Night Kills. John Lutz

      Praise for John Lutz

      “Brilliant…a very scary and suspenseful read.”

      —Booklist on In for the Kill

      “Lutz has a thorough command of plot and character, making this another enthralling page-turner.”

      —Publishers Weekly on In for the Kill

      “Lutz can deliver a hard-boiled p.i. novel or a bloody thriller with equal ease…. The ingenuity of the plot shows that Lutz is in rare form.”

      —The New York Times Book Review on Chill of Night

      “Lutz keeps the suspense high and populates his story with a collection of unique characters…an ideal beach read.”

      —Publishers Weekly on Chill of Night

      “John Lutz knows how to make you shiver.”

      —Harlan Coben

      “John Lutz is one of the masters of the police novel.”

      —Ridley Pearson

      “A major talent.”

      —John Lescroart

      “I’ve been a fan for years.”

      —T. Jefferson Parker

      “John Lutz just keeps getting better and better.”

      —Tony Hillerman

      “Lutz ranks with such vintage masters of big-city murder as Lawrence Block and the late Ed McBain.”

      —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

      “Lutz is among the best.”

      —San Diego Union

      “Lutz juggles multiple storylines with such mastery that it’s easy to see how he won so many mystery awards. Darker Than Night is a can’t-put-it-down thriller, beautifully paced and executed, with enough twists and turns to keep it from ever getting too predictable.”

      —reviewingtheevidence.com

      “Readers will believe that they just stepped off a tilt-a-whirl after reading this action-packed police procedural…. John Lutz places Serpico in a serial killer venue with his blue knights still after him.”

      —The Midwest Book Review on Darker Than Night

      “John Lutz knows how to ratchet up the terror…. [He]propels the story with effective twists and a fast pace.”

      —Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) on The Night Spider

      “Compelling…a gritty psychological thriller…Lutz’s details concerning police procedure, firefighting techniques, and FDNY policy ring true, and his clever use of flashbacks draws the reader deep into the killer’s troubled psyche.”

      —Publishers Weekly on The Night Watcher

      “John Lutz is the new Lawrence Sanders. The Night Watcher is a very smooth and civilized novel about a very uncivilized snuff artist, told with passion, wit, carnality, and relentless vigor. I loved it.”

      —Ed Gorman in Mystery Scene

      “A gripping thriller…extremely taut scenes, great descriptions, nicely depicted supporting players…Lutz is good with characterization.”

      —reviewingtheevidence.com on The Night Watcher

      “For a good scare and a well-paced story, Lutz delivers.”

      —San Antonio Express News

      “Lutz knows how to seize and hold the reader’s imagination.”

      —Cleveland Plain Dealer

      “SWF Seeks Same is a complex, riveting, and chilling portrayal of urban terror, as well as a wonderful novel of New York City. Echoes of Rosemary’s Baby, but this one’s scarier because it could happen.”

      —Jonathan Kellerman

      “Lutz is a fine craftsman.”

      —Booklist on The Ex

      “A psychological thriller that few readers will be able to put down.”

      —Publishers Weekly on SWF Seeks Same

      “Tense and relentless.”

      —Publishers Weekly on The Torch

      “The author has the ability to capture his readers with fear, and has compiled a myriad of frightful chapters that captures and holds until the final sentence.”

      —New Orleans Times-Picayune on Bonegrinder

      “Likable protagonists in a complex thriller.”

      —Booklist on Final Seconds

      “Lutz is rapidly bleeding critics dry of superlatives.”

      —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

      “It’s easy to see why he’s won an Edgar and two Shamuses.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      ALSO BY JOHN LUTZ

      In for the Kill

      Chill of Night

      Fear the Night

      Darker Than Night

      The Night Spider

      The Night Watcher

      The Night Caller

      Final Seconds (with David August)

      The Ex

      Available from Kensington Publishing Corp. and Pinnacle Books

      NIGHT KILLS

      JOHN LUTZ

      PINNACLE BOOKS

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Women and birds are able to see without turning their heads, and that is indeed a necessary provision, for they are both surrounded by enemies.

      —James Stephens, The Demi-Gods

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Chapter 27

      Chapter 28

      Chapter 29

      Chapter 30

      Chapter 31

      Chapter 32

      Chapter 33

      Chapter 34

      Chapter