Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman

 

We met Nick Ryan, troubleshooter for the New York Police Department, in Sleepless City (Blackstone, July 2023). Now Nick is back, using his lightning-fast reflexes and sharp wits to delve into secrets thought long forgotten and calling in his far-flung network of specialists on both sides of the law for assistance, while pining for the mother of his daughter who is now married to another man. Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman was released on 13 August 2024.

Nick‘s latest task is a puzzler: find the killer of the only man known to have been murdered in New York City outside the tragedy of the World Towers attack on 11 September 2001. Why Nick’s handlers were preoccupied with what appeared to be a subway mugging gone wrong more than 20 years ago was not disclosed to him.

Nick had barely collected the case file and begun to review it when he learned his father’s closest friend and his wife had been killed in their home. Tony DeAngelo had been Nick’s honorary uncle, a constant presence in his life, and Nick was devastated. He pulled strings to visit the scene, where he was struck by the markers of a professional hit. Tony was well liked by everyone around him and his doing anything that would have incurred the attention of a killer for hire was unimaginable. Nick was also warned off the case by the assigned detectives but of course that did not stop him.

In the course of his multiple investigations, Ryan pulled in characters from the first book: research wizard Lenny still grieving hard for his family, former British agent now bartender Mack, and a nameless international assassin he only knows via a distorted telephone voice, then tapped a few new ones. In fact this book is so character dense it could use one of those old-fashioned lists of names at the front of the book.

As usual Coleman has turned out an incisive and polished piece of writing. Literate and evocative with slickly choreographed action sequences and a jaw-dropping final body count. And Coleman does love his cars. It seems a shame that after describing their many excellent features, Nick promptly trashes them in a shootout conducted at top speed or something similar. An excellent entry in a very good new series. I am looking forward to the next one.

·       Publisher: ‎Blackstone Publishing, Inc.; Unabridged edition (August 13, 2024)

·       Language: ‎English

·       Hardcover: ‎304 pages

·       ISBN-10: ‎887482390J

·       ISBN-13: ‎979-8874823900

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YF9mWM 

 

Make sure you read Aubrey’s review of the previous book, Sleepless City. 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Review: Blind to Midnight: A Nick Ryan Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman

 

Blind to Midnight: A Nick Ryan Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman is the second book in the Nick Ryan series that began with Sleepless City. It is also another solidly good read as one always expects from the author.

 

In addition to his regular police work, Nick Ryan continues to work cases as they are assigned by the people in the shadows. He is a sort of fixer and has a wide latitude to solve problem as a NYC police detective. To achieve their goals, he has access to varied resources. He also separately has help from a variety of friends and associates that have talents and connections the average person would not. But, knowing Nick Ryan can be extremely dangerous for your own health.

 

Nick is just coming off an assignment and a very long day when he gets a phone call. Tony Angelo and his wife are dead. They have been murdered by person or persons unknown. Nick had known Tony since he was a kid. Nick’s father was a cop, friends with Ton and his wife, both were part of Nick’s life always and forever. That makes them family as far as Nick is concerned. Even though the people who control Nick want him to stay out of it and away from the investigation, he is not about to do that. They should know by now that Nick marches to the beat of his own drummer.

 

The shadowy powers that be want Nick to focus on solving a murder case from the night the towers fell. The case was believed to be a hate crime. It was something else and more than two decades later they want it solved for reasons unknown.

 

Nick does the only thing he can do. He works both cases and dodges bullets and violent mayhem along the way. His ultimate plan is to survive, keep the ex and their kid safe, and get out from under the thumb of the person or persons that are leaning on him. Easier said than done.

 

Blind to Midnight: A Nick Ryan Novel builds extensively on Sleepless City while spinning another very complicated tale of cross and double cross. Plenty of action, violence, and interesting characters blend together to make this another compelling page turning read from the master. Read the series in order and enjoy as both books are very much worth your time.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YF9mWM

 

 

My digital reading copy was an ARC from the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, Inc., through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024