Dead Before Dark

Psychic Killer #2

by Wendy Corsi Staub

When The Sun Goes Down. . .

The Night Watchman is ready to kill--again. After thirty-five years in prison, he is free to commit the same twisted atrocities that once made him as notorious as the Zodiac Killer and Jack the Ripper. Now, at last, his moment has come. . .

The Nightmare Begins. . .

For renowned psychic Lucinda Sloan, fame is a double-edged sword. Through her television appearances, she helps police capture America's most elusive serial killers. Unfortunately, she also catches the eye of the Night Watchman. Once this madman learns that Lucinda "sees" murders after they're committed, it's time to play. . .

. . .And The Fear Never Ends.

The first victim is someone she knows--a personal shock that brings Lucinda closer to her ex-lover, Detective Randall Barakat. Then a second murder in Chicago, and a third in Denver, makes her realize that the Night Watchman is toying with her. Each victim wears a wristwatch. . .each watch bears a message. . . and each message is a warning for Lucinda that her time is up--and soon she'll be next to die. . .

Praise for Wendy Corsi Staub's Don't Scream

"Staub keeps things taut and unpredictable. . .a surprisingly effective thriller." --Publishers Weekly

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime

473 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 28, 2009

About the author

New York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.

Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.

Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.

Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.

Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.

A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.

She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.

Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated the ending. Didn't like all the back and forth with numerous characters... thought this would tie together at the end and killer would be someone through the book but ending left me more confused. Will there be another book? Is there a sequel? Who is the killer? Where is he? Ugh. Not worth my time. I hated it because I love this author and I felt blind-sighted in a bad way after this and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Ann]

What happened to her friend Bradley? Didn't they think he was the night watchman at one point?
This book was hard to follow and the ending was such a let down.

[L Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a first with this author for me. I selected this because it was a free audible selection and unfortunately did not realize that it was the second in a duo. I really liked it but now that I have moved on and read the first in the series I can say I like it more and I love the first one in the duo.
The audible narration was good and easy to listen to. I look forward to more with this author.
3.5 suspenseful stars!!!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A killer from 35 years ago who is out of jail. A woman who finds her first love and knows her feeling has not changed. She sees things, and has had experience with the "nightwatchman" before. A good read with lots of twists and turns.

[Ddonnaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this one and enjoyed it very much, its exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoy Wendy Staub, a very good writer.

[Carmen O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending sucks.

[Beth Lechman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I enjoy reading the books by this author I was a bit disappointed in this one. I didn't realize it was the second in a series and maybe that was part of the problem. Just seemed at times that the main character seemed to ramble which made me want to stop reading. It just seemed to take away from the story line for me.

[Rhonda A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in this series…. I enjoyed it, but this time I figured out the killer early in the book. Despite that, I like how the author weaves interest and suspense into the story. Lots of twists and characters to try to throw you off.

[Skeptic Hecate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too slow paced for my taste and I didn't like how the ending turns the shown-to-be smart protagonist into an idiot. The romantic subplot I can live without, the concept is interesting but the execution underwhealming. Also, final deus ex machina would work better if more buildup was made before. However, it is an enetertaining book, especially after the third part, and the author has potential.

[Treva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting. The ending was frustrating and unsatisfactory.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasted too much time sticking with this one, and I did so because I really thought that midway through it would become really good. That never happened. Not ever.
First of all, the reader must be willing to accept that there are people with psychic abilities who often have visions that lead the police to solving crimes. Sorry, but I do not fall into this category.
The author tries so hard to make her main character out to be likeable but I didn’t find much to like. She doesn’t act like anyone I would be friends with. She is inconsiderate to her friends and family. She works as a detective but exercises little common sense in her personal or professional life. The author has another character say that this woman takes really good care of herself but we read just the opposite. She doesn’t know how to take care of her health (breakfast is a Pepsi with a couple of candy bars, lunch is ice cream, etc), she doesn’t exercise or get proper sleep, she moves to a home and doesn’t bother with changing the locks. There are other examples but that gives you a good start about the character.
The author enjoys using cliches, while some phrases are used multiple times. (He/she sighed inwardly, he/she plucked a tissue from the box...can we get you a thesaurus so that a little variation might be used?)
The author and editor made some mistakes with references to time and ages of characters. Also, we are constantly told that the relationship was so many years ago/ all those years ago but wasn’t it actually just 3 years ago that they had an affair? In the first book we were told that Tess resembles Mike, her father, but not the mother, Cam. In the this book, we are told that Tess looks just like Ava, and then an elderly man mentioned that Cam looks like her sister, Ava. By the way, if the author hasn’t messed up another age here -He is probably about 65, so is that really elderly?) I wish that the author had consulted with a n actual police detective so that the investigative work wasn’t so cringe inducing.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOV this author! her writing is easy to read, fun to follow and the characters are made to order. you love the ones you are supposed to love & despise the ones you are meant to hate. the killer always makes me a little nervous. he is so methodical in his plan that it really makes you want to take a closer look a the people who are around you everyday, this guy doesn't jus pick someone at random & kill them- no he gets to know hem first.

[Γιάννης · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I really liked it. The plot unfolds slowly at first, then speed up, but you still want it to unfold faster, so that you can learn what happens next. It has something natural, not everything is perfect, the lives of the characters do not absolutely revolve around the main plot but the have their personal problems and issues. My only regret is that the ending is not absolute. Still, I definitely suggest it to read.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a rare case of the source material for a tv show being of lesser quality than the actual show. The writing for the HBO show is far more sophisticated and develops the characters in much greater depth than this clumsily, if somewhat imaginative, novel. I finished this one because it was a fast read but I won't be reading further into this series.

[Kathy Kennerley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! The clues were all there and I'm glad I didn't pick up on them because that made the ending all the better. I'm so glad B&N offered a deal on this ebook because I've been mistakenly skipping over books by this author because the name is similar to a different author that I'd rather not read. I have some fun catching up to do on this series!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good read. The inappropropriate romantic relationship of the main character detracted from the story. Also, some of the actions of the murderer were farfetched, but I don't want to give anything away.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Wendy Corsi Staub's style of writing, but found this book difficult to follow. Too much back story interrupting the ongoing story, which thereby created confusion. Otherwise, it was well-written and intriguing throughout, until the conclusion, which was disappointing.

[Marianne Stehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

No my favorite Wendy Corsi Staub book, very good until right at the end, left you hanging, maybe there will be a sequel.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fast becoming a fan of these books! Such an easy read with decent enough twists. Why does Lucinda need to lose her voice? That frustrates me... it just seems so frivolous 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

[Ruth Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, well-written mystery/suspense story, excellent pacing, relatively little profanity. I’ll definitely be reading more of Wendy Corsi Staub.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start with this one. It was a real struggle to get through (and the real action didn't even happen until the last 10 pages...of a 470 page book). I thought this one would have had a bit more to do with the first book. Cam's family was kind of in the background. I don't recall there being more than a brief mention of her finding out about her mom. The story line about her sister just confused me, I'm still unsure of who they think was responsible for her death. There were so many characters and so many POV's, I couldn't keep it all straight. It didn't feel like we got to know anyone enough to care about them. A guy died from cancer, the reader wants to feel an emotional connection to him, but his character didn't even feel necessary. I didn't feel anything for the relationship between Lucinda and Randy either. I didn't care whether they were together or not. In the end I was just as confused about who the Night Watchman character was as I was about the one responsible for Cam's sister's death. There were suddenly some names being thrown around and really I haven't a clue who they were. A lot could have been cut from this book and maybe then it would have been simplified a bit.

[KatjaReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely unsatisfied. I'm judging this author hardcore right now. W.T.F....

But first for the record, this is another Christmas gift, and the person who gave me this book did not realize that it is a sequel so this possibly may hinder my judgement. Moving on.....

At first, I was into it. I was liking where things were going how the story was building and the relationship of all the characters; professional or otherwise. But over half way through I started to lose interest in everything. Too many character POVs and if Lucinda were a real person there's no way we could be friends. She is too careless and doesn't think things through, but it's all presented as just her being typical strong independent Lucinda. Which she is....but it doesn't make her smart. I don't even want to start on how rushed and sloppy the ending was. Originally, my opinion of Lucinda wasn't high, but it wasn't low either, but the ending (and Lucinda) was SO ridiculous I officially can't see her being anything but an idiot.

But hey, MAYBE there is a book 3? If so, I haven't seen it, but if there is that's cool it might answer the big question that people still have about "the end". However, it will NOT fix the rushed and sloppy ending that was smeared together for this book.

[Lia Mcintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that I did very much enjoy this book. But I knocked a star off because of some formatting choices that I think the editors/author thought would enhance the listening experience, for me it was just distracting.
There were multiple perspective shifts in each chapter but rarely were they delineated in any understandable way. Perhaps it was meant to keep the listeners on our toes but mostly it was just frustrating.
You love the ones you are supposed to love & despise the ones you are meant to hate. The killer always makes me a little nervous. He is so methodical in his plan that it really makes you want to take a closer look at the people who are around you every day, this guy doesn't just pick someone at random & kill them- no he gets to know them first.

Emily Sutton-Smith was outstanding with the delivery of the story

[Mairi Chong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucinda Sloan is a psychic detective whose ‘gift’ allows her to ‘see’ murders. On countless occasions she has assisted the police, helping them catch the most elusive serial killers but this time is different. The Night Watchman has been quiet for over thirty years but he is back, brutally slaying girl after girl and now, he has Lucinda Sloan in his sights.
This is a long and complex novel but very much worth the effort. I found the plot engaging and fresh and Lucinda is a strong lead character. The psychic element added depth and interest to the story and wasn’t laid on to the point of caricature. Although I guessed some of the twists, the suspense was kept up throughout and I would genuinely recommend and read more in the series.

[Emily Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised that I finished this. I even started it, read a book and came back. Questioning why I came back.. It's not the worst book I've read, so don't get me wrong. I just found thus book very unbelievable. I could get past the psychic ability and everything, it wasn't that at all. But the fact that someone could be in jail for 30 years or 25 or whatever long amount of time, and then be able to afford all this traveling, don't believe it. And the fact that he's killed all these people in this manner with all the plane tickets and not get caught is also not very realistic to me. Beyond the unbelievable stuff, it was okay though. Even still just okay. Make your own opinions though, maybe I'm crazy.
#HeavyEmilyReads

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure where I stand on this book. You have too many characters that are intertwine(and many don't really need to be in the book..fluff and fillers) a cop who is pissed the main character can read him and believes she told everyone his secret, so now he wants to ruin her, which has blinded him in his investigation and a main character who becomes a live sick puppy who just cant seem to get her crush out of her mind even though she is being stalked. Many irritated are you freakin kidding me moments. Its got a good story but almost feels like waaaay too much is going on in order to fill pages.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Before Dark (Psychic Killer #2) was a great read by Wendy Corsi Staub. The Night Watchman is ready to kill again. He spent thirty-five years in prison and is now free to commit the same killings. Lucinda Sloan is a renowned psychic. She helps police capture America's most elusive serial killers. But unfortunately she also catches the eye of the Night Watchman. She happens to know his first first victim and it brings her closer to her ex-lover, Detective Randall Barakat. Then murders happen in Chicago and Denver, which leads her to realizing that the murderer is toying with her. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story about a long time serial killer (Night Watchman) and a psychic (Lucinda). It was also a continuation of the story about Cam and her family. I found this one a bit slower throughout. The ending was completely horrible. I'm all for leaving possibilities, but to leave so much hanging.....no. This book almost felt like there were too many sub-stories being told at the same time. It made it a bit confusing with all the back and forth between characters. It was good but not great.

[Marc de Brujo de Pronosticador Deportivo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Staub presents a taut and fast moving mystery thriller in an effective and light manner. Her Lucinda Sloan the 'sexy soothsayer superhero' is surprisingly human considering her uprising and experience. Her supporting characters also are very real being helpful especially when it enhances their self interest. Her 'night watchman' is the star though in my mind, a truly great super villain with a sense of irony and humor.

[Amy Medeiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night Watchman is Back

This was such a fast paced thriller that had me at the edge of my seat for most of the story. I love the different point of views through the story especially Lucinda and the killer. The way all the pieces of the mystery came together was so satisfying and at the same time the twists the author threw at us had me pausing the audiobook to take a moment to process. This was such a perfectly paced, beautifully written and exciting story.