Ben Stack, legendary homicide detective and his assistant Rita Lopez are assigned a grisly case. A man while bound has been torched in his own New York high-rise apartment. The crime took place in the kitchen and apparent safeguards have been taken to keep the fire from spreading. The victim was a bachelor with no apparent enemies and well fixed financially. There are virtually no clues. Another almost identical killing takes place. The tension racks up not only for the police, but also for the fire department who fear that if these fires get out of control, it could be a catastrophe. It is impossible to effectively fight a fire over the 10th story level. The net widens to take in more suspects, but the killer seems invincible. The climax is a nail-biter; their main suspect could also be the next victim on the list.

Mr. Lutz tells his story in a crafty manner with effective flashbacks, foreshadowing and glimpses into the killer's thought processes. The characterizations are sharp, though Lt. Ben is a little wooden. Assistant Rita never misses a trick to force her way into Ben's affections. No retiring flower here!

Contrary to previous reviews, I believe the story is well told and in a convincing manner. The information on high-rise fires is not only interesting, but also instructive. There are bits of humor in the interactions of the various characters, slyly placed and well presented. There are a few loose ends (how did the killer gain entry?), but they are minor. "Night Watcher" is well worth your time.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer


ho-hum, another serial killer   January 19, 2003
John Lutz has wom the Edgar and Shamus awards, so I'm assuming he's written much better stuff than this, a routine tale of a serial killer who burns people alive. The interplay between the investigating officers was not realistic at all, and the parade of suspects muddies the waters to no good effect. The officers also seemed to have a surprising lack of insight into the workings of the criminal mind, an unforgiveable sin in these days of psychological profiling. The serial killer is a sympathetic character, but we get little insight into his background and motivations.