Almost Night

Rating:
Summary: Gripping suspense thriller
Review: ALMOST NIGHT is certainly an entertaining read despite the disturbing subject matter. Although the mystery reveals itself early on for the reader, it remains suspenseful through the end. Furthermore, Prospero presents herself with a rather obvious (and chinsy) opportunity for a knight-in-shining armor ending, but thankfully, does not take that avenue, choosing, rather, to further develop the strength of her lead character. Susannah Cannon is a headstrong, yet vulnerable character that I feel most people (male or female) would be able to identify with. The supporting characters are presented excellently, going so far as to create a certain understanding for their own personal flaws, and finding a reason to respect the reason behind their views, whether one agrees with them or not. Every character is presented with a depth that adds so much flavor that the story comes to life. Add to this the vivid descriptions Prospero provides for the locales in Miami and the Everglades, and the book becomes much more than words on a page; every scene becomes visual, instead of words trying to describe something visual. I for one look forward to more books on Susannah Cannon's mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping suspense thriller
Review: ALMOST NIGHT is certainly an entertaining read despite the disturbing subject matter. Although the mystery reveals itself early on for the reader, it remains suspenseful through the end. Furthermore, Prospero presents herself with a rather obvious (and chinsy) opportunity for a knight-in-shining armor ending, but thankfully, does not take that avenue, choosing, rather, to further develop the strength of her lead character. Susannah Cannon is a headstrong, yet vulnerable character that I feel most people (male or female) would be able to identify with. The supporting characters are presented excellently, going so far as to create a certain understanding for their own personal flaws, and finding a reason to respect the reason behind their views, whether one agrees with them or not. Every character is presented with a depth that adds so much flavor that the story comes to life. Add to this the vivid descriptions Prospero provides for the locales in Miami and the Everglades, and the book becomes much more than words on a page; every scene becomes visual, instead of words trying to describe something visual. I for one look forward to more books on Susannah Cannon's mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Tropical Treat
Review: As a resident of Miami I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It is what my wife calls, "an easy read". Ann Prospero tells a story about a female detective hunting a killer/rapist. During the course of her investigation the detective reflects on the similarities between the victims' lives and her own. Ms. Prospero shows her poetic abilities in the beautiful word paintings describing Miami nights, the Everglades, Coconut Grove, Coral Way, and many other places. She also develops the main character, Susannah Cannon, carefully. As the story progresses you get a glimpse into Susannah's past and come to understand why she is where she is. The story has a very tropical feel and tempts me to turn off my air conditioner tonight and admire the silvery shine on the palm fronds.

Rating:
Summary: Tropical Treat
Review: As a resident of Miami I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It is what my wife calls, "an easy read". Ann Prospero tells a story about a female detective hunting a killer/rapist. During the course of her investigation the detective reflects on the similarities between the victims' lives and her own. Ms. Prospero shows her poetic abilities in the beautiful word paintings describing Miami nights, the Everglades, Coconut Grove, Coral Way, and many other places. She also develops the main character, Susannah Cannon, carefully. As the story progresses you get a glimpse into Susannah's past and come to understand why she is where she is. The story has a very tropical feel and tempts me to turn off my air conditioner tonight and admire the silvery shine on the palm fronds.

Rating:
Summary: Readable, but not great.
Review: I checked this book out of the local library because the librarian recomended it. The library is starting to compile a list of books with strong female protagonists.
The book is well written, and is an easy read, but is predictable. Suze, the police officer becomes interested by an enigmatic man named Martin. She barely knows him, and he is reluctant to share much information with him. Then, when she is told that the killer may be stalking her, rather than checking out the new love interest, she assumes she is being stalked by her ex. NOT a big surprise that her love interest turns out to the killer. IMHO, the surprise would have been if he had turned out to be a really nice guy and someone ELSE was the bad guy.
Still, the book is entertaining, but Suze just isn't the world's strongest character. Sure, she is good at her job but her personal life is a mess. She equates love with sex and is dating a really abusive ass. This bothered me because I couldn't reconcile the strong cop with the needy, wet rag of a woman. If there is a sequel, please let Suze be a stronger person all around.

Rating:
Summary: Poetic Prospero Writes With Passion
Review: Miami is rocked by the brutal slashing murder of businesswoman Carla Reeves. Homicide Commander Bea Williams assigns the investigation to Detective Susannah Cannon. Soon other victims with one trait in common are found viciously mutilated. Susannah realizes that she and her crew are on the trail of a serial killer who selects lonely single women as his victims.

The link personally hits home to Susannah because she too is a desolate individual who seems to only hook up with destructive males. As the investigation begins to uncover the identity of the mass murderer, Susannah begins to wonder if the cold-blooded killer might have included her on his list. Will she find him in her professional life or her personal life?

ALMOST NIGHT, a South Florida mystery, is an entertaining tale that centers on an emotionally damaged lead protagonist and a support group with diverse ethnic backgrounds. The story line is fun though the killer is obvious rather early in the plot. The "good guys" team is what makes the novel fun to read. Their various backgrounds blend into a cohesive crew who operates at peak capacity during the intriguing investigation. They also allow readers opportunities an exciting glimpse into the multicultural heritage of the Miami area. Those subplots involving diversity cleverly blend into the main story line making this a unique regional police procedural worth reading.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: As dark and mysterious as its setting ...
Review: This dark and lovely first-person novel manages to get to the reader in ways most mysteries never do, although the characters could certainly have used a little more depth and the dialogue was a little stilted. The author is a reporter--she's not used to dialogue, I guess.
Almost Night is about Miami homicide Detective Susannah Cannon, a very complex lady who has pushed her way through the police force, has severe family and relationship issues, and has a deep passion for the Everglades. The case she is confronted with is a killer who takes out strong women in a very violent, graphically described, manner. During the investigation, Suze discovers that these women had something in common with her--they were searching for love in all the wrong ways, namely through sex. Suze tries not to let the revelation affect her, but she begins to ponder her former relationships, as well as her dysfunctional relationship with her parents, and their not-quite-traditional relationship with each other. When an FBI agent suggests that Suze is the killer's intended victim, she blows it off, but is it possible that one of the men Suze has thought will love her is a killer?