Nightwatcher

by Charles Wilson

While three escaped inmates hold Davis County, Mississippi, in terror, the only witness to the savage killing of a nurse in a hospital for the criminally insane begins to follow his own frightening agenda. Original.

Genres: Thriller, Horror

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson masterfully plots this taut thriller, giving so many twists and turns it made my head spin. Nightwatcher starts with the murder of Judith Richards, a nurse at an insane asylum, in her cottage close to the facility. Judith's father, our main protagonist, arrives at the scene after driving a few hours from New Orleans. Set in a small town in Mississippi, the sheriff is in a bit over his head. Turns out there was a breakout in the asylum the night Judith was murdered and three inmates are still at large.

While there are few clues at the murder scene, there are no shortage of suspects. Whenever a suspect starts to crystalize, however, Wilson tosses in a curve to leave the reader guessing once again. First we have the inmates, then Judith's ex-husband, who had kidnapped their two children and was under a court order to bring them back. Second, Judith was known to play around and her BFF at the asylum tells Richards that two ex-lovers had threatened her after she told them it was over and was going to call their wives. I could keep going here, but you get the picture...

Definitely a fun read; Wilson demonstrates how to keep tension high from page one and the zig-zag plot will keep you guessing. Nightwatcher unfolds as a mixture of police procedural and mystery, with the occasional brutal murder tossed in to advance the plot. My biggest problem with thrillers, however, is that while they keep me entertained for a few hours, most tend not to leave much of an impression. Looking for something to keep you occupied on a plane trip or a beach? You could definitely do a lot worse. 3 twisty stars!

[Shah Si Pencinta Buku · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judith Salter seorang jururawat di sebuah pusat penahan banduan sakit mental di Davis County ditemui mati di rumahnya. Pada malam yang sama, beberapa tahanan didapati lolos daripada pusat penahanan. Richard, ayah Judith mahu menyiasat dan mencari sendiri pembunuh anaknya.

Ramai betul tersangka dalam novel ini. Namun seorang demi seorang terhapus daripada senarai yang tersangka. Pelbagai sebab yang kuat yang membuatkan mereka terhapus dari senarai itu. Pening polis dan Richard dibuatnya. SH cuba jugak untuk meneka siapa pembunuhnya namun tak berjaya. Memang tak boleh jadi detective ni.

Pace penceritaan agak perlahan. Namun ada terdapat banyak bab yang memusingkan kepala hingga buatkan SH ingin meneruskan pembacaan. Banyak betul teka teki dalam naskah ini.

Pengakhiran yang tak dijangka buat SH. Plot twist dia memang baik. Rasa tak sangka sungguh la.

[Lisa Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving Wilson another try. So far, this one started out well and got me hooked.

***
I think I'll be taking this with me to the library today to read while my daughter has reading time there. It is good, and I'm totally hooked into the plot and have an idea of whodunnit.

***
This was good... very good. It all made sense and the killer was interesting. I guess the first one I picked up by Wilson was just a dud, so I'll try some others. :)

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A staff nurse, Judith Salter, at the John H. Douglass State Hospital is murdered as she is preparing to move back to New Orleans. She was brutally killed on the same night and same hour that a break-out had occurred. It is obvious that one of the mental patients attacked her. Or was it her ex-husband, who had taken her children during a difficult divorce? Her father, Brandon Richards, a corporate lawyer from New Orleans comes to claim the body and settle her affairs. But something catches his eye, something small, something that doesn't jive with the official account of the murder. He stays on and befriends the chief investigator. Before too many days pass, he is drawn into the official inquiry and his own investigation.
There is a criminally insane murderer who has a window that looks down on Judith's cottage. Did he see the murderer as he claim? Will Richards go along with his demands in exchange for the possible identification of his daughters killer?
This was a quick "who dunnit" that was a pleasant diversion from my "to read" pile. Wilson lacks the crisp dialogue that other authors of the genre are famous for. The book also lacks the richness and depth of Lehane or Furst. Not a bad book, but not high literature, either.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was my first horror/thriller/mystery or whatever this is categorized as. just so slow. its the kind of book that's more focused on the cop/investigation part rather than being a page turner. nothing gripping IMO until the very very end and not much to go off of until that point. like a lot of just speculation and randoms dying and its like why am i reading this.

[Janice Workman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit gruesome for me. Others who are more into the horror genre will like it

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good