Nightwork

by Nora Roberts

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
436	18	57,979	(3.96)	14
"Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother's head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago--but kept up his nightwork. Wandering from the Outer Banks to Savannah to New Orleans, he dons new identities and stays careful, observant, distant. He can't afford to attract attention--or get attached. Still, he can't help letting his guard down when he meets Miranda Emerson. But the powerful bond between them cannot last--because not all thieves follow Harry's code of honor. Some pay others to take risks so they can hoard more treasures. Some are driven by a desire to own people the way they own paintings and jewels. And after Harry takes a lucrative job commissioned by Carter LaPorte, LaPorte sees a tool he can use, and decides he wants to own Harry. The man is a predator more frightening than the alligators that haunt the bayou--and when he strongarms Harry into robbing a Baltimore museum, Harry abandons Miranda--cruelly, with no explanation--and disappears. But no matter what name he uses or where he goes, LaPorte casts a shadow over Harry's life. To truly free himself, he must face down his enemy once and for all. Only then can he hope to possess something more valuable than anything he has ever stolen."--… (more)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

JeanetteStenshorn, OphelieDepoortere, Penelope1969, chasityrigdon, mkgingles87, Bookladycma, marypetruzzi, chaoticmel, amvlibraries

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Lists

The Worst Bestsellers Podcast (180)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 14 mentions

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 18 (next | show all)

Held my attention but didn’t seem realistic. The main character is a thief who never gets caught.It was hard to really root for him. (

)

lrobe190 | Apr 4, 2024 |

Original Review

I found Nightwork to be an interesting story in that it focuses primarily on the life of a male main character who has faced hardship and loss and been a thief since he was quite young. Following a MMC who is a sort of anti-hero is something I don’t see a lot in the types of books I have read thus far, so it was entertaining to read a story that was a bit different from what I am used to reading. I liked that we got to learn about Harry’s back story and see how he came to be the man he is later in the book.

That said, I did feel like about a third of the book could have been cut out and I wouldn’t have missed anything. The pace was leisurely, with some of the scenes not really moving the plot along or adding much to the story. There were instances where what I was reading felt like a rehash of a scene I had already read with a couple of minor details changed.

I found the ending to wrap up a bit too tidily without delving into the more realistic mess that would have come along with the circumstances as well.

Overall, the story was entertaining but parts of it were also skimmable. (

)

erindarlyn | Jan 25, 2024 |

rounded down from 4.25 (

)

tackyj | Aug 3, 2023 |

There was a book in here that I think I would have liked better. As an exploration of grief and reinventing yourself, I think I would have found this novel a lot more compelling. I actually found the first third of it interesting, if slowly paced, and I would have given Nora Roberts a lot of props for doing something different. Unfortunately, that more interesting narrative got shoehorned into an overly complex--and increasingly fantastical--revenge plot that got harder and harder for me to swallow, in no small part because I never found the villain terribly threatening. And, of course, it came with the standard romance, which was...okay, but not something I particularly felt invested in. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if five years after the end of the novel the couple finds they didn't have much in common beyond adrenaline and a lingering obsession that was fueled by the lack of closure in their first go-round.

I will say that Roberts continues to craft lovely, sumptuous descriptions. She painted a picture of New Orleans that sounds incredible. (And also made me pretty hungry!) (

)

Jeslieness | Jun 25, 2023 |

Harry's mom had cancer several times and Harry saw an opportunity in the houses he cleaned to, well, clean out some valuables and sell them to keep the wolf from the door. He discovers that he has a gift for it and uses it to find a life for himself that appeals. However once he starts getting away from that life he discovers that his past can catch up with him, no matter what he does and a man called Carter LaPorte is determined to use him for his purposes. When he eventually finds himself back in the US, he finds himself in small town USA teaching Drama and English and finds that it's a good place to be, what he doesn't expect is a girl from his past whose heart he broke to keep her safe. Now when Carter LaPorte comes looking for him, he has reasons to stay and to solve his problems for once and all.

It was fun, no depth to it but a fun read. (

)

wyvernfriend | Mar 27, 2023 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 18 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

▾Series and work relationships

▾Awards and Honors

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Nightwork

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2022-05-24

People/Characters

Harrison Silas Booth

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

A boy's will is the wind's will, and the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Every one can master a grief but he that has it.
-- William Shakespeare

Dedication

First words

When he was nine, and his mother had her first deadly dance with cancer, he became a thief.

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

"Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother's head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago--but kept up his nightwork. Wandering from the Outer Banks to Savannah to New Orleans, he dons new identities and stays careful, observant, distant. He can't afford to attract attention--or get attached. Still, he can't help letting his guard down when he meets Miranda Emerson. But the powerful bond between them cannot last--because not all thieves follow Harry's code of honor. Some pay others to take risks so they can hoard more treasures. Some are driven by a desire to own people the way they own paintings and jewels. And after Harry takes a lucrative job commissioned by Carter LaPorte, LaPorte sees a tool he can use, and decides he wants to own Harry. The man is a predator more frightening than the alligators that haunt the bayou--and when he strongarms Harry into robbing a Baltimore museum, Harry abandons Miranda--cruelly, with no explanation--and disappears. But no matter what name he uses or where he goes, LaPorte casts a shadow over Harry's life. To truly free himself, he must face down his enemy once and for all. Only then can he hope to possess something more valuable than anything he has ever stolen."--

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary