Do You like book Winter And Night (2003)?
What an amazing book! I read it before, when it came out in 2002, but forgot what an intense read it was. This book is told from Bill Smith's point-of-view, and is the story of his nephew who wants to do the right thing, but is first picked up by the police, then given into Bill's custody; Gary runs away from Bill in order to finish what he started. It takes Bill, and his partner Lydia Chin, down quite a long path to find Gary; through Bill's past, his relationships with his father and his sister, and through the past of the town where Gary is living. Bill's brother-in-law moved the family to Warrenstown, the place where he grew up, so that Gary could participate in the football program at the high school. Warrenstown is a place that lives, breathes and dies by its winning high school football team, and the team players can do no wrong--neither in the past or the present. Gary, despite being on the "right" side of the equation, has a sense of fairness in him that makes him realize that being a jock and looking down on the rest of his peers is not what he really wants, despite being new, and on his way to being accepted. A past criminal situation emerges that involved football players 23 years ago, even as a new situation evolves in the present day. It takes everything that Bill and Lydia have to figure out where the path is leading, and to race against time to prevent a terrible occurrance.I love this series, and these characters--Rozan's newest book in this series is Shanghai Moon, due out in the next few weeks. If you haven't already read this series, I strongly suggest that you do so!An aside: a friend of mine bid in a charity auction to have his name used in the book, and prior to its publication, Ms. Rozan told him his name is "all over the book". And it is, quite cleverly--my friend is Gary Warren Niebuhr. Gary is the name of Bill Smith's nephew, Warrenstown is where much of the story plays out, and Niebuhr is the name of another main character. I loved this!
—Patti
Setting: Warrenstown, New Jersey; New YorTheme: family, dysfunctional families, anger, lies, high school angstCharacters:Bill Smith – Bill’s point of view – we get another glimpse into his tough past… the family moved around a lot as they followed their father’s military assignments – and his father physically abused him, his mother, and his sister… when he was 15 (and getting into a lot of trouble) Mom finally decided to stand up to dad and returned to New York to stay with her brother the poli
—Kathy
It seems to me that a series writer has a tougher time winning awards that a writer of stand-alone novels, and not just in the mystery field -- just look at how Laura Ingalls Wilder never won a Newbery, and Beverly Cleary had to wait for hers until she wrote a stand-alone "problem novel." Since I greatly enjoy watching characters develop through a series, I'm always disappointed when a favorite is nominated but doesn't get the final prize.I picked up Winter and Night at a used book sale some time ago and left it on the shelf until I reached it in the progression of Edgar Best Novel winners. Normally I like to begin at the beginning of a series but for this reading project I decided to go in "cold" if the author was new to me.First, Winter and Night was certainly deserving of the 2003 Edgar Best Novel award. Oddly, (and I gather the judges change regularly so this may be the reason), three of the four nominees who were runners-up were also series entries, which is somewhat unusual. I enjoyed the two I've read, and I would have had a hard time choosing between Manda Scott's No Good Deed and the winner, but I would find it hard to quibble with the judges' choice in this case.Rozan set herself a difficult task in this book. She artfully mingles "ripped-from-the-headlines" topics (to tell what they are would introduce too many spoilers), a decades-old case whose resolution is in doubt, one of the most complicated revenge stories I've ever encountered, and a major revelation by one of her protagonists, private investigator Bill Smith, about his past. I was riveted from beginning to end. The secondary characters are well-drawn and nuanced even when they at first seem to be stereotypes. And of course, the relationship -- whatever it is! -- between Bill and his younger partner, Lydia Chin, is intriguing. I will definitely need to read the remainder of the series and hope it continues for a long time. Highly recommended.
—Nikki
