Praise for John Lutz
“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
“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
“Lutz’s real gift is to evoke detective work better than anyone else.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“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
“It’s easy to see why he’s won an Edgar and two Shamuses.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Some writers just have a flair for imaginative suspense, and we all should be glad that John Lutz is one of them. The Night Spider features elegant writing enveloping exotic murder and solid police work…. A truly superb example of the ‘new breed’ of mystery thrillers.”
—Jeremiah Healy
“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-awhirl 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) on The Night Spider
“Compelling…a gritty psychological thriller…Lutz’s details concerning police procedure, fire-fighting 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 player…Lutz is good with characterization.”
—reviewingtheevidence.com on The Night Watcher
“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
“With Lutz stirring the pot the dish spits with just the right amount of sizzle.”
—Bon Appétit on Tropical Heat
“Lutz is a fine craftsman.”
—Booklist on The Ex
“The grip on the reader is relentless until the final, entirely unforeseen shocker rings down the curtain.”
—Publishers Weekly on Kiss
“Well written, meticulously constructed, gripping.”
—Library Journal on Scorcher
“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
ALSO BY JOHN LUTZ
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
CHILL OF NIGHT
John Lutz
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
For Eunice Pope
Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand,
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
—Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus
Render therefore to all their dues.
—Romans XIII.7
None are so desolate but something dear,
Dearer than self, possesses or possess’d
A thought, and claims the homage of a tear.
—Byron, Childe Harold
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