinky Detwiler, Junior's tiny-nosed fence; Eaglet, the ex-hippie hitwoman; and of course Junior's best friend, failed getaway driver turned information outlet Louie the Lost.
Along the way, Junior gives us little disquisitions on the perils of stealing antique silverware, the popularity of Spiritualism in 19th century England, the scale for hardness of various gems, the hallmarks of a rare Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first edition and other delightfully esoteric topics that actually fit in with the plot (sort of).
The most amazing scene, though, belongs to Eaglet, as the hitwoman explains to a 14-year-old hacker named Anime about how she overcame an eating disorder thanks to a Native American shaman who introduced her to her shadow. It's a perfect encapsulation of Hallinan's art: A totally weird discussion between two odd characters that comes across as both hilarious and sweetly sincere.
I would give this book five stars except Hallinan never quite ties up the loose thread about the abduction, which means we're left dangling. Of course, that also makes me even more eager to read the next one in the series.
The set-up for this one is edged with desperation. We learned in the last book, "Field Where They Lay," that Junior's whip-smart and frequently brave girlfriend Ronnie has an ex and a 2-year-old kid living in New Jersey, and she can't see either because the ex is a Mob-affiliated doctor who won't let her take the child. Junior has found someone to help them snatch the kid and disappear, but it will cost them -- big.
So against his better judgment, Junior takes on a job presented to him by a woman in a terrible disguise: $50,000 up front, and another 50 when he delivers a doll he has to steal from a grand old house that's about to be torn down. Obviously the doll isn't worth that much money, but something hidden in the doll must be, right?
Nothing goes quite the way it's supposed to, starting with Junior bumping into a second burglar in the house, an old friend he hasn't seen in years whose lonesome existence touches a chord with thim. Before long two people are dead and Junior and Ronnie are hiding out in a cheesy mouse-themed motel as he searches high and low for the woman who hired him.
His search will take him around to meet up with a lot of the vivid characters who we met in previous novels: Jake Whelan, the fading Hollywood lion; mob boss Irwin Dressler; Stinky Detwiler, Junior's tiny-nosed fence; Eaglet, the ex-hippie hitwoman; and of course Junior's best friend, failed getaway driver turned information outlet Louie the Lost.
Along the way, Junior gives us little disquisitions on the perils of stealing antique silverware, the popularity of Spiritualism in 19th century England, the scale for hardness of various gems, the hallmarks of a rare Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first edition and other delightfully esoteric topics that actually fit in with the plot (sort of).
The most amazing scene, though, belongs to Eaglet, as the hitwoman explains to a 14-year-old hacker named Anime about how she overcame an eating disorder thanks to a Native American shaman who introduced her to her shadow. It's a perfect encapsulation of Hallinan's art: A totally weird discussion between two odd characters that comes across as both hilarious and sweetly sincere.
I would give this book five stars except Hallinan never quite ties up the loose thread about the abduction, which means we're left dangling. Of course, that also makes me even more eager to read the next one in the series.
December 7, 2018
Stinky Tetweiler is Junior Bender's middle-man; Stinky sets up the heists and Junior completes the job. When Junior is offered $50,000 to find a doll in an abandoned house, slated for demolition, his antenna go on high alert...nobody pays that kind of money to steal a doll. When Junior arrives at Horton House, he discovers he is not the only person looking for the doll. And when Lumia is killed by someone, after she finds the doll, Junior wants revenge. As Junior works to figure out what is going on behind the scenes, the reader gets a ring-side seat to how burglars work and it is fascinating stuff. Once again, Hallinan hits it out of the park with a humorous and well-plotted book. Definitely recommended.
November 23, 2018
(2 1/2). Junior Bender is an acquired taste, like a good single malt scotch. He is not your razzle dazzle kind of cop, PI or detective. He is a professional thief after all. This story is even more convoluted than usual for Junior, but with the help of his able assistants (Louie et al) he manages to sort of resolve things. As always, Junior is one of the more engaging characters you can find, but the substory here is really all over the map. I am still a devoted Junior fan. Pretty good stuff.
November 11, 2018
Quite good. Not as madcap or self consciously zany as some of the others in the series which is premised on a burglar who has to escape or prevent worse criminal injustices which occur while he tries to make a living. The plot is the time honored search for something hidden which triggers a chase, several murders, and revenge from beyond the grave by an embittered ancient heiress. There’s also an examination of spiritualism, Conan Doyle, and fhe original theft of the McGuffin in late 19th century London. The ending is a bit flat given all the mayhem and angst the bad guys caused. But that’s made up for by the very interesting story about how “sterling” silver gets its name.
October 27, 2018
“Burglars tend to prefer the dark because, while some of us are pretty dumb, there aren’t many of us stupid enough to begin a job by turning on the lights.”
“Nighttown” by Timothy Hallinan is the first person narrative by Junior Bender, a person on the “edge” of society, a burglar, actually, but not one of the bad guys. This is book seven in the series, but new and returning readers easily follow Junior’s descriptions and interpretations of what he sees, and eavesdrop on his thoughts as he plans his next move. Junior and his girl-friend Ronnie are desperate for money because they plan to kidnap her two-year-old son from his father, a New Jersey mob doctor, and it will be an expensive proposition.
Junior is in Horton House; it is old, dark, and vacant. Its demolition is scheduled in just a few days. He is being well paid to retrieve an item left inside the almost empty house, and he has the key to get in. What could go wrong? Well, quite a lot, actually.
Junior’s thorough details and reflections every step of the way make readers active participants in the exploits. Junior and readers are looking everywhere and finding nothing. Hallinan establishes Horton House as an essential character right from the start.
“The hallway’s white ceiling was arched, like the doorways and the openings to the other rooms. The effect was beautiful in a slightly churchy manner. Builders used to care about the houses they built. Dangling above me was a delicately angular wrought iron chandelier."
Of course, no old house would be complete without old books, and Horton house has plenty of those, even classic first editions.
“Then I sat, turning the little book over in my hands. It was at least fifty, maybe even sixty, years old. The paper was brittle enough to have broken, so cleanly it might have been cut, along several diagonals where a corner had been dog-eared.”
The distinctive cast of characters has unique names as well including Ting Ting, Stinky, Eaglet, Anime, and Lumia. There are moments of hilarity amongst the trauma with rainbow toenail polish, orange wigs, Minnie’s Mouse House, and hiccups.
“The scariest part of the movie is always when the killer gets hiccups. Makes my hair stand on end every time…Death and hiccups. They’ve gone together for centuries. That’s why the deadliest man in the old West was called Wild Bill Hiccup.”
The action takes place over just a few days, so readers are eager to find out what Horton House will reveal next. I received a review copy of “Nighttown” from Timothy Hallinan, Soho Crime, and Edelweiss. I have read previous Junior Bender books, and found this as funny and enjoyable as the others. It is an easy, quick, book to read, and readers can follow the intense search and laugh at the same time.
December 14, 2018
Witty, whimsical quips are just one additional reason to like the Bender series. Along with the humor, you get a convoluted mystery, a tour of Bender's favorite LA haunts, and his frequent esoteric asides--rare books, jewels, burglary techniques, etc. Finishing the book left me with an inexplicable craving for lemon meringue pie. My favorite line from this book is, "Reading doesn't make you smart. Reading makes you human."
November 7, 2021
the author has changed the tone, pacing, and purpose of the series so much that I barely recognize Junior. So much discussion about unrelated stuff.
November 26, 2018
Many authors would engage (internally, of course) in delirious self-congratulations if they were able to create one successful series. Timothy Hallinan has produced three.
His Simeon Grist series --- resurrected not too long ago after an extended hiatus --- is fondly remembered, and PULPED, the latest installment, has been heartily received. The Poke Rafferty novels --- about an American expatriate journalist living in Bangkok, working as a travel writer and unofficially as a private investigator --- propelled Hallinan to the top of the “must-read” lists of many. That status has been further cemented by Junior Bender, the go-to burglar for the members of the Los Angeles underworld. Junior is an unlikely but likable protagonist whose glib remarks often belie the dark circumstances in which he frequently finds himself. This is particularly true of book seven in the series, NIGHTTOWN.
As one might expect in a book whose protagonist is a burglar, there is a burglary that is the beating heart of NIGHTTOWN. What is different here is that Junior does not want to do the job for several different reasons, though he must. The reason for the “must” is that he needs a lot of money as soon as possible. He and his girlfriend Ronnie have to hire a kidnapper to get Ronnie’s two-year-old son back from her ex-husband, who is ensconced in an extremely secure fortified compound in New Jersey. The reason for the “not want” is a bit more complicated. Junior has a hard and fast rule that boils down to never taking a job that pays too well. The job that he is offered fits that definition.
Junior is being retained to break into an abandoned mansion --- the former home of a recently deceased 97-year-old reclusive invalid --- to retrieve a doll from her extensive collection. Well aware that it is not worth the $50,000 he would be paid, he quickly figures out there is something inside the doll that is the prize. The woman who is hiring him is somewhat off-putting as well. Needs is as needs does, however, and as a result Junior finds himself doing the creepy crawly in the deteriorating house, only to discover that someone else has been hired to snatch up the doll. The expensive toy is located in short enough order, but the object --- whatever it is --- that was hidden inside it is missing. This results in a violent death, and so Junior is driven not only to complete the caper but also to gain some measure of revenge for the victim, a fond acquaintance of his.
Both are seemingly impossible tasks, but Junior ferrets out a couple of slender and fragile evidentiary threads, one of which takes him back almost a century to a couple of familial secrets involving the former resident of the once-palatial mansion and its original owner. Junior acquires a few valuable first-edition books along the way and renews some old acquaintances with friends and enemies alike, even as he puts himself in terrible danger from his unlikely employers who think that he just might have found the object they are seeking and is keeping it for himself. The conclusion of this intriguing story packs an unexpected wallop, which resonates long after the last (and highly satisfying) sentence is read.
There are a number of twists and turns sprinkled throughout, some of which don’t manifest themselves as such until close to the very end. Hallinan leaves one particular story arc unresolved --- probably for the next installment --- but anyone who has read NIGHTTOWN (not to mention the previous six books) will be back for more, regardless of hinting, prodding or otherwise. The plotting, characterization and superior prose make this a memorable series that you should be reading religiously.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
His Simeon Grist series --- resurrected not too long ago after an extended hiatus --- is fondly remembered, and PULPED, the latest installment, has been heartily received. The Poke Rafferty novels --- about an American expatriate journalist living in Bangkok, working as a travel writer and unofficially as a private investigator --- propelled Hallinan to the top of the “must-read” lists of many. That status has been further cemented by Junior Bender, the go-to burglar for the members of the Los Angeles underworld. Junior is an unlikely but likable protagonist whose glib remarks often belie the dark circumstances in which he frequently finds himself. This is particularly true of book seven in the series, NIGHTTOWN.
As one might expect in a book whose protagonist is a burglar, there is a burglary that is the beating heart of NIGHTTOWN. What is different here is that Junior does not want to do the job for several different reasons, though he must. The reason for the “must” is that he needs a lot of money as soon as possible. He and his girlfriend Ronnie have to hire a kidnapper to get Ronnie’s two-year-old son back from her ex-husband, who is ensconced in an extremely secure fortified compound in New Jersey. The reason for the “not want” is a bit more complicated. Junior has a hard and fast rule that boils down to never taking a job that pays too well. The job that he is offered fits that definition.
Junior is being retained to break into an abandoned mansion --- the former home of a recently deceased 97-year-old reclusive invalid --- to retrieve a doll from her extensive collection. Well aware that it is not worth the $50,000 he would be paid, he quickly figures out there is something inside the doll that is the prize. The woman who is hiring him is somewhat off-putting as well. Needs is as needs does, however, and as a result Junior finds himself doing the creepy crawly in the deteriorating house, only to discover that someone else has been hired to snatch up the doll. The expensive toy is located in short enough order, but the object --- whatever it is --- that was hidden inside it is missing. This results in a violent death, and so Junior is driven not only to complete the caper but also to gain some measure of revenge for the victim, a fond acquaintance of his.
Both are seemingly impossible tasks, but Junior ferrets out a couple of slender and fragile evidentiary threads, one of which takes him back almost a century to a couple of familial secrets involving the former resident of the once-palatial mansion and its original owner. Junior acquires a few valuable first-edition books along the way and renews some old acquaintances with friends and enemies alike, even as he puts himself in terrible danger from his unlikely employers who think that he just might have found the object they are seeking and is keeping it for himself. The conclusion of this intriguing story packs an unexpected wallop, which resonates long after the last (and highly satisfying) sentence is read.
There are a number of twists and turns sprinkled throughout, some of which don’t manifest themselves as such until close to the very end. Hallinan leaves one particular story arc unresolved --- probably for the next installment --- but anyone who has read NIGHTTOWN (not to mention the previous six books) will be back for more, regardless of hinting, prodding or otherwise. The plotting, characterization and superior prose make this a memorable series that you should be reading religiously.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
November 22, 2018
Me: Junior, you're a pistol, you're really funny. You're really funny.
Junior: "What do you mean I'm funny?"
Me: "It's funny, you know. It's a good story, it's funny, you're a funny guy."
Junior: "What do you mean, you mean the way I talk? What?"
Me: "It's just, you know. You're just funny, it's... funny, you know the way you tell the story and everything."
Junior: "Funny how? What's funny about it?"
All right enough.
Does every piece of dialogue have to be clever, witty, snarky or a wise crack? It gets tiring and loses its charm. Can't they just sit at the diner order coffee, eat pie and just talk.
My first Timothy Hallinan book. It's a good read with many unique characters, the Horton House was my favorite character and Itsy Winkle a close second. A story with many twist and turns.
Junior Bender, a burglar with a soul, takes a job breaking into an old woman's old home to steal a doll. A second burglar, a woman Junior knows, was also hired to steal the same doll. When she ends up dead, Junior sets off to find out who did it and what was so important about a doll that they would kill for it.
A well written book but ease up on the funny stuff.
Junior: "You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?"... Enough!
Junior: "What do you mean I'm funny?"
Me: "It's funny, you know. It's a good story, it's funny, you're a funny guy."
Junior: "What do you mean, you mean the way I talk? What?"
Me: "It's just, you know. You're just funny, it's... funny, you know the way you tell the story and everything."
Junior: "Funny how? What's funny about it?"
All right enough.
Does every piece of dialogue have to be clever, witty, snarky or a wise crack? It gets tiring and loses its charm. Can't they just sit at the diner order coffee, eat pie and just talk.
My first Timothy Hallinan book. It's a good read with many unique characters, the Horton House was my favorite character and Itsy Winkle a close second. A story with many twist and turns.
Junior Bender, a burglar with a soul, takes a job breaking into an old woman's old home to steal a doll. A second burglar, a woman Junior knows, was also hired to steal the same doll. When she ends up dead, Junior sets off to find out who did it and what was so important about a doll that they would kill for it.
A well written book but ease up on the funny stuff.
Junior: "You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?"... Enough!
April 4, 2022
I feel duped by this book so barely a 3 stars - barely. 😒😒 Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a Junior fan, but I went into this expecting it to be about a rescue mission of Ronnie’s so, and I’m still waiting😡😡😡 that part of the story was barely touched on with no resolution. The mystery of the dolls instead took center stage, so to speak, and solving the murder of a somewhat “friend”
Also missing for me was Junior’s interactions with RIna (his daughter) and Tyrone, the family dynamics there, and the cast of secondary characters who really help make the books what they are. I will say (positive note) his abs Eaglet’s interaction with Anime in their attempts to help her navigate a very sensitive issue with her GF was good and recruiting RIna help ( though that might may or may not be helpful in the real world 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️) It’s nice to see at least some of these issues been touched on even if not in depth.
I gave it three stars because I’ve really enjoyed this series, but this book was sort of a miss for me.
Also missing for me was Junior’s interactions with RIna (his daughter) and Tyrone, the family dynamics there, and the cast of secondary characters who really help make the books what they are. I will say (positive note) his abs Eaglet’s interaction with Anime in their attempts to help her navigate a very sensitive issue with her GF was good and recruiting RIna help ( though that might may or may not be helpful in the real world 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️) It’s nice to see at least some of these issues been touched on even if not in depth.
I gave it three stars because I’ve really enjoyed this series, but this book was sort of a miss for me.
December 7, 2018
I did the previous ones in this series on audio so this is the first one I read.
While being a bit wordy, they were not wasted.
People and things were described brilliantly. It was reminiscent of the “noir mystery/chandler/hammett” genre.
Even though he’s a crook, I like Junior.
I like Ronnie, Eaglet, Ting Ting and the other cast of characters as well.
There wasn’t as much humor in this one as previous ones. It was also a little darker.
There was a lot of foreshadowing w/Ronnie & her personal problem. I hope that there’s a happy ending w/that in the next book.
I didn’t like the ending b/c i like more closure but I soo didn’t see that last twist. It was unexpected and clever.
While being a bit wordy, they were not wasted.
People and things were described brilliantly. It was reminiscent of the “noir mystery/chandler/hammett” genre.
Even though he’s a crook, I like Junior.
I like Ronnie, Eaglet, Ting Ting and the other cast of characters as well.
There wasn’t as much humor in this one as previous ones. It was also a little darker.
There was a lot of foreshadowing w/Ronnie & her personal problem. I hope that there’s a happy ending w/that in the next book.
I didn’t like the ending b/c i like more closure but I soo didn’t see that last twist. It was unexpected and clever.
April 7, 2025
Always a pleasure to spend time with Junior and his friends.
December 29, 2020
A good, satisfying mystery with a likeable sleuth. It had a lot of the "process" and "gumshoe" parts of a mystery that I personally enjoy, along with some really clever dialogue that didn't overpower the story. I picked it up because it was advertised as being funny, and it delivered in a way I needed right now. (But it had serious parts too; this isn't a cozy.) An interesting twist about this series is that the sleuth is a burglar (with a heart of gold, natch), so I really enjoy that perspective. I learned a great tip from this book about how to climb over a chainmail fence, if I should want to do such a thing, such as perhaps to commit a burglary. Hypothetically. There is also a connection to Arthur Conan Doyle in this story, which mystery fans will enjoy. I appreciated the afterword discussing the history of spiritualism and why people were so eager to believe such hoaxes at the time. This is the first book I’ve read in the series, but it made me want to go back and get to know the characters better.
November 3, 2018
Timothy Hallinan writes just the kind of books that SOUND really exciting and somewhat quirky. Nighttown, the latest (#7) in the Junior Bender series, came my way thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. As it turned out, I tried several times to get into it, but it just wasn’t for me…but my husband LOVED it, so I am sharing what he thought of it!
Junior Bender is a burglar living in Los Angeles and his girlfriend, Ronnie, has a problem: she and her ex have a two year old, and Ronnie wants to hire a kidnapper to take her kid back from the ex. Their shared problem is that they needs cash to hire a kidnapper, then suddenly some woman in an orange wig offers Junior fifty thousand dollars (with twenty-five up front) to break into a house where an elderly recluse has recently died and steal a doll. The job sounds too good to be true, plus it breaks one of Junior’s cardinal rules: never take a job that sounds like you are being offered too much money for that particular job. But Junior moves ahead anyway.
He figures there must be something hidden in the doll, and he has a hunch that the job is risky. Then a friends is murdered, which seriously annoys him, and he decides he will do whatever it takes to find out who the orange wig lady is and why she wants the doll badly enough to leave a string of corpses in her wake.
It actually sounds good, again, so I may try it –maybe I was just not in the right frame of mind when I tried it before (it happens!!). In any case, I’m passing along four stars for this latest in the Junior Bender series.
Junior Bender is a burglar living in Los Angeles and his girlfriend, Ronnie, has a problem: she and her ex have a two year old, and Ronnie wants to hire a kidnapper to take her kid back from the ex. Their shared problem is that they needs cash to hire a kidnapper, then suddenly some woman in an orange wig offers Junior fifty thousand dollars (with twenty-five up front) to break into a house where an elderly recluse has recently died and steal a doll. The job sounds too good to be true, plus it breaks one of Junior’s cardinal rules: never take a job that sounds like you are being offered too much money for that particular job. But Junior moves ahead anyway.
He figures there must be something hidden in the doll, and he has a hunch that the job is risky. Then a friends is murdered, which seriously annoys him, and he decides he will do whatever it takes to find out who the orange wig lady is and why she wants the doll badly enough to leave a string of corpses in her wake.
It actually sounds good, again, so I may try it –maybe I was just not in the right frame of mind when I tried it before (it happens!!). In any case, I’m passing along four stars for this latest in the Junior Bender series.
November 3, 2018
After spending time with Junior Bender through the course of seven books, he has me well-trained. When he and I break into a house, I, too, stop breathing and listen. I, too, take a close look at the objects in the room. Is anything missing? Is something there that shouldn't be? There's never been a better time for extreme caution than in Nighttown because Junior is breaking into Horton House-- Tim Hallinan's response to Shirley Jackson's Hill House. How does Horton House compare? I wouldn't want to step foot in it, that's for sure.
There's a lot of action packed into a couple of days here. Junior needs to find out what's in that doll, how to keep his loved ones safe, and how to keep himself from being added to the body count. Junior needs all the help he can get, whether it's from fellow crook Louie the Lost or from a tattooed waitress at a local diner or even from an old manuscript.
Hallinan's tightly plotted and fast-paced book kept me anxious for Junior's safety. After all, Junior Bender is my favorite fictional felon-- and Hallinan is one of my favorite writers. The death of Junior's friend at the beginning of the book hit me particularly hard and not because the scene was gruesome. No, not a spec of gore was to be seen, merely the sight of a person getting into a car, the car driving away, and a specific noise. That's all. A very simple scene, but its violence chilled me to the bone. Hallinan knows to let a reader's mind do its own work.
I also appreciate Hallinan's cynicism and his humor. I welcomed those flashes of humor while I worried about Junior. And it's always good to learn something new... like how to shower with a baby alligator. Nighttown is the real deal, the complete package, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of these books, what are you waiting for?
There's a lot of action packed into a couple of days here. Junior needs to find out what's in that doll, how to keep his loved ones safe, and how to keep himself from being added to the body count. Junior needs all the help he can get, whether it's from fellow crook Louie the Lost or from a tattooed waitress at a local diner or even from an old manuscript.
Hallinan's tightly plotted and fast-paced book kept me anxious for Junior's safety. After all, Junior Bender is my favorite fictional felon-- and Hallinan is one of my favorite writers. The death of Junior's friend at the beginning of the book hit me particularly hard and not because the scene was gruesome. No, not a spec of gore was to be seen, merely the sight of a person getting into a car, the car driving away, and a specific noise. That's all. A very simple scene, but its violence chilled me to the bone. Hallinan knows to let a reader's mind do its own work.
I also appreciate Hallinan's cynicism and his humor. I welcomed those flashes of humor while I worried about Junior. And it's always good to learn something new... like how to shower with a baby alligator. Nighttown is the real deal, the complete package, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of these books, what are you waiting for?
April 18, 2019
Funny, visceral, intriquing. Hallinan always throws in interesting anecdotes, for example, the Greek god, Nyx, of whom I knew nothing. Always good.
Read
November 13, 2018Professional burglar Junior Bender is not at all happy about being in a haunted-house story, but as usual he makes it fun for the reader. Junior needs the money, but it seems like too much for the simple job of breaking into an abandoned house to look for an old doll. Then he discovers there was a second “backup burglar” hired, and he goes looking for answers.
October 30, 2018
Junior and Ronnie need money so he takes a job breaking into an old woman's home to steal a doll. A doll. Hmm. And then things go wonky. Junior finds himself trying to identify and locate the mysterious woman who hired him. He's a funny guy and this is a entertaining novel I read as a standalone. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. I understand why Hallinan has fans.
October 7, 2018
Fun read. I might just check out the rest of the series now. Get Shorty genre with fun characters in crazy situations as the white knight burglar takes on injustice even in the criminal world.
June 22, 2020
The newest Junior Bender novel. Several twisty threads in the plot and a good dose of humor woven in as usual. Am a big fan of this series but he tried my patience with a historical detour that got more complicated than I cared for. Hope in the next one he goes back to the relationships that make all his novels so compelling. I am really longing for a new Poke Rafferty novel from Hallinan (his other series set in Bangkok that is much darker and grittier.)
December 19, 2018
Junior Rules!
Junior Bender will never grow old to me. He is one of my personal top characters in modern fiction. I don't know what I can add to this review,except to tell you it's another excellent story and chapter in Junior's life, and as I've said before, I I hope Timothy Hallinan never stops telling Junior's story.
Junior Bender will never grow old to me. He is one of my personal top characters in modern fiction. I don't know what I can add to this review,except to tell you it's another excellent story and chapter in Junior's life, and as I've said before, I I hope Timothy Hallinan never stops telling Junior's story.
August 7, 2018
Hallinan manages to keep Junior Bender as fresh and funny as he was in CRASHED. I love the insights into burglary done right. You never know when you might need to know how to cross a creaking floor or where to look in an already searched hotel room for the loot. Go Bender!
August 10, 2018
Smart, clever, engaging. An easy read that kept my attention. Junior Bender is a likable character who shares tips for successful burglary and life in general, showing that he's a good guy with an unusual profession.
August 2, 2019
Not my kind of book
The story was good but getting to it was taking forever! Found a lot of it too wordy, and don't think I would try another Hallinan book for a while. This was not a page turner for me
The story was good but getting to it was taking forever! Found a lot of it too wordy, and don't think I would try another Hallinan book for a while. This was not a page turner for me
March 11, 2019
Much more serious than other Junior Bender books, IMHO. Junior discusses philosophy on books, darkness and friendships. But still an enjoyable read.
January 21, 2020
A typical Junior Bender outing: fun, felonious, complicated, dangerous and lucrative. Junior takes a job with a payday too good to be true because he needs the money to rescue girlfriend Ronnie’s son from his abusive father. The job turns out to be a scary and potentially lethal adventure in the creepiest house since the Bates Motel. Junior calls on his usual cast of helpers - from Louie the Lost and teen tech experts Anime and Lilly to an underworld boss he needs to watch his back- and dispenses a wealth of knowledge from 19th century English novels to why Mickey Mouse has only four digits as he follows a dangerous maze to a “just” conclusion. Junior can be a bit too Smart Alecky sometimes but Hallinan has a way with descriptions and a wealth of interesting knowledge that keeps tangents interesting even if you have to wait a bit to get their relevance. While some of the characters harbor an astonishing amount of hate and callous disregard for others, Junior himself shows compassion for a wide array of characters that might otherwise be stereotypical. A fun read. Looking forward to seeing how Junior and Ronnie move ahead on their quest for her captive son.
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