Review: Winter and Night

'Winter and Night' is the first book by S.J. Rozan that I have read. Clearly, I have been missing an excellent author, and if this is a typical example of her work, I have a great deal more enjoyable reading to look forward to in her other books.

The story gets off to a quick start when Bill Smith, private detective, is woken by a phone call in the middle of the night from a police station. A teenager is being questioned, but won't identify himself. Under pressure, he gives the police Bill's name. The teenager, Gary, is the son of Bill's estranged sister. He has run away from home, and, unwilling to explain why he is running or where he is going, slips away from his uncle's home and vanishes again. Everything about this situation - the runaway teen, the very prospect of renewed contact with his relatives - brings back unpleasant memories for Bill. But he feels responsible for Gary, and in order to find and help him, locates his sister and her family, now living in an apparently idyllic New Jersey town. When Bill starts investigating why Gary ran, in hopes of being able to guess where he ran, the idyllic surface of the town is shattered.

This book deals with American adolescence, or, more specifically, that sub-group of American society in which adolescence is seen as pinnacle of life, and the hot-house society of the high school is the focus of community life. Setting up idols, such as the teen athletes in this novel, tends to have predictable effects not only on the young athletes, but on the rest of the community as well. Rozan describes a community which does this extremely well, making it come to life. This is the hometown Bill's extremely unpleasant brother-in-law left many years ago, and it is the place he has recently returned to with his wife and family. His son, Gary, is a teenager trying to fit in and make friends in a town in which certain teens are treated as gods. Gary's actions are the driving force of the novel.

The character development is excellent, with the possible exception of the sports expert, whose motivation does not seem particularly plausible. But Gary, who is at the centre of the novel, is very convincingly portrayed. Gary, despite his youth, is no child. He is old enough to understand complex moral issues. Like so many teenagers, he desperately wants to do the right thing, as much or more than he wants to fit in. He deeply admires his rather unlikeable father, and wants to live up to the standards his father has taught him, in order to do what is right, to be a stand-up man. But his youth leaves him vulnerable - he does not have the experience or the knowledge todeal with the situation in which he finds himself. This is the young man Bill is trying to find and help.

I enjoyed this book because of the plot and current themes, but most of all I enjoyed the characters. I recommend it to anyone who likes a fast-paced contemporary mystery novel.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: Winter and Night

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.