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Burke And Blade Mystery Thrillers #1
The Night Of
“No badge, no problem. Michael Lister’s first swing at the modern private eye novel is a home run. The Night Of is an instant classic with rich characters and storytelling that grips your heart from first page to last.” - #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly
Burke and Blade, private investigators in the sun-soaked streets of Panama City Beach, Florida, have always had a personal stake in their work—driven by the disappearance of their own sister ten years ago. Toughened by their years in foster care and children's homes, they're no strangers to danger or heartbreak. But their latest case tests their skills like never before.
Nora Henri and her infant daughter, Emma, have vanished without a trace while on vacation, leaving behind a baffling 911 call that’s as unsettling as it is cryptic. Despite the tireless efforts of local, state, and federal authorities, the case has gone cold, and the clock is ticking.
As Burke and Blade dive into the case, they uncover a tangled web of secrets and lies that threatens to unravel their world. With each clue, the stakes grow higher, and the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred. Can they solve the mystery and bring Nora and Emma home safely, or will this case prove to be their undoing?
The Night Of is a gripping blend of mystery and thriller, infused with sharp wit and emotional depth. Michael Lister, acclaimed and bestselling novelist, delivers a high-stakes adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Join Burke and Blade in this thrilling new series that Michael Connelly hails as the work of a “master storyteller.”
Burke and Blade, private investigators in the sun-soaked streets of Panama City Beach, Florida, have always had a personal stake in their work—driven by the disappearance of their own sister ten years ago. Toughened by their years in foster care and children's homes, they're no strangers to danger or heartbreak. But their latest case tests their skills like never before.
Nora Henri and her infant daughter, Emma, have vanished without a trace while on vacation, leaving behind a baffling 911 call that’s as unsettling as it is cryptic. Despite the tireless efforts of local, state, and federal authorities, the case has gone cold, and the clock is ticking.
As Burke and Blade dive into the case, they uncover a tangled web of secrets and lies that threatens to unravel their world. With each clue, the stakes grow higher, and the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred. Can they solve the mystery and bring Nora and Emma home safely, or will this case prove to be their undoing?
The Night Of is a gripping blend of mystery and thriller, infused with sharp wit and emotional depth. Michael Lister, acclaimed and bestselling novelist, delivers a high-stakes adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Join Burke and Blade in this thrilling new series that Michael Connelly hails as the work of a “master storyteller.”
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2021
1174 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
About the author
Michael Lister
184 books233 followersNew York Times bestselling and award-winning novelist Michael Lister is a native Floridian best known for his literary suspense thrillers as well as his two ongoing mystery series, the prison chaplain John Jordan "Blood" series and the hard-boiled, 1940s noir Jimmy "Soldier" Riley Series, and the post-apocalypic suspense thriller Cataclysmos.
Visit www.michaellister.com for more information, or follow his youtube channel - Writing and Life at https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelL...
The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”
Michael grew up in North Florida near the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola River in a small town world famous for tupelo honey.
Truly a regional writer, North Florida is his beat.
Captivated by story since childhood, Michael has a love for language and narrative inspired by the Southern storytelling tradition that captured his imagination and became such a source of meaning and inspiration. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology with an emphasis on myth and narrative.
In the early 90s, Michael became the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections. For nearly a decade, he served as a contract, staff, then senior chaplain at three different facilities in the Panhandle of Florida—a unique experience that led to his first novel, 1997’s critically acclaimed, POWER IN THE BLOOD. It was the first in a series of popular and celebrated novels featuring ex-cop turned prison chaplain, John Jordan. Subsequent books in the series include BLOOD OF THE LAMB, FLESH AND BLOOD, THE BODY AND THE BLOOD, BLOOD SACRIFICE, and RIVERS TO BLOOD, and each takes readers through the electronically locked gates of the chain-link fences, beneath the looping razor wire glinting in the sun, and into the strange world of Potter Correctional Institution, Florida’s toughest maximum security prison. Of the John Jordan series, Michael Connelly says “Michael Lister may be the author of the most unique series running in mystery fiction. It crackles with tension and authenticity,” while Julia Spencer-Fleming adds “Michael Lister writes one of the most ambitious and unusual crime fiction series going. See what crime fiction is capable of.”
Michael also writes historical hard-boiled thrillers, such as THE BIG GOODBYE, THE BIG BEYOND, and THE BIG HELLO featuring Jimmy "Soldier" Riley, a PI in Panama City during World War II. Ace Atkins calls the "Soldier" series "tough and violent with snappy dialogue and great atmosphere . . . a suspenseful, romantic and historic ride."
Michael Lister won his first Florida Book Award for his literary novel, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, a book, according to the Panama City News Herald, that “is lyrical and literary, written in a sparse but evocative prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.” It is a contemplation of life and death, art and meaning, set deep in the swamps of the Apalachicola River, a thriller about a wildlife photographer whose camera traps capture a crime, that shows the beauty and danger of the Panhandle paradise.
His second Florida Book Award was for his fifth John Jordan novel BLOOD SACRIFICE.
Visit www.michaellister.com for more information, or follow his youtube channel - Writing and Life at https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelL...
The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”
Michael grew up in North Florida near the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola River in a small town world famous for tupelo honey.
Truly a regional writer, North Florida is his beat.
Captivated by story since childhood, Michael has a love for language and narrative inspired by the Southern storytelling tradition that captured his imagination and became such a source of meaning and inspiration. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology with an emphasis on myth and narrative.
In the early 90s, Michael became the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections. For nearly a decade, he served as a contract, staff, then senior chaplain at three different facilities in the Panhandle of Florida—a unique experience that led to his first novel, 1997’s critically acclaimed, POWER IN THE BLOOD. It was the first in a series of popular and celebrated novels featuring ex-cop turned prison chaplain, John Jordan. Subsequent books in the series include BLOOD OF THE LAMB, FLESH AND BLOOD, THE BODY AND THE BLOOD, BLOOD SACRIFICE, and RIVERS TO BLOOD, and each takes readers through the electronically locked gates of the chain-link fences, beneath the looping razor wire glinting in the sun, and into the strange world of Potter Correctional Institution, Florida’s toughest maximum security prison. Of the John Jordan series, Michael Connelly says “Michael Lister may be the author of the most unique series running in mystery fiction. It crackles with tension and authenticity,” while Julia Spencer-Fleming adds “Michael Lister writes one of the most ambitious and unusual crime fiction series going. See what crime fiction is capable of.”
Michael also writes historical hard-boiled thrillers, such as THE BIG GOODBYE, THE BIG BEYOND, and THE BIG HELLO featuring Jimmy "Soldier" Riley, a PI in Panama City during World War II. Ace Atkins calls the "Soldier" series "tough and violent with snappy dialogue and great atmosphere . . . a suspenseful, romantic and historic ride."
Michael Lister won his first Florida Book Award for his literary novel, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, a book, according to the Panama City News Herald, that “is lyrical and literary, written in a sparse but evocative prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.” It is a contemplation of life and death, art and meaning, set deep in the swamps of the Apalachicola River, a thriller about a wildlife photographer whose camera traps capture a crime, that shows the beauty and danger of the Panhandle paradise.
His second Florida Book Award was for his fifth John Jordan novel BLOOD SACRIFICE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 26, 2021
A great, entertaining start to a new series by this author, as two young people who have had to struggle through their early years look to put what they have learned in life to use as Private Investigators. Lucas Burke and Alex 'Blade' Baker grew up tossed around between foster homes and the street, making them pretty street-savvy and smart. Their own 'sister' from early childhood later vanished, pushing these two into specializing in 'missing persons' cases. And they have done fairly well, even receiving high praise and mention in the papers for a recent found girl. Now a girl they knew and her young daughter are missing, are they up to solving this case?
Every agency known to man has been looking, State, Federal, and Local law enforcement claim she is no where in the area last seen to be found. But is someone hiding something...And Has every area been searched as local cops claim...Not everything we see is what it appears to be, can these young PI's actually discover something that no one believes they can? Is this woman alive, and what about her child...A twisty new mystery with some characters I can't get out of my mind, and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed! I received an ARC from the author and I offer You my honest thoughts and feelings in this review.
Every agency known to man has been looking, State, Federal, and Local law enforcement claim she is no where in the area last seen to be found. But is someone hiding something...And Has every area been searched as local cops claim...Not everything we see is what it appears to be, can these young PI's actually discover something that no one believes they can? Is this woman alive, and what about her child...A twisty new mystery with some characters I can't get out of my mind, and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed! I received an ARC from the author and I offer You my honest thoughts and feelings in this review.
October 20, 2023
Too dry.
You know the type who always try too be funny.
This book tries too be edgy with an ex con and black bull lesbian who met at an orphanage now turned Private Investigators.
The tortured soul routine gets old fast.
Repetitive, irrelevant diverse stories with long descriptions of nothing.
No mas!
You know the type who always try too be funny.
This book tries too be edgy with an ex con and black bull lesbian who met at an orphanage now turned Private Investigators.
The tortured soul routine gets old fast.
Repetitive, irrelevant diverse stories with long descriptions of nothing.
No mas!
April 24, 2024
I thought from the first chapter that I'd enjoy it, but I gave up after a few more. The dialogue is repetitive and dull
October 23, 2023
More of a political essay than a thriller
I thought the complicated story was created for the sake of trying to be smart.
The author pushes his opinions when these are not helping the story in at all.
Waste of time
I thought the complicated story was created for the sake of trying to be smart.
The author pushes his opinions when these are not helping the story in at all.
Waste of time
February 6, 2024
The language in this book put me off. So much cursing in a casual crude way and almost never to emphasize a surge or sustained period of dark angry feelings. It moved very very slowly, too, so it was boring often, due to little happening in the way of detecting and lots of repetitive and rehashing talk going on. The end was a relief but not particularly happy or promising a nice future. The two detectives in no way appear to like each other or complement one another. If they have the emotional connection the author claims they have, his telling it doesn’t make it detectable in the dialog he gives them. The violence the hero visited on the bad guy was disgusting and way beyond what was necessary to subdue the bad guy. Finally, the plot was very thin, and the resolution was achieved with virtually no clues leading to it. Rather, one of private investigators literally stumbled onto it. I wouldn’t recommend this book and would suggest not checking in with the Berk and Blade characters in any other book, either.
April 13, 2024
A great start to the series! Can’t wait to read the next!
November 28, 2023
Eh. This book was okay? Felt more like a had-to-finish sort of book. The plot was okay but I’d describe it as quite medium paced. I didn’t feel like there was a whole lot of suspense, and the ending was quite mid. If you need a quick read to achieve a reading goal I’d recommend this book :)
October 24, 2021
Michael has parted with John Jordan for this book and introduced completely new characters, Burke and Blade. The duo run a private detective agency, but their backgrounds are very far from what you would expect. Both have been through the Children's state care system and still bear the scars. That said, they are dogged and dedicated detectives with high intelligence and a sympathy for the victims, despite Burke having anger issues which have previously seen him sent to prison. They are hired by a caring woman and her husband who are searching for their missing "daughter" and her little girl who disappeared without trace after a disturbing 911 emergency call. The police have been unable to find the girl and her child. Is this lack of interest, or deliberate obfuscation on their part? That is one of the things the duo have to find out. It's a page turner alright and can keep you up well into the night. Plus the supense builds nicely and there are many twists and turns. I was nowhere near predicting the ending. I enjoyed getting to know the new characters. I will add that I was sent an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
December 28, 2023
This sucks.
November 29, 2021
Disturbingly real
Missing mom and baby. Threats, blackmail while Burke and Blade hunt for the missing couple. Throw in wonderful background filling, for a realistic must read-read-to-the-end story
Missing mom and baby. Threats, blackmail while Burke and Blade hunt for the missing couple. Throw in wonderful background filling, for a realistic must read-read-to-the-end story
October 14, 2023
An ok book. It was moving a little slow for me and at times confusing. The end left more to be desired.
October 16, 2023
Pretty good book until I got to where the bad guys were compared to the Jan 6 protesters.
That’s when I stopped reading.
That’s when I stopped reading.
October 23, 2023
It is a good short page-turner. Frankly, the cast was both cliched and unbelievable. That said, it was well put together and a good break from other reading material.
October 19, 2023
3.5 stars. The author does a good job of creating difficult to impossible circumstances for Burke and manages to get him out of them without causing reader disbelief. Like another reviewer, I found the author's treatment of Blade's speech style demeaning. She's intelligent and talented but her dialogue is poorly done. The author should read Robert Parker's dialogue treatment of Hawk, Spencer's sidekick, to lend credence to Blade as a black character. The ending was no ending (leaving the characters with unsolved problems), presumably so you'll read the next book. That's not enough for me to continue with the series.
January 4, 2025
When local and state authorities fail to find them, Burke and Blade, private investigators are hired by Candace to find Nora Henri and her infant daughter Emma. With lots of twists and turns along the way, will Burke and Blade find them?
This is a great novel, unpredictable, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There are many characters in this story, at times hard to keep up with who is who. But, if you stick with it, it all comes together at the end.
Well written, with mystery and thrill, good character development set in and around Panama City, Florida. I look forward to reading more by Michael Lister.
This is a great novel, unpredictable, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There are many characters in this story, at times hard to keep up with who is who. But, if you stick with it, it all comes together at the end.
Well written, with mystery and thrill, good character development set in and around Panama City, Florida. I look forward to reading more by Michael Lister.
October 6, 2023
Burke and Blade, specialists in missing persons cases are tasked with finding a young woman and her child who the police seem unable to trace. This story goes through the steps they take to piece together her last steps and all the people she interacted with on the fateful night. some are genuine and some are scum which is why she ended up in her present situation and the descriptive writing and characters in the story are excellent, pulling it all in to get them both back where they belong, alive if not unscathed.
October 14, 2023
The Night Of
The Night Of was a good mystery with lots of twists and turns. The characters were interesting and played their parts well. My only complaint was the language used. Even if Blade was tough, I felt the use of the f word not totally necessary. To those of us not used to this language, the word can take away from the story. The emphasis on her sexuality got in the way as well. I read a lot of mysteries so I know a good one doesn't have to have these extras. Even though I feel this way, because of the story, I may read his second book.
The Night Of was a good mystery with lots of twists and turns. The characters were interesting and played their parts well. My only complaint was the language used. Even if Blade was tough, I felt the use of the f word not totally necessary. To those of us not used to this language, the word can take away from the story. The emphasis on her sexuality got in the way as well. I read a lot of mysteries so I know a good one doesn't have to have these extras. Even though I feel this way, because of the story, I may read his second book.
December 20, 2023
I Took Me A While Toi Get Into It
I almost gave up on this book, it took me a while to get into it but I persevered, and am quite glad I did, Although I was left with a few unanswered questions at the end. Burke and Blade are private detectives who specialise in searching for missing people, after the police have all but given up finding them alive. Both grew up in care, which makes them more determined to look after vulnerable people and never give up. There is some violence in the book, but not too much. Would probably give it 3.5 stars if I could.
I almost gave up on this book, it took me a while to get into it but I persevered, and am quite glad I did, Although I was left with a few unanswered questions at the end. Burke and Blade are private detectives who specialise in searching for missing people, after the police have all but given up finding them alive. Both grew up in care, which makes them more determined to look after vulnerable people and never give up. There is some violence in the book, but not too much. Would probably give it 3.5 stars if I could.
May 21, 2025
Kept me up at night to finish
Two unlikely PI agents get involved in a missing woman and her baby. Each PI has a past that will surprise you.
This mother and daughter live in a “commune” that supposedly helps people down on this luck, get back on their feet. There are so many possibilities as to what happened to them, but none pan out.
Meanwhile the PIs get caught up in unrelated troubles. Each more puzzling than another. Each one either clears or adds more suspects.
I really loved this puzzle. It was far from the usual. Mystery.
Two unlikely PI agents get involved in a missing woman and her baby. Each PI has a past that will surprise you.
This mother and daughter live in a “commune” that supposedly helps people down on this luck, get back on their feet. There are so many possibilities as to what happened to them, but none pan out.
Meanwhile the PIs get caught up in unrelated troubles. Each more puzzling than another. Each one either clears or adds more suspects.
I really loved this puzzle. It was far from the usual. Mystery.
August 8, 2025
Horrible
In just the 1st 7 pages this Woke Leftist Democrat Propaganda pushed that Only White Missing People are Cared about by the News Media that People of Color can Never get Media Attention. This is a Lie! The Media is Leftist and Promote People of Color 24/7.
It Lets You know that the Woman Investigator is a Lesbian and the White Male is Straight.
The Black Client Refuses to even Look at the White Man, Because, Whites oppress people of Color...
This is Not a Book it is 100% just repeating Leftist Lies. This
Woke Lecture is unreadable!
In just the 1st 7 pages this Woke Leftist Democrat Propaganda pushed that Only White Missing People are Cared about by the News Media that People of Color can Never get Media Attention. This is a Lie! The Media is Leftist and Promote People of Color 24/7.
It Lets You know that the Woman Investigator is a Lesbian and the White Male is Straight.
The Black Client Refuses to even Look at the White Man, Because, Whites oppress people of Color...
This is Not a Book it is 100% just repeating Leftist Lies. This
Woke Lecture is unreadable!
November 8, 2023
Book was very good. The PI team of Blade and Burke is excellent. They kept my interest throughout the entire book. There seems to be a thread hanging at the end but think it was done on purpose. The issue is with the pictures of Burke and his parole officer. The lack of closure may be brought up again in future books. I highly recommend this book for people who like John Grisham and Michael Connolly.
November 14, 2023
Quirky, odd title ( looked unfinished to me)
A new author to me. It's different, unique, I liked it. Took me a while to get used to the dialect and Americanisms but that is just part and parcel of the book. ...the location, the people...and it's pretty cool once you get into it. Burke and Blade are Interesting characters, I took to them immediately. Yep, plenty of mystery and intrigue throughout. A very pleasing ending. I would definitely purchase another book by this author.
A new author to me. It's different, unique, I liked it. Took me a while to get used to the dialect and Americanisms but that is just part and parcel of the book. ...the location, the people...and it's pretty cool once you get into it. Burke and Blade are Interesting characters, I took to them immediately. Yep, plenty of mystery and intrigue throughout. A very pleasing ending. I would definitely purchase another book by this author.
November 21, 2025
It was an OK read but, for me, lacked the wow factor and was a bit dragged out. At times I felt I was going round in circles with no progress in the storyline whatsoever. I did enjoy the short chapters and it was that element that kept me going. I did get to the end which, compared to the rest of the story, felt a bit rushed but it do meme everything fallen to place.
As always, it’s down to individual preference in reading and I won’t say I disliked it.
As always, it’s down to individual preference in reading and I won’t say I disliked it.
February 4, 2024
Burke & Blade #1
This is the first book in the Burke and Blade series, and I'm undecided about my rating. It takes place in northern Florida, like other stories I've read by the author, Michael Lister. The characters are definitely different than those in his John Jordan series, as they should be and the language is more coarse. I will read #2 and open my mind a little more...
This is the first book in the Burke and Blade series, and I'm undecided about my rating. It takes place in northern Florida, like other stories I've read by the author, Michael Lister. The characters are definitely different than those in his John Jordan series, as they should be and the language is more coarse. I will read #2 and open my mind a little more...
February 16, 2024
Nasty
Too many nasty words for me. I finished the book and probably won’t read another by Michael Lister. The law enforcement agencies are either blind or dumb. The plot is designed to string you along and stretch your desire to read the next in a series. Sorry, too trashy and not enough believable plot.
Too many nasty words for me. I finished the book and probably won’t read another by Michael Lister. The law enforcement agencies are either blind or dumb. The plot is designed to string you along and stretch your desire to read the next in a series. Sorry, too trashy and not enough believable plot.
May 28, 2024
Intrigue
The main plot, and underlying subplots, bring intrigue into the overall story, the whole book is about the care system and how people come through it.
A question of nature vs nurture is raised, and whilst the book tries to answer the question in the scenarios raised, it's difficult to understand what happens in some people's worlds..
The main plot, and underlying subplots, bring intrigue into the overall story, the whole book is about the care system and how people come through it.
A question of nature vs nurture is raised, and whilst the book tries to answer the question in the scenarios raised, it's difficult to understand what happens in some people's worlds..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2024
Blade and Burke, friends who met while in foster care, own a detective agency. They are asked to locate a missing young woman and her baby. The young woman’s car was found abandoned and she had called 911, but the message was garbled. Will they be able to find her? A quick easy read, with a twist.
September 18, 2024
Slow salvation
Disliked the book as you have too many characters who you don't develop properly. The dialog on the cellphone call was repeated entirely to many times. I purchased the book on Book Bud and I usually don't spend more then $3.00 for a book and on this book I don't I came out ahead.
Disliked the book as you have too many characters who you don't develop properly. The dialog on the cellphone call was repeated entirely to many times. I purchased the book on Book Bud and I usually don't spend more then $3.00 for a book and on this book I don't I came out ahead.
January 24, 2022
A TOTALLY AWESOME NONSTOP READ!!
Book 1 of Michael Lister's books, leaves the reader only wanting more!! Missing people, seeming to be lost in the woods. Only to find out the real truth, in an AWESOME ending!!
Book 1 of Michael Lister's books, leaves the reader only wanting more!! Missing people, seeming to be lost in the woods. Only to find out the real truth, in an AWESOME ending!!
May 30, 2023
I was provided an ARC for an honest review and as all my reviews of Lister's books this Burke and Blade story is amazing. It's a page turner with twists all along the way. Sit back and enjoy the ride!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews