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Night Work
 
 
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Night Work (Mass Market Paperback)

by Laurie R. King (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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12 new from CDN$ 4.36 46 used from CDN$ 0.01 4 collectible from CDN$ 10.00

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Laurie King's first Kate Martinelli mystery, A Grave Talent, won Best First Novel honors from both the Mystery Writers of America and the British Crime Writers' Association. In this fourth installment in the series, King once again displays her talent as both a prose stylist and a masterful plotter in a case that proves to be personally harrowing for her heroine.

While attending a school play one evening, Detective Martinelli gets what appears to be a routine page about a homicide. The murder victim is James Larsen, an airport baggage handler found in the Presidio, handcuffed, strangled, and with stun-gun burns on his chest. And apparently he had a sweet tooth, given the candies found in his pocket. When it comes out that Larsen was an abusive husband whose wife now lives in a shelter, Martinelli's list of suspects takes a distasteful turn. Could the perpetrator be connected with the Ladies of Perpetual Disgruntlement, the group of secretive women (or men) who've lately been terrorizing abusers and rapists around the city with their humorous, updated version of the tar-and-feather treatment? Could it be Larsen's wife, a mousy woman who, nonetheless, is clearly harboring some secrets? Could it be Roz Hall, Martinelli's social crusading feminist minister friend? In each case, rage would be justified, but not murder.

When two additional murder victims with similar profiles--and pockets full of candy--surface, the San Francisco media takes an interest in this latest instance of vigilante justice. The investigation is further complicated by Roz's very public interest in the case of a young Indian bride who she believes was murdered. As Martinelli and her partner Al Hawkins try to sort through the mire of emotional entanglements, personal politics, and public scrutiny, King deftly maneuvers her tale through several carefully crafted turns. The novel is also threaded with Hindu spirituality and images of the dark goddess Kali, a vengeful figure perfectly appropriate in a novel about victimized women striking back. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Publishers Weekly

The multitalented King (O Jerusalem, etc.) has not published a Kate Martinelli novel since 1996's With Child, so fans aplenty have been waiting for the next installment in this acclaimed series. San Francisco police detective Kate and her partner, Al Hawken, first introduced in the Edgar-winning A Grave Talent, have been called in to investigate the murder of a man who turns out to have a long record of beating up his wife. The wife, who took refuge at a battered women's shelter, has a rock-solid alibi and there are no other obvious suspects. Meanwhile, a group of feminist vigilantes called the Ladies of Perpetual Disgruntlement has been exacting wickedly funny acts of minor revenge against men who physically abuse women. Kate has a sneaking sympathy for the work of the Ladies, but when more bodies of abusive men start turning up, it looks as though someone--some woman--in San Francisco has taken the ultimate step in vengeance. King brings her theme of women's rage against abusive men together with a focus on goddess worship, especially in Indian religions. Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction and creation, figures largely in this dense and suspenseful tale. As in her powerful thriller A Darker Place, King's ability to turn esoteric religious concepts into key narrative points makes this a highly unusual--and memorable--novel. It suffers a bit from talkiness, but even so, it's a compelling, effective piece of writing. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars not really a mystery; not really a character study, Jul 28 2003
By A Customer
I found the book quite unsatisfying for two reasons: First, the guilty party is revealed within a few pages of the start,so there is no mystery. This means the reason to read on is either to learn more about the the characters, or about the modus operandi of the killer. It is the authors obligation to provide one or the other. Here we learn neither, despite perservering through some lukewarm action, and some dreadful social interactions. For example, how on earth are these victims lured to their death. Failing to provide this information means the author is not confined by any rules of logic, and in so doing cheats the reader. Second, the dialogue is flat and forced. Do we really neat to create a lesbian relationship that suffers from the same irresponsible cliche behavior attributed to male detectives? I don t think this is a step forward. All in all, I ended the book feeling incredibly ripped off.
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5.0 out of 5 stars An invocation to Laurie R. King, May 14 2003
By "ktgirl1" (Hamburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews
The fourth book in the Kate Martinelli series, "Night Work" is a suspenseful, dark, briliantly written mystery. The story centers around a series of murders with only one apparent connection-the victims are all perpetrators of violence against women. However, like "A Grave Talent," the story is far more dense and complex than it seems.

This was the last book I read for a Women's Studies class entitled Murder Mysteries, and the second by Laurie King. The class focused on gender and violence, and I think this book was a fitting end to the class because it focuses on crimes that are specifically gendered, namely rape and wife battering. The book poses a number of hard questions for those of us readers who consider ourselves opposed to violence. First, when, if ever, is violence acceptable? What kind of violence? Perpetrated by whom, and for what reasons? Violence against women is clearly unacceptable, but is violence against those who are violent acceptable? I am 100% opposed to capital punishment and other forms of violence, but I found myself unwittingly tolerating, and almost agreeing with, the vigilante type murders of violent men who escaped the criminal justice system. When I realized this, I was shocked at myself.

I found the use of Kali and indeed the idea of Kali herself fascinating. First, King's use of Kali creates a somewhat mystical, mysteriouis atmosphere to the book, which I found very effective. From reading the Introduction, in which Kali is described, we know that she must have something to do with the novel, but we are not sure what, until the very end of the book. King keeps us guessing, with a quote from "The Invocation to Kali" at the beginning of every chapter. We know that there must be some connection between Kali and the murders, but we are never sure exactly what it is. I was captivated by this book because I wanted to know the truth about the murders, and what Kali had to do with it all. I had a hard time putting the book down, fascinated by this aspect of it.

This book had a profound effect on me. At one point, Kate reluctantly realizes that there is an energy force present in all of us-a force of both destruction and creation. Perhaps that explains why I did not disagree with the violence in this book. Though, once revealed, the symbolism of Kali seems somewhat heavy-handed, it made me question myself, and the nature of violence overall.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another thought-provoking Kate Martinelli, Mar 3 2003
By Laurie Fletcher "Laurie Fletcher" (Casper, Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
After a few dozen pages of this book, I realized that I had read it before or at least had started it in some bookstore. I certainly couldn't remember how it ended so the journey was not impaired. Much of Laurie King's work can be characterized in a feminist vein, but none so much as this book. And in Laurie King's hands, feminism is a not-always-pretty, but always-present element in the lives of the women who populate this pages. This had a powerful effect on me. I found myself cringing at things I should have been applauding and completely taken in because of my own personal stereotyping. This was not a comfortable read (so many of Laurie King's books are not) but it was a good and necessary journey. As with some of Thomas Perry's books, we find ourselves understanding the motivations of people who do things we absolutely cannot condone. Having said all that, it is good to be back in the same orbit with Kate Martinelli and Al Hawkin and their assorted cast of friends and lovers.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly a page turner
It took me several months to read this book. Everytime I was ready to throw in the towel on this book, something interesting would happen. The ending did not even move me. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2003 by R. H Porter

3.0 out of 5 stars Night Work
King's work in the Martinelli series certainly sits on the above-average end of the scale in comparison to the vast majority of other works available in this genre. Read more
Published on April 29 2002 by Jennifer A Randle

1.0 out of 5 stars What a Waste of [price]
This was my first and last experience of this author. I disliked the book so much I found myself getting irritated at the characters and the poor writing. Read more
Published on Jan 17 2002 by Kathryn Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars A different perspective
I have read all of the previous Kate Martinelli stories, and I particularly enjoyed this one. I think it was the unconventional feminist response to harm visited on other women... Read more
Published on Nov 18 2001 by Linda Overholt

4.0 out of 5 stars Too much correctness marrs Kate's return
It's been a long wait for the next episode in the Kate Martinelli series. On the whole, Night Work was worth the wait though it is far from perfect (or even the wonder of "A... Read more
Published on Oct 19 2001 by Carol Peterson Hennekens

3.0 out of 5 stars The writing is still great...
but the research -- or lack of it -- hurts the book terribly! One of the reasons I'm a great admirer of King's is that she usually has fascinating intellectual themes,... Read more
Published on Jul 27 2001 by Susan Shedd

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex, interesting but more a thriller than a mystery
I started to read Laurie King because I loved Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich but had run out of titles - a friend recommended her as another author I would like - and I think I... Read more
Published on May 13 2001 by A. Woodley

3.0 out of 5 stars Point gets in the way of plot
I found King to be a talented writer-- this is the first book of hers that I've read and I'm relieved to see this described in the reviews as the weakest of her books. Read more
Published on Mar 17 2001 by C. Gilbert

5.0 out of 5 stars The quality I've come to expect from Laurie R. King.
Excellent characterizations, good mystery. There are a lot of mystery writers getting more attention, but King is as good a *writer* as she is a storyteller; this is by far my... Read more
Published on Feb 11 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, but the weakest of the series
Like all Laurie King's books so far, this one is worth reading, but I thought it was the weakest of the lot. One reason is the depiction of Roz, a central character. Read more
Published on Jan 27 2001 by David Friedman

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