Two Nights

I'm a long-time fan of Reichs' Temperance Brennan series, so when I saw that she had a new stand-alone novel coming out, I just had to read it.

The main character, Sunday "Sunnie'' Night is a recluse, living on an island off the SC coast by choice, following a severe injury that ended her law enforcement career. Her foster father is worried about her, so he recommends she take a case looking for a woman's missing granddaughter. The case is a lot more complex than just a missing teenager. The girl's mother and brother were killed in a bombing attack on a Jewish school. The missing girl was with them that day, but disappeared. Their grandmother is a wealthy and powerful woman....she wants to know who killed her daughter and grandson and show more where her granddaughter is. Sunnie takes the case, not for the money, but to help the teenage girl. The case quickly heats up....Sunnie is followed, shot and attacked multiple times as she starts her investigation. Is the missing girl, Stella, alive? Dead? Who took her and why?

I have mixed emotions about this book.

On the one hand, I love a good action-thriller story. The premise is exciting and there were some great action sections to the plot. The main character, Sunnie, is gritty, intelligent and capable. Her military and police training keep her in top form as she uncovers clues that this could be a much more involved case than she first thought.

But....there were times when I feel the plot was just a bit too much. Over-done. Not believable. Overly dramatic. Sunnie has so many demons from her past that I never really found a connection with her. Maybe if more details about her issues had been provided earlier in the story I might have understood her a bit more? That portion of the plot was just too slow to develop, and comes in fits and starts. A bit here. A bit there. More development of her character and information on her past earlier in the story and I might have been a bit more into it.

As it is, this is a departure from the typical Reichs' novel. It is a gritty, action-filled PI story. The book is well-written, as are all Reichs' books. I just think maybe it isn't a good fit for me. Sunnie Night just didn't grab my attention and emotions. I did enjoy the book. The basic plot was interesting and I wanted to find out what happened to Stella. But, I just really don't like the main character. I'm not sure if Reichs intends to make this a series....but, if so, it isn't one I'm going to pursue.

But, I do recommend that readers who enjoy PI thriller novels give this one a try! It's not my cup of tea....but it just might be the perfect summer thriller for someone else! Interesting plot. Great action scenes. And thrilling conclusion!

For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://kathyreichs.com/ show less

TWO NIGHTS by Kathy Reichs
Reichs drops Temperance Brennan for a new protagonist, or perhaps two. Sunday Night, a damaged woman who is former cop, former military, is fleeing her past. Then she is offered the chance to redeem herself and perhaps heal herself by finding a child kidnapped (or killed) during a terrorist attack. Darker than the Brennan books, Sunday is a compelling personality. You may find yourself reading just to discover Sunnie’s deepest secrets. Still, the mystery is worthy of Reichs’ considerable talent in plotting and characterization.
At the end of the book there are still questions to uncover leading one to anticipate a second (and third) outing for this detective.
5 of 5 stars

Sunday Night has spent a lifetime on the run from her past. She’s been a marine and a cop; now she’s working as a private investigator. Her search, for a missing granddaughter who may or may not be dead, is fraught with danger . . . but if she can find the answers, she may learn the truth about her own past.

Eccentric Sunnie Night, who lives on an island reachable only by boat and treats a squirrel like her pet, gives new meaning to having Attitude, This not-always-likeable heroine is flawed, tough-talking, and sarcastic. Along with her many scars, Sunnie carries a barely-controlled rage, but she’s also self-sufficient, street smart, and audacious. And readers will find themselves rooting for her despite her many foibles.

The dark, show more twisting plot unfolds at a relentless pace, drawing the reader into the telling of the tale and the ramped up tension keeps those pages turning until the final unexpected reveal.

Recommended. show less

Sunday Night – aka Sunnie – is a six-foot-tall, red head who was rescued from a traumatic childhood along with her twin brother Gus and raised by Perry Beaumont, a police officer with the Charleston S. Carolina police force. She had eventually joined first the military and then the police force herself but an injury had ended her career. She has moved to a secluded island to recover not only physically but psychically.

However, when the grandmother of a girl kidnapped after the bombing of a Jewish school offers a reward for finding the people responsible, Beaumont suggests that Sunnie take the job. He suspects that her childhood may give her special insight into the case.

Two Nights by author Kathy Reichs is a huge departure from her show more Temperance Brennan novels. This is a much faster, darker, less cerebral novel fueled more by Sunnie’s seemingly unquenchable rage, her kinetic energy, and her identification with the victim than by any knowledge of forensics. Throughout the novel, her personality is contrasted with her brother’s calmer, more quiet personality – he is her polar opposite in seemingly almost every way including in his looks. Unfortunately, for me, this had the effect of making the pair seem somewhat one-dimensional, like separate halves of the same character. This was mitigated at least in part as we learn more about their past which is slowly revealed throughout the novel and which helps explain much of why each has taken on the persona they wear.

I will also admit I found some of the action a bit over the top and requiring a much higher suspension of disbelief than the Temperance Brennan novels. Still, the non-stop action kept me reading long into the night. Despite my criticisms, if I had to describe this book in one word, it would have to be unputdownable. Two Nights is a standalone but I look forward to more stories about Sunnie and Gus in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

I'm always up for a new read from Kathy Reichs. Her newest book, Two Nights, is a stand alone that introduces us to a great female lead named Sunday Night.

Sunday is ex-military and a former cop turned walking wounded private investigator in South Carolina. She's carrying a lot of baggage from her own past, both psychological and physical. She's smart, tough and tenacious with the attitude to match.

When she's asked to look for a young girl who has been missing for more than a year, she takes the job - there are aspects to the case that strike a personal chord.

Two Nights? Sunny has a brother named August - Gus for short. And he too has a wide and varied skill set. I enjoyed his laid back, smooth style. The two have worked together before show more and team up again for this latest. The banter between the two is quick and the dialogue is staccato and sharp. This is true of the whole book.

The plot borrows from current news headlines, but Reichs puts an inventive spin on her plotting. She keeps us guessing about Sunnie's past with memories and asides. As the book progresses, more and more is revealed until we discover the truth in the last few chapters. (And she caught me off guard....) Cut between chapters are italicized chapters from a woman being held in captivity that count down from two weeks ago to the present. Time seems to be of the essence in both plot lines.

Yes, Two Nights is a departure from the tone and tenor of the Tempe Brennan novels. It's definitely action oriented and almost read like movie. And yes, some of the plotting is a bit far fetched. But you know - I enjoyed seeing something new and different from an author I follow. I thought Sunday was a great new lead character - and you can never have enough female kick butt leads. I found Two Nights to be an entertaining read. I wonder if there will be another Night novel? If so, this reader would pick it up. show less

With Two Nights, Kathy Reichs takes a huge leap away from her beloved Temperance Brennan Series. Sunday Night's character is nothing like Temperance, and we are not immersed in forensics to solve a case. So if you're looking for 'new but the same', you'll probably be disappointed. Put expectations aside and you can't help but get swept up in this raw and edgy story.

Sunday Night is a total badass. She has the kind of emotional strength most of us can barely fathom. She's driven, independent, sarcastic, funny, fiercely protective, and makes no apologies for who she is. I loved her character right from the start.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about the past that shaped her. The memories haunting her are also what push her forward, show more sometimes recklessly, but always with the best intentions.

The pacing steadily builds to a breathless conclusion. We have unexpected twists, compelling content, and unforgettable characters.

Kathy Reichs is a gifted writer, and I'm glad she veered away from the usual to give us something totally unexpected.

*I was provided with an ebook copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* show less

I discovered Kathy Reichs years ago in kind of a backwards way; I fell in love with a unique and intriguing television show. I’m sure I don’t even have to mention the name because you already know which one I’m referring to; right here let’s take a moment to mourn the fact this amazing show just ended this month after airing nearly 250 episodes for an remarkable 12 seasons. Why is it important to talk about a TV Show named Bones? This was loosely based on the life and writings of our esteemed author. An inspiring woman whose resume includes being a forensic anthropologist on top of being an award winning novelist. She has written nearly 20 books in her Temperance Brennan series, 6 novellas, and a 6 book YA series. Two Nights is show more her first stand-alone novel.

At this point you should want to buy her book just based on her impressive reputation and resume. Anyone with that kind of background deserves a shot to see what else she can bring to the table. Now let me tell you why you should pick this book up based on its own merits.

In typical Reichs style her writing is extremely descriptive to the point the chapters fly by creating movie quality images in your mind. The way she sets scenes and describes the characters, not just how they look but their mannerisms and body language, you can’t help but feel like you’re watching this story instead of reading it. It’s even possible to hear the voices of her characters because of how vividly she has created them. This novel will fly by as you lose yourself in the world and people Reichs has created; it’s so good that if left to your own devices you could easily finish this off within a few hours as you become glued to finding out the success or failure of Sunnie’s mission to save a missing girl.

Sunnie Night is this loner, ex-cop, ex-marine, all around bad-ass. She also feels like a perpetual failure who can’t measure up so she has rage issues and less than idyllic mental health making those who know her perpetually worry where on the spectrum of sanity she sits. All of this makes her a very complex and intriguing character because she is someone who desperately needs to be saved from herself but doesn’t feel deserving of it. The only thing she can do is turn around and hopefully save someone else, almost as if she’s balancing out some kind of karmic scale. She has this great sense of humor embedded with so much snarky sarcasm and wit she’ll have you laughing to the point you forget this is a mystery instead of a comedy at times.

Reich’s brought out her trademark in this story line filling her plot and character’s actions/motivations with plenty of trepidation, wit, cryptic clues and a surprising amount of warmth in that you will feel your heart strings tug for Sunnie. You will ride in the cart alongside her for sure in this emotional rollercoaster that still maintained an air of realism. There’s bombs, murder, missing kids, religion gone awry, cult-like leaders, it’s got everything you could ask for in a thrilling, action packed novel.

Even her title is meaningful to the story which you will discover along the way.

Since this is my 200th review of 2017 it was important to me that I find a truly worthy book to hold that place, one I can recommend wholeheartedly and I do so with this one.
Bones may have ended this month but Kathy Reichs proves she has staying power beyond the Fox Network and her beloved character Temperance Brennan. Here’s hoping Sunnie Night is here to stay as part of Reichs literary resume and will continue to grace our shelves in the years to come. Maybe if we’re really lucky Brennan and Night will cross paths…. show less