The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Pelecanos (Drama City) delivers a dignified, character-driven epic that succeeds as both literary novel and page-turner. In 1985, the body of a 14-year-old girl turns up in a Washington, D.C., park, the latest in a series of murders by a killer the media dub "The Night Gardener." T.C. Cook, the aging detective on the case, works with a quiet, almost monomaniacal, focus. Also involved are two young uniformed cops, Gus Ramone, who's diligent, conscientious and unimpressed by heroics, and Dan "Doc" Holiday, an adrenaline junkie who's decidedly less straight. Fast forward 20 years. Detective Ramone, now married with kids of his own, investigates the murder of one of his teenage son's friends. The homicide closely resembles the earlier unsolved Night Gardener murders. Holiday, now an alcoholic chauffeur and bodyguard, follows the case on his own and tracks down Cook, long retired but still obsessed with the original murders. While the three work together toward a suspenseful ending, Pelecanos emphasizes the fallacy of "solving" a murder and explores the ripple effects of violent crime on society. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


I finished this book about a week ago and it has taken me a moment to write what I have been thinking. I have been busy, but I also had a hard time writing the review. First off, let me say that while reading this book I was suffering from a headache that lasted about 2 weeks and is still on and off. So, it took me longer to read The Night Gardener and it was more difficult for me to concentrate. With that being said, I want to let you know up front that I enjoyed this novel.

The writing style was a bit different to me. I think that -combined with my headache- gave me a hard time. It has less flow and more hard edges. I don't think that is really the wording I want, but I can't think of another one. This is the first sentence, "The crime scene was in the low 30s around E, on the edge of Fort Dupont Park, in a neighborhood known as Greenway, in the 6th District section of Southeast D.C." Ok, not bad writing and it is a great description, but I think I read it 4 times. Until I got into his writing style I found myself looking at previous paragraphs and realizing I had missed something. After I got used to it, it flowed okay and I was able to really get into the story.

The story - very good. Mr. Pelecanos did an excellent job with this mystery. It wasn't until the very last paragraph that you knew the complete story. As he wove his tale you kept getting sucked into every little bit. I wanted to know what had happened to the children and I wanted to know why. I also wanted to know if the current crime was a coincidence or another serial killing. Each fact could be used to pull you both directions. Mr. Pelecanos also writes with much realism. There is no sugarcoating. He highlights racism, family life, poverty, and the police. Sometimes you might be a little tired of his sexual innuendos or homophobic put downs, but they were there to make the story accurate. Let's be honest - this world is full of good cops, bad cops, racists, inequality, and a lot of other crap. I don't think you can write a story of low income families and racially tense areas without putting it in.

The characters were very well developed. Each had a very distinct personality. Gus Ramone was a family man who just wanted to do his job and keep everyone safe. Gus Holiday was an ex-cop with an alcohol addiction who made some bad choices in his past. Cook was the retired cop who never let go of the one case that had evaded him. These characters interacted with personalities intact. They showed their dislike and they attempted to work around it.

On top of being a good mystery, the characters and the realism create a novel that touches on life's inequity and how each person copes with it differently. It gives you enough background of each character to see where they made the choice to live their current life. Some turn to addictions, some turn to family, and some bury themselves in a job to avoid it all.

I would definitely read another one of George Pelecanos novels. Has anyone else read his other work? If so, let me know what you thought. Also, if you read this novel did you like it?

Nothing but Ghosts - Beth Kephart

Yesterday - July 4, 2009 - I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's and an infection. I felt loss. When I returned to my mother's house I was drawn to Ms. Kephart's book. She is lyrical and insightful and healing. So, please forgive me if this review strays a little off the path, but I assure you that what I write is where the book led me. Thank you Beth Kephart.

This novel is depth and simplicity in one. It takes the tragic loss of losing a mother and walks us through the grieving of a husband and a daughter. It also takes us down a path of making the decision of what life you choose to live after loss.

Katie spends most of the novel searching for a mother who has "disappeared". She knows that she has lost her to cancer, but has yet to come to terms with losing a loving, full of life mother. There is no blame or anger just a sadness and loss that grips her heart and makes her almost afraid to live too fully anymore. She has closed off from friends and a "normal" teenage life. She decides to begin working in the garden of the town recluse and soon finds that this home also holds a mystery that she feels drawn to solve. While solving the mystery she becomes close with a teenage boy who also works in the garden and spends time in the library with Ms. McDermott. Her father also begins to solve a connected mystery when he is given a painting to restore and finds it was painted by the father of the recluse she is researching.

I can't give more details of the story without feeling like I tell too much, but I will tell you what I learned and what I think Ms. Kephart was trying to instill in each of us with this novel. Death is inevitable and many times unexpected...even if we know it is coming. It is how we live our lives after a loss that can bury us away from our own lives or let us live life fully.

There is more than one loss in this novel. In one loss, the loved ones left behind chose to close themselves off from the world and bury all that would remind them of the pain and suffering. With the loss of the one they loved they were breathing but dead as well. In the other story is Katie. She hasn't come to terms with her grief and is trying to decide which path she will follow. It is when she makes this promise "to live my life with my eyes wide open. To honor exuberance, and color." that she begins to live again. One choice presents a life of pain and regret the other presents a life of love and rememberance and healing.

This novel is full of symbolism and lyrical phrases that are beautiful. The poetry of her words are there, but not overwhelming to the reader. It is beauty and knowledge and love all together.

It is with this review that I say. Grandma I promise "to live with my eyes wide open. To honor exuberance, and color." I promise to keep you in my heart and never bury you in the past. You were truly a blessing from Above and will be missed. God has brought you home and you are now free of pain and suffering and where you belong. I choose life, I choose love. When something reminds me of you I promise to smile and say "Hi Granny....life's good.".

Book Description from Amazon:

Ever since her mother passed away, Katie's been alone in her too-big house with her genius dad, who restores old paintings for a living. Katie takes a summer job at a garden estate, where, with the help of two brothers and a glamorous librarian, she soon becomes embroiled in decoding a mystery. There are secrets and shadows at the heart of Nothing but Ghosts: symbols hidden in a time-darkened painting, and surprises behind a locked bedroom door. But most of all, this is a love story—the story of a girl who learns about love while also learning to live with her own ghosts.
This is a heartfelt, lyrical tale from the National Book Award-nominated author of Undercover and House of Dance.