Publication
Grand Central Publishing (2007), Edition: First Printing, 464 pages
Original publication date
2006
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2006)
Barry Award (Winner — Novel — 2007)
Gumshoe Award (Nominee — Mystery — 2007)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2006)
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Gus Ramone is "good police," a former Internal Affairs investigator now working homicide for the city's Violent Crime branch. His new case involves the death of a local teenager named Asa whose body has been found in a local community garden.The murder unearths intense memories of a case Ramone worked as a patrol cop twenty years earlier, when he and his partner, Dan "Doc" Holiday, assisted a legendary detective named T. C. Cook. The series of murders, all involving local teenage victims, was never solved. In the years since, Holiday has left the force under a cloud of morals charges, and now finds work as a bodyguard and driver. Cook has retired, but he has never stopped agonizing about the "Night Gardener" killings.The new case draws the three men together on a grim mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. All the love, regret, and anger that once burned between them comes rushing back, and old ghosts walk once more as the men try to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams. Bigger and even more unstoppable than his previous thrillers, George Pelecanos achieves in THE NIGHT GARDENER what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character, and unstoppable fate.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member knitbusy
I can't call this book a thriller. It is so much more. It is, simply, the best crime novel I've read in several years. This book was my first introduction to George Pelecanos, and already I've added several more of his books to my TBR pile.
The Night Gardener begins in 1985, at the scene of a
Let me start my review with a warning. The dialogue in this book is extremely raw, including almost constant profanity and vulgar references. That being said, Pelecanos writes some of the best dialogue I've ever read. Personally, I wish the language could have been cleaner, but it might not have felt so authentic if that had been the case.
The Night Gardener really surprised me, in a good way. I was expecting a page-turning murder mystery which would resolve itself in a tidy black and white ending by the last page. Instead, I found a book which was almost a constant shade of gray, and which compelled me to keep reading because of the powerful questions it made me ask myself. I was especially impressed with the ending of the novel. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll simply say that for me I don't feel that it could have ended any other way.
I also appreciated that Pelecanos avoided so many of the typical plot devices that are present in so many crime novels. For once, I appreciated reading about a police officer who was a devoted husband and father, as opposed to a self-destructive hero. I was also fascinated by Pelecanos presentation of the racial tensions that are present in Washington D.C., and I appreciated that he was able to present more than one viewpoint. Pelecanos has made a fan of me with this one.
If you are looking for a crime novel with true substance, you can't do better than this. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the potty talk.
The Night Gardener begins in 1985, at the scene of a
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homicide committed by a serial killer known as "the night gardener"who has been targeting teenage victims. It is here that we are first introduced to three police officers: patrolmen Gus Ramone and Dan Holiday, and detective T.C. Cook. We are offered only a brief glimpse before the novel jumps to 2005. Gus Ramone, now a detective, divides his time between work and family. Dan Holiday is a cop no longer, but provides chauffeur services with security to the wealthy. T.C. Cook, now retired, is haunted by the faces of the serial killers victims, and longs to bring the killer to justice. The discovery of another homicide that bears remarkable similarities to the unsolved cases of twenty years ago brings these three men together.Let me start my review with a warning. The dialogue in this book is extremely raw, including almost constant profanity and vulgar references. That being said, Pelecanos writes some of the best dialogue I've ever read. Personally, I wish the language could have been cleaner, but it might not have felt so authentic if that had been the case.
The Night Gardener really surprised me, in a good way. I was expecting a page-turning murder mystery which would resolve itself in a tidy black and white ending by the last page. Instead, I found a book which was almost a constant shade of gray, and which compelled me to keep reading because of the powerful questions it made me ask myself. I was especially impressed with the ending of the novel. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll simply say that for me I don't feel that it could have ended any other way.
I also appreciated that Pelecanos avoided so many of the typical plot devices that are present in so many crime novels. For once, I appreciated reading about a police officer who was a devoted husband and father, as opposed to a self-destructive hero. I was also fascinated by Pelecanos presentation of the racial tensions that are present in Washington D.C., and I appreciated that he was able to present more than one viewpoint. Pelecanos has made a fan of me with this one.
If you are looking for a crime novel with true substance, you can't do better than this. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the potty talk.
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LibraryThing member laurent
Great sense of timing. Dialogues are pitch perfect. Just like watching The Wire. An excellent book.
LibraryThing member norinrad10
Excellent book. Very rarely do you go wrong with Pelacanos.
LibraryThing member the_hag
Just Didn't Quite Make it for Me...
In The Night Gardner, we are introduced to a trio of police officers at the scene of a crime, the third of it's kind...two rookies and one seasoned veteran. Outside of outlining them as determined, seasoned veteran that everyone looks up to (legend), Holiday, cop
The largest chunk of the book wends it was through the murder of Asa, which has striking similarities to the original three crimes 20 year ago...and touch close to home for Ramone, because his son was once friends with the murdered boy. In the end, each of the four distinct storylines merge and become interconnected. This is my first encounter with Pelacanos' work...and he seems to have quite the loyal following. I can't say that I enjoyed The Night Gardner as much as others seem to, it had good bones and a compelling plot...but somewhere along the way, it just didn't quite pan out into a story I really got into.
For me, it was a struggle to keep reading, I almost gave up half a dozen times...there were so many characters and the perspective shifted throughout, there were four distinct storylines to follow, and it was heavy on the dialogue and light on compelling the reader to be interested or care about these people. If I had read this over more than two nights, I would have easily lost track of the characters (and their level of importantce at various times during the storyline) and had trouble remembering what was important when and why. I've read a number of other books with convoluted story lines where many tributaries eventually wind their way to the main point...but his one was just painful to navigate and for not that great a reward at the end. I will say that the second half was more intriguing than the first half...but beyond that I just didn't find much to love about this book.
In the end, The Night Gardner really doesn't seem to be a police procedural or even really a murder mystery...it really seems to be more of a commentary on how we live as people, how racial lines are drawn. Pelacanos presents some stereotypes and the characters live through the reality of them as we sit in our comfortable homes and experience it through them. In the end, we are mainly left with the unsatisfying feeling this book is really about dealing with the fact that murder, crime, race issues and the like aren't stationary events...that they flow out into the community as a whole and beyond, affecting us all, yet which never really seems to be "solved" or fixed. In the end, it was an ok way to spend a couple of nights...but I wouldn't add The Night Gardner to my permanent collection, nor would I be inclined to recommend it to others. It is an interesting read as a slice of life...accurate Washington D.C. place descriptions, up to date cultural and popular culture references...and it's certainly well written, but as a murder mystery, it doesn't quite make it for me.
In The Night Gardner, we are introduced to a trio of police officers at the scene of a crime, the third of it's kind...two rookies and one seasoned veteran. Outside of outlining them as determined, seasoned veteran that everyone looks up to (legend), Holiday, cop
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destined not to be a straight arrow, and Ramone a cop destined to be a straight arrow. The introductory section serves as a brief interlude to introduce the bare facts that the book is based on...the nature of the crimes (pedophilia, dumping bodies in community gardens, and the palindrome thing) and the men who ultimately solve them, sorta. The largest chunk of the book wends it was through the murder of Asa, which has striking similarities to the original three crimes 20 year ago...and touch close to home for Ramone, because his son was once friends with the murdered boy. In the end, each of the four distinct storylines merge and become interconnected. This is my first encounter with Pelacanos' work...and he seems to have quite the loyal following. I can't say that I enjoyed The Night Gardner as much as others seem to, it had good bones and a compelling plot...but somewhere along the way, it just didn't quite pan out into a story I really got into.
For me, it was a struggle to keep reading, I almost gave up half a dozen times...there were so many characters and the perspective shifted throughout, there were four distinct storylines to follow, and it was heavy on the dialogue and light on compelling the reader to be interested or care about these people. If I had read this over more than two nights, I would have easily lost track of the characters (and their level of importantce at various times during the storyline) and had trouble remembering what was important when and why. I've read a number of other books with convoluted story lines where many tributaries eventually wind their way to the main point...but his one was just painful to navigate and for not that great a reward at the end. I will say that the second half was more intriguing than the first half...but beyond that I just didn't find much to love about this book.
In the end, The Night Gardner really doesn't seem to be a police procedural or even really a murder mystery...it really seems to be more of a commentary on how we live as people, how racial lines are drawn. Pelacanos presents some stereotypes and the characters live through the reality of them as we sit in our comfortable homes and experience it through them. In the end, we are mainly left with the unsatisfying feeling this book is really about dealing with the fact that murder, crime, race issues and the like aren't stationary events...that they flow out into the community as a whole and beyond, affecting us all, yet which never really seems to be "solved" or fixed. In the end, it was an ok way to spend a couple of nights...but I wouldn't add The Night Gardner to my permanent collection, nor would I be inclined to recommend it to others. It is an interesting read as a slice of life...accurate Washington D.C. place descriptions, up to date cultural and popular culture references...and it's certainly well written, but as a murder mystery, it doesn't quite make it for me.
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LibraryThing member LeHack
The story opens with a murder scene in 1985 and jumps to 2005. Cook, who had the "Palindrome" murder cases in 1985 is now retired. Holiday, another cop at the scene in 1985, has left the police force in less than favorable circumstances. Gus Ramone, also on the scene in 1985 with Holiday, is now a
This was a real page turner right to the last page.
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detective facing the murder of a 14 yr old whose name is a Palindrome. The 1985 cases are cold, never solved. Circumstances bring the three together. Will they solve the old murders? This was a real page turner right to the last page.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
A decent story, but not so much that it lives up to the hype this man’s been getting lately. The strongest element is the emotion he brings to each story within the novel. The most impressive is that of Ramone’s family and the bond they have to one another. It works as an example that not every
Plotwise though it’s a bit played. Corrupt cops. Old suspects. Coincidental times. Thugs pursuing their own ends. None of it was original or particularly well set up. I never got a feel for the victims of the main crime because so much time was taken up with the side story involving Brock and the pursuit of his own rep. The crashing of the two plotlines was inevitable, but didn’t really ratchet up the curiosity needed to really want to see them hit. We knew they would and would wait it out with no real angst. Eh. I don’t think I’ll read another of this author’s books.
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working-class/middle-class black family is riddled with crime and corruption from its younger members. It shows the struggle with race that must still go on with these families. I suspect the author’s pet agenda went into the success of this portrayal, but it was still good. The other emotional spokes are that of Holiday and T.C. Both are no longer police and are grieving for the days when they were. Both want another shot at glory for their own distinct reasons and when they don’t succeed (at least not before our eyes), it is a blow. Well done on that front.Plotwise though it’s a bit played. Corrupt cops. Old suspects. Coincidental times. Thugs pursuing their own ends. None of it was original or particularly well set up. I never got a feel for the victims of the main crime because so much time was taken up with the side story involving Brock and the pursuit of his own rep. The crashing of the two plotlines was inevitable, but didn’t really ratchet up the curiosity needed to really want to see them hit. We knew they would and would wait it out with no real angst. Eh. I don’t think I’ll read another of this author’s books.
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LibraryThing member Jim53
Pelecanos does a nice job of introducing us to several storylines. I expected them to come together somehow, but there are only the loosest connections between some of the stories. Some of his characters are well drawn and some are quite two-dimensional. The book had a lot of promise, hinting at
One thing that i really didn't like was his vocabulary. Nobody ever hangs up; they always "end the call." And at least one of the characters "ignitions" his car rather than starting it. Why introduce these distractions? He also told us a number of things about characters that he could have shown us as part of the story. I was disappointed with the writing.
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connections and links between characters and ther stories, but in the end the links failed to materialize, and only one of the individual stories was particularly strong. Pelecanos offers more than he delivers in this one. One thing that i really didn't like was his vocabulary. Nobody ever hangs up; they always "end the call." And at least one of the characters "ignitions" his car rather than starting it. Why introduce these distractions? He also told us a number of things about characters that he could have shown us as part of the story. I was disappointed with the writing.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
Pelecanos is a producer/writer for the HBO show The Wire (excellent show, btw), and that same grittiness is felt in his writing here. I saw some common themes between the two. It's also nice to have a crime novel that isn't set in New York. This book not only focuses on a serial killer who may have
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struck again, but also touches on racial issues and homophobia. I enjoyed the book, but there is a second storyline that appears to be there for no reason. I was expecting the two to converge at some point, but except for a very minor character overlap the two had absolutely nothing to do with each other. If it wasn't for that, I would have given this 4 stars instead of 3. Show Less
LibraryThing member amf0001
Critics and authors raved about this book but I couldn't get into it. I tried, and put it down, and then tried again and on my third attempt gave up. I only got 60 or so pages in . There was a lot of information given about a lot of characters, and I couldn't keep track of them all, and the threads
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connecting them were slow in forming, and I was spending too much time with the alcholics in the bar. So this is a pass for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
Although I knew of George P. Pelecanos before I became obsessed with The Wire (where he was a writer/producer), I hadn't really read him. He's typically categorized with Richard Price, who try as I might I just can't read (& no, I'm not really sure why). I think it was this pairing in my mind that
The Night Gardener is a police procedural set in Washington, DC. There are murders (both old & new) & cops (both old & new) & perps & victim's families & the world that swirls around all of these. The story is a good one with plenty of twists & turns & some genuine surprises as well as some sadness & futility.
Pelecanos excels, however, in the nuances of relationship & the ways that this is expressed through language. What is said & what isn't said & the choices that people make or don't - this is the bright thread that runs throughout the book. I liked the characters & the way the book muses about partners & fathers without being overtly about partnering & fathering in the same way that it is a book about solving crime with that being both central & at the same time somewhat ancillary.
& maybe all of the above is what makes this book interesting. We often write about writers who transcend genre, as if all genre writing is limited & a book must become something else to transcend it. I'm not sure this is a fair assessment in most cases. Dashiel Hammett wrote books that are squarely in their genre, but that doesn't diminish them. The Night Gardener is a book about crime, but it's mostly a book about people - those who commit crime, those impacted by it, those who look for its perpetrators. Pelecanos acknowledges in some unique ways that these people all have lives & relationships that stand outside of the crime & that those elements in their lives are ultimately more important than the single event. I like that thought & I like that he writes that way & I liked this book.
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made me wait so long to try one of Pelecanos' books, but I'm glad I got around to it.The Night Gardener is a police procedural set in Washington, DC. There are murders (both old & new) & cops (both old & new) & perps & victim's families & the world that swirls around all of these. The story is a good one with plenty of twists & turns & some genuine surprises as well as some sadness & futility.
Pelecanos excels, however, in the nuances of relationship & the ways that this is expressed through language. What is said & what isn't said & the choices that people make or don't - this is the bright thread that runs throughout the book. I liked the characters & the way the book muses about partners & fathers without being overtly about partnering & fathering in the same way that it is a book about solving crime with that being both central & at the same time somewhat ancillary.
& maybe all of the above is what makes this book interesting. We often write about writers who transcend genre, as if all genre writing is limited & a book must become something else to transcend it. I'm not sure this is a fair assessment in most cases. Dashiel Hammett wrote books that are squarely in their genre, but that doesn't diminish them. The Night Gardener is a book about crime, but it's mostly a book about people - those who commit crime, those impacted by it, those who look for its perpetrators. Pelecanos acknowledges in some unique ways that these people all have lives & relationships that stand outside of the crime & that those elements in their lives are ultimately more important than the single event. I like that thought & I like that he writes that way & I liked this book.
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LibraryThing member gaby317
Synopsis:
The book opens with glimpse at a crime scene in a community garden in Washington D.C. in 1985 where Pelecanos introduces three key detectives. T.C. Cook, a sergeant with 24 years on the force, known as "The Mission Man" with a 90% closure rate. Dan Holiday, known as Doc, is tall, thin, and
Pelecanos then takes the readers to Washington D.C. in 2005. Doc Holiday has been eased out of the police force and instead owns and manages a limo company while Ramone has remained on the force and risen up. As a senior detective, Ramone plays on his strengths to close cases and liberally relies on the skills of those around him. His life centers on his wife and their young daughter and their fourteen year old son who is undergoing some adjustment problems in his new Maryland school.
With Holiday's accidental discovery of another teenage corpse in a community garden in the Southeast D.C. area twenty years later, Holiday and Ramone's paths intersect. Ramone's teenage son had been friends with Asa Johnson, the victim, and Ramone takes an interest in the case.
The Palindrome Murders had suddenly ceased in 1985 but the Night Gardener had never been caught. Holiday suspects that the Night Gardener may have become active again and that Asa was his latest victim. Though he'd left the police force years ago, Holiday finds himself thinking about Asa Johnson and the Palindrome Murders and doesn't trust that Ramone and the detectives will solve the case. Holiday reaches out to retired T.C. Cook to see if together they can help the police locate the killer.
Review:
George Pelecanos has built a strong reputation for authentic dialogue and interesting characters through fifteen Washington D.C. based detective novels and his Emmy-nominated show The Wire. The Night Gardener is my first experience with his work and I can see how he's developed a strong and loyal fan base.
The Night Gardener is carefully crafted and comes together smoothly. While the three main detectives and Asa Johnson's murder is the primary storyline, there are several other narratives and crimes that occur simultaneously. Even the subordinate plot lines and characters are well developed, which heightens the level of suspense. I couldn't tell until the ending how everything would fit together. But when I reached the end, then the details that were floating around in the periphery somehow made sense and I realized how The Night Gardener was so carefully crafted.
I would recommend this book to people fond of forensic and police thrillers, and detective novels. I think it would have special appeal to those familiar with the Washington D.C. area.
The book opens with glimpse at a crime scene in a community garden in Washington D.C. in 1985 where Pelecanos introduces three key detectives. T.C. Cook, a sergeant with 24 years on the force, known as "The Mission Man" with a 90% closure rate. Dan Holiday, known as Doc, is tall, thin, and
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is results oriented but with little respect for the rules. Gus Ramone, like Doc Holiday is on his second year at Metro DC police force, but he prefers to follow the playbook, stay safe, put in his time and move on. Holiday and Ramone are handling crowd control. T.C. Cook is examining the crime scene surrounding Eve Drake, a young black teenager and the third and latest victim of the "Night Gardener". There is considerable pressure to solve and catch the culprit of the "Palindrome Murders".Pelecanos then takes the readers to Washington D.C. in 2005. Doc Holiday has been eased out of the police force and instead owns and manages a limo company while Ramone has remained on the force and risen up. As a senior detective, Ramone plays on his strengths to close cases and liberally relies on the skills of those around him. His life centers on his wife and their young daughter and their fourteen year old son who is undergoing some adjustment problems in his new Maryland school.
With Holiday's accidental discovery of another teenage corpse in a community garden in the Southeast D.C. area twenty years later, Holiday and Ramone's paths intersect. Ramone's teenage son had been friends with Asa Johnson, the victim, and Ramone takes an interest in the case.
The Palindrome Murders had suddenly ceased in 1985 but the Night Gardener had never been caught. Holiday suspects that the Night Gardener may have become active again and that Asa was his latest victim. Though he'd left the police force years ago, Holiday finds himself thinking about Asa Johnson and the Palindrome Murders and doesn't trust that Ramone and the detectives will solve the case. Holiday reaches out to retired T.C. Cook to see if together they can help the police locate the killer.
Review:
George Pelecanos has built a strong reputation for authentic dialogue and interesting characters through fifteen Washington D.C. based detective novels and his Emmy-nominated show The Wire. The Night Gardener is my first experience with his work and I can see how he's developed a strong and loyal fan base.
The Night Gardener is carefully crafted and comes together smoothly. While the three main detectives and Asa Johnson's murder is the primary storyline, there are several other narratives and crimes that occur simultaneously. Even the subordinate plot lines and characters are well developed, which heightens the level of suspense. I couldn't tell until the ending how everything would fit together. But when I reached the end, then the details that were floating around in the periphery somehow made sense and I realized how The Night Gardener was so carefully crafted.
I would recommend this book to people fond of forensic and police thrillers, and detective novels. I think it would have special appeal to those familiar with the Washington D.C. area.
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LibraryThing member mrtall
A stylish police procedural/thriller. Pelecanos has an assured narrative voice, strong characters and a complex web of plotting that pays off in the end. Recommended.
LibraryThing member MurderMysteryMayhem
Written in the language of the streets Pelecanos relates the story of the investigation of the death of Asa Johnson. Asa's body was found in a local community garden and the crime is remarkably similar to three unsolved serial killings, from a twenty-year-old case, that detective Gus Ramone
George Pelecanos has the uncanny ability to drop the reader in the middle of a brutal crime and the stark reality of eastern Washington D.C's streets, peopled with gangs, drug dealers, and prostitutes, and humanize it; he deftly interweaves the stories of all those involved from the victims, their families, and the neighborhood kids, to the perpetrators and the investigating police officers.
The gritty streets, violence, and stark language are what are expected but the careful construction of all of the characters, their home lives, work environments, and just the background noise of everyday life are the extras that Pelecanos delivers. It is a crime novel that becomes much larger than the crime, tackling issues of race, identity, and choice. If you are looking for a conventional crime novel, one that's neatly tied up, this isn’t it. It is a compelling, very well written story that will have you tracking down more books by George Pelecanos as soon as you set this one down.
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remembers all too clearly. The past becomes quickly intertwined with the future dragging the original, now retired, lead detective T. C. Cook and Ramone’s ex partner “Doc” Holiday back into Ramone’s life. These three vastly different men have one soul purpose to catch the killer with or without each other.George Pelecanos has the uncanny ability to drop the reader in the middle of a brutal crime and the stark reality of eastern Washington D.C's streets, peopled with gangs, drug dealers, and prostitutes, and humanize it; he deftly interweaves the stories of all those involved from the victims, their families, and the neighborhood kids, to the perpetrators and the investigating police officers.
The gritty streets, violence, and stark language are what are expected but the careful construction of all of the characters, their home lives, work environments, and just the background noise of everyday life are the extras that Pelecanos delivers. It is a crime novel that becomes much larger than the crime, tackling issues of race, identity, and choice. If you are looking for a conventional crime novel, one that's neatly tied up, this isn’t it. It is a compelling, very well written story that will have you tracking down more books by George Pelecanos as soon as you set this one down.
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LibraryThing member oldbookswine
Gus Ramone, a black police Dectective tries to balance private life with a busy police life. AS he investigates a murder in the community gardens, he finds himself searching for a murderer from 1985. Can they be the same. Meanwhile is junior high school finds life in the upper class school hard to
Gus finds ways to solve both problems and keep his family together, murders solved or are they.
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take. Gus finds ways to solve both problems and keep his family together, murders solved or are they.
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LibraryThing member Aimala
Publisher: Gus Ramone is "good police," a former Internal Affairs investigator now working homicide for the city's Violent Crime branch. His new case involves the death of a local teenager named Asa, whose body has been found in a local community garden.
The murder unearths intense memories of a
The new case draws the three men together on a grim mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. All the love, regret, and anger that once burned between them comes rushing back, and old ghosts walk once more as the men try to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams. Bigger and even more unstoppable than his previous thrillers, George Pelecanos achieves in The Night Gardener what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character, and unstoppable fate.
My Thoughts: George Pelecanos' The Night Gardener is not your typical crime drama. Pelecanos, a contributing writer on HBO's critically-acclaimed series, The Wire, doesn't just write crime dramas. He writes character studies set against the back drop of crime. What makes The Night Gardener so engrossing is Pelecanos' understanding of human nature, his awareness that people are both good and bad, and his ability to portray these qualities in his characters whether they are perpetrators, victims or investigators. It is this skill that makes The Night Gardener a book that people from all walks of life can identify with and enjoy.
We see this dichotomy in the main character of Gus Ramone, for example, who has his share of dilemmas (moral, professional and otherwise) at work and at home. As a cop, Ramone prides himself on doing his job by the book but struggles over what to do when his usual ways won't get him the results he needs. He's never respected cops who he considered "loose cannons" like former police officer Dan Holliday, whom he believes, willingly and easily stepped over the line to solve. But the day Ramone works a case that's become personal, more to him than just the job, he begins to see things differently. He finds himself questioning whether things really are as black and white as he believes or if, sometimes, passion and desire dictate approaching things from a different angle.
On the home front, in his role as parent, he faces a dilemma regarding his son's education. He loves and trusts his son, Diego, but knows it's hard out in the world beyond the family home's front door. Dangerous elements, bad influences and temptations abound - all the things every concerned parent worries about. So Ramone, after he and his wife discuss it together (while Ramone agonizes over it alone), places Diego in a "better" private school. There he discovers a different set of problems that may be far worse than his son faced while in DC's public school system. Such life changing choices leads Ramone to be constantly second guessing himself. And who among us hasn't undergone that kind of inner struggle, that personal turmoil that makes us wish life wasn't so hard? Ramone's wife is there with him, a constant companion and source of moral support. A confidante. But Ramone, it seems, is ultimately the one on who's shoulders many of these burdens rest, and we hope he eventually finds some peace of mind while trying to achieve the American dream - to be a success at his job and raise a law-abiding, well-educated family in the face of an increasingly hostile and often indifferent society.
When it comes to Ramone's wife, who happens to be a former police officer, and his partner, also a woman, Rhonda Willis, one wishes Pelaconos would have devoted more time to fleshing them out. Since the book comes in at a taut 365 pages, (which goes by at nearly light speed anyway), spending an additional few chapters providing insight into their psyches, their hopes, fears and inspirations, would have been refreshing. Though they offer well-needed and well-timed comic support and witty dialogue, it sometimes seems that's the only reason they are there. Unfortunately, as such they come off as ancillary to the story. They deserve more and we deserve to see Pelecanos turn his knack for writing introspective, distinctive and keen characters to women..
That, I feel, is about all that is warranted by way of criticism for this otherwise exciting and engrossing book. The high points heavily outweigh the shortcomings, and the dialogue, which makes up much of The Night Gardener, is clearly one of its major strengths. Pelecanos excels at subtly introducing ideas and themes through the characters' discussions. The brutally honest way in which Pelecanos' characters communicate and the often "colorful" language used is bound to cause discomfort for some readers. But without it, the book would not ring as true. In cities everywhere, (and why should D.C., the setting, be any different?), for many of the cops and criminals, peppering their language with curses, crude words and expletives comes as natural as breathing. This allows for the graphic dialogue in The Night Gardner to be employed as a tool that makes people confront some bitter truths about the way things really are. If this comes at a cost of discomfort to some readers, all the better as it then serves as a sort of wake up call to some of life's harsher aspects.
In summary, don't make the mistake of pigeonholing this book as "just" a crime drama. As I said earlier, the crime is really just the background for the people in the story. Not just good guys and bad guys. But people with relationships to each other, family members, friends, co-workers and more. It's about people and how they live, what they say and how they try and survive in today's society, rife with all the hard hitting and often ugly pitfalls that come with it. So, if you like crime dramas, if you like character studies, if you like novels that read like factual accounts, read Pelecanos books especially The Night Gardener.
The murder unearths intense memories of a
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case Ramone worked as a patrol cop twenty years earlier, when he and his partner, Dan "Doc" Holiday, assisted a legendary detective named T. C. Cook. The series of murders, all involving local teenage victims, was never solved. In the years since, Holiday has left the force under a cloud of morals charges, and now finds work as a bodyguard and driver. Cook has retired, but he has never stopped agonizing about the "Night Gardener" killings. The new case draws the three men together on a grim mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. All the love, regret, and anger that once burned between them comes rushing back, and old ghosts walk once more as the men try to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams. Bigger and even more unstoppable than his previous thrillers, George Pelecanos achieves in The Night Gardener what his brilliant career has been building toward: a novel that is a perfect union of suspense, character, and unstoppable fate.
My Thoughts: George Pelecanos' The Night Gardener is not your typical crime drama. Pelecanos, a contributing writer on HBO's critically-acclaimed series, The Wire, doesn't just write crime dramas. He writes character studies set against the back drop of crime. What makes The Night Gardener so engrossing is Pelecanos' understanding of human nature, his awareness that people are both good and bad, and his ability to portray these qualities in his characters whether they are perpetrators, victims or investigators. It is this skill that makes The Night Gardener a book that people from all walks of life can identify with and enjoy.
We see this dichotomy in the main character of Gus Ramone, for example, who has his share of dilemmas (moral, professional and otherwise) at work and at home. As a cop, Ramone prides himself on doing his job by the book but struggles over what to do when his usual ways won't get him the results he needs. He's never respected cops who he considered "loose cannons" like former police officer Dan Holliday, whom he believes, willingly and easily stepped over the line to solve. But the day Ramone works a case that's become personal, more to him than just the job, he begins to see things differently. He finds himself questioning whether things really are as black and white as he believes or if, sometimes, passion and desire dictate approaching things from a different angle.
On the home front, in his role as parent, he faces a dilemma regarding his son's education. He loves and trusts his son, Diego, but knows it's hard out in the world beyond the family home's front door. Dangerous elements, bad influences and temptations abound - all the things every concerned parent worries about. So Ramone, after he and his wife discuss it together (while Ramone agonizes over it alone), places Diego in a "better" private school. There he discovers a different set of problems that may be far worse than his son faced while in DC's public school system. Such life changing choices leads Ramone to be constantly second guessing himself. And who among us hasn't undergone that kind of inner struggle, that personal turmoil that makes us wish life wasn't so hard? Ramone's wife is there with him, a constant companion and source of moral support. A confidante. But Ramone, it seems, is ultimately the one on who's shoulders many of these burdens rest, and we hope he eventually finds some peace of mind while trying to achieve the American dream - to be a success at his job and raise a law-abiding, well-educated family in the face of an increasingly hostile and often indifferent society.
When it comes to Ramone's wife, who happens to be a former police officer, and his partner, also a woman, Rhonda Willis, one wishes Pelaconos would have devoted more time to fleshing them out. Since the book comes in at a taut 365 pages, (which goes by at nearly light speed anyway), spending an additional few chapters providing insight into their psyches, their hopes, fears and inspirations, would have been refreshing. Though they offer well-needed and well-timed comic support and witty dialogue, it sometimes seems that's the only reason they are there. Unfortunately, as such they come off as ancillary to the story. They deserve more and we deserve to see Pelecanos turn his knack for writing introspective, distinctive and keen characters to women..
That, I feel, is about all that is warranted by way of criticism for this otherwise exciting and engrossing book. The high points heavily outweigh the shortcomings, and the dialogue, which makes up much of The Night Gardener, is clearly one of its major strengths. Pelecanos excels at subtly introducing ideas and themes through the characters' discussions. The brutally honest way in which Pelecanos' characters communicate and the often "colorful" language used is bound to cause discomfort for some readers. But without it, the book would not ring as true. In cities everywhere, (and why should D.C., the setting, be any different?), for many of the cops and criminals, peppering their language with curses, crude words and expletives comes as natural as breathing. This allows for the graphic dialogue in The Night Gardner to be employed as a tool that makes people confront some bitter truths about the way things really are. If this comes at a cost of discomfort to some readers, all the better as it then serves as a sort of wake up call to some of life's harsher aspects.
In summary, don't make the mistake of pigeonholing this book as "just" a crime drama. As I said earlier, the crime is really just the background for the people in the story. Not just good guys and bad guys. But people with relationships to each other, family members, friends, co-workers and more. It's about people and how they live, what they say and how they try and survive in today's society, rife with all the hard hitting and often ugly pitfalls that come with it. So, if you like crime dramas, if you like character studies, if you like novels that read like factual accounts, read Pelecanos books especially The Night Gardener.
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LibraryThing member bohemiangirl35
Two young cops, partners, guard the perimeter of a crime scene where a young girl has been shot in the head and left in a community garden. The lead detective on the scene berates them for letting a bystander through when the woman throws up near the body. The homicide is one in a string of murders
Twenty years later one of the cops is in IA, one has resigned, and the detective is retired and sick. A young boy named Asa is discovered shot in the head on the edge of a community garden. All three are worried that a serial killer has begun again, and begin their own investigations. Eventually, they bump into each other and warily share information as they figure out if and how they can work together.
The book was okay. The narration was bad. I struggled to get through it. If the narration had been better, I probably would have liked the book better.
Some of the dialogue was a little weird, and some of the transformations in the characters was pretty sudden
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where young kids have been shot and left in community gardens with a small patch of their hair missing. Each child's name is a palindrome, spelled the same backwards and forwards.Twenty years later one of the cops is in IA, one has resigned, and the detective is retired and sick. A young boy named Asa is discovered shot in the head on the edge of a community garden. All three are worried that a serial killer has begun again, and begin their own investigations. Eventually, they bump into each other and warily share information as they figure out if and how they can work together.
The book was okay. The narration was bad. I struggled to get through it. If the narration had been better, I probably would have liked the book better.
Some of the dialogue was a little weird, and some of the transformations in the characters was pretty sudden
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LibraryThing member auntieknickers
Ever since we listened to THE TURNAROUND in the car last summer, I've
been wanting to read more of George Pelecanos. I found THE NIGHT
GARDENER on my shelf of TBRs and put off some other things in order to
read it. After a slight groan when I discovered a serial-killer motif,
I pressed on and wasn't
novel. Pelecanos, based on my reading of two books, is someone we
really need in American literature today -- a chronicler of the
working class. He has a fine ear for dialogue and regional speech, but
more than that, he sees what's important in working class lives and he
respects the people he writes about. (If any real sociologists are reading this, I
suppose some of his characters are more "lower-middle" than "working"
but I tend to lump them together.)
Where THE TURNAROUND's theme was fathers and sons and brothers, THE
NIGHT GARDENER is more about friends and colleagues, although the
family theme is a strong one as well. It's also about choices -- and
one might argue that the choices Pelecanos's characters are faced with
are often of much more consequence than those their wealthier
neighbors make.
When ex-police "Doc" Holiday, sleeping off a drunk, discovers a body
in a community garden, he remembers a series of killings from his
rookie days on the force. Former colleague Gus Ramone is also
interested, because the dead teenager was a friend of his son's.
Holiday involves retired Sergeant Cook, who had investigated the
still-unsolved killings 20 years previously, in a very unofficial
investigation, while the police do their procedural thing. Meanwhile,
we also see the lives of two cousins, one an ex-con and the other a
would-be criminal legend, and the choices they make. It doesn't become
clear until late in the book why this plotline is there, but it does
add to the book. Highly recommended; I'm glad to have "discovered"
Pelecanos and happy there are quite a few more books to read.
been wanting to read more of George Pelecanos. I found THE NIGHT
GARDENER on my shelf of TBRs and put off some other things in order to
read it. After a slight groan when I discovered a serial-killer motif,
I pressed on and wasn't
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sorry. This was much more than a serial-killernovel. Pelecanos, based on my reading of two books, is someone we
really need in American literature today -- a chronicler of the
working class. He has a fine ear for dialogue and regional speech, but
more than that, he sees what's important in working class lives and he
respects the people he writes about. (If any real sociologists are reading this, I
suppose some of his characters are more "lower-middle" than "working"
but I tend to lump them together.)
Where THE TURNAROUND's theme was fathers and sons and brothers, THE
NIGHT GARDENER is more about friends and colleagues, although the
family theme is a strong one as well. It's also about choices -- and
one might argue that the choices Pelecanos's characters are faced with
are often of much more consequence than those their wealthier
neighbors make.
When ex-police "Doc" Holiday, sleeping off a drunk, discovers a body
in a community garden, he remembers a series of killings from his
rookie days on the force. Former colleague Gus Ramone is also
interested, because the dead teenager was a friend of his son's.
Holiday involves retired Sergeant Cook, who had investigated the
still-unsolved killings 20 years previously, in a very unofficial
investigation, while the police do their procedural thing. Meanwhile,
we also see the lives of two cousins, one an ex-con and the other a
would-be criminal legend, and the choices they make. It doesn't become
clear until late in the book why this plotline is there, but it does
add to the book. Highly recommended; I'm glad to have "discovered"
Pelecanos and happy there are quite a few more books to read.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
I've come to develop an appreciation for the crime novels of George Pelecanos mostly because of his terrific knowledge of Washington, DC and suburban Maryland. However, this novel took me much deeper. I liked the story greatly except for the fact that there were so many characters in it! That
More important than the crime being solved were the story's three main characters: Detective Gus Ramone, former Detective Doc Holliday, and retired police Sergeant T.C. Cook. These men took on such lifelike characteristics during the story that I was halfway expecting to meet them in person on the road while driving to work. Each of these men was trying to solve a crime both by working together and, at the same time, remaining distant from each other. It was quite a dance. I loved that these men had attributes as well as faults. They made me feel how hard it must be to be a respected police officer. Yet what they did was all in a day's work.
I really admired Gus Ramone for how he handled cases, how he dealt with others, and how he treated his family. I really hope to meet him again in another Pelecanos novel!
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actually stopped being a problem after a while since the more important characters simply took over. This was a novel in which I could not predict anything that happened. More important than the crime being solved were the story's three main characters: Detective Gus Ramone, former Detective Doc Holliday, and retired police Sergeant T.C. Cook. These men took on such lifelike characteristics during the story that I was halfway expecting to meet them in person on the road while driving to work. Each of these men was trying to solve a crime both by working together and, at the same time, remaining distant from each other. It was quite a dance. I loved that these men had attributes as well as faults. They made me feel how hard it must be to be a respected police officer. Yet what they did was all in a day's work.
I really admired Gus Ramone for how he handled cases, how he dealt with others, and how he treated his family. I really hope to meet him again in another Pelecanos novel!
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LibraryThing member diananagy
This was one of my favorite books and now I want to read all of George Pelecanos books. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend to anyone who likes mystery and crime detective novels.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Audio book narrated by the author.
3.5*** (4**** for the book / 3*** for the audio)
Detective Gus Ramone thinks he recognizes a signature in the body of a local teen found shot in a community garden in a middle-class area of Washington DC. Twenty years ago, when he was just a rookie, Ramone and his
Pelecanos writes a tight, suspenseful mystery/thriller. I was completely drawn into the story and there were enough complexities to the plot to keep me guessing all the way through. The action is fast but he still takes time to carefully draw his characters, slowly revealing one layer at a time and demonstrating that the line between right and wrong, truth and justice, good guys and bad guys is frequently blurred. This is my first Pelecanos, but it won’t be my last!
Had I read the text, I would have rated this higher because the quality of the writing merited 4-stars. However, Pelecanos read the audio book himself. His lack of voice-over training means that most characters sound the same and with a fast moving plot it was sometimes hard to distinguish who was speaking. On the other hand, perhaps he was purposely going for that “jaded cop” quality. Audio gets only 3-stars.
3.5*** (4**** for the book / 3*** for the audio)
Detective Gus Ramone thinks he recognizes a signature in the body of a local teen found shot in a community garden in a middle-class area of Washington DC. Twenty years ago, when he was just a rookie, Ramone and his
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partner Dan “Doc” Holiday” assisted veteran detective T.C. Cook in the investigation of several murders. The serial killer, dubbed “The Night Gardener” because the bodies were left in gardens, was never found. Now Ramone must wonder whether the murderer is back, or whether this is a copycat. Cook is long since retired, but the case still haunts him. Holiday is no longer on the force, having quit under a cloud of suspicion, and now operates a limousine service. But this boy’s death will bring all three men together in an effort to finish the work begun decades previously. Pelecanos writes a tight, suspenseful mystery/thriller. I was completely drawn into the story and there were enough complexities to the plot to keep me guessing all the way through. The action is fast but he still takes time to carefully draw his characters, slowly revealing one layer at a time and demonstrating that the line between right and wrong, truth and justice, good guys and bad guys is frequently blurred. This is my first Pelecanos, but it won’t be my last!
Had I read the text, I would have rated this higher because the quality of the writing merited 4-stars. However, Pelecanos read the audio book himself. His lack of voice-over training means that most characters sound the same and with a fast moving plot it was sometimes hard to distinguish who was speaking. On the other hand, perhaps he was purposely going for that “jaded cop” quality. Audio gets only 3-stars.
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LibraryThing member JohnWCuluris
My first non-series Pelecanos. The return of a serial killer after twenty years of dormancy brings together three men, a detective and two former cops, one retired, one forced out. Perhaps because of my preference for series characters, I closed this book thinking, Interesting but not great. Yet
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there is no denying Pelecanos’s brilliance as a writer, particularly with street-level life. His average is still better than most. I’ll end up reading all of his work eventually, series or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcrowl399
This was a terrific book. I haven't read anything by him in quite awhile. The story centers around a cop, Ramone, who is trying to find a serial killer of children. The killer's MO is similar to a cold case form 1985. Ramone works with Cook, a retired cop and Dan (Doc) Holiday, a resigned cop who
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used to be Ramone's partner. The interplay among the 3 of them is so engaging. What I love most about Pelecanos' work is his intimate knowledge of the Dc area. In one paragraph he mentions the neighborhood of Suitland and how dangerous it is. Since I grew up in Suitland, I know he is deeply familiar with that area and all of PG county and DC. Show Less
LibraryThing member tmph
DC cops. Very good so far. Surprisingly moving.
Finished.
And continued to be one of the most human cop/detective novels I've ever read. Really, very good writing, story, and characters.
Finished.
And continued to be one of the most human cop/detective novels I've ever read. Really, very good writing, story, and characters.
LibraryThing member Periodista
A better-than-average transport/airport book and of interest to anyone that's lived in the Washington area, especially around Silver Spring. For me, though, it wasn't as interesting as Hell to Pay, the previous Pelecanos book I read. That followed the case and meanderings of Derek Strange, an
As with the earlier book, I found myself squinting, trying to imagine the parts of D.C. where our white cop Gus Ramone and other characters were wandering. Jeez, don't they ever pass through the "white" parts of town? "White" actually isn't the accurate term; I mean the parts of town where all the white-collar out-of-towners live and work, most of them transient residents.
The attempt to solve a murder, perhaps done by a resurgent serial killer, isn't the reason for reading The Night Gardener. You read it for Pelecanos' sympathetic renderings of people, especially kids, teetering on the brink of a life of crime or drug addiction. If Ramone's own mixed kid is unlikely to go down that route, we can see that some of his friends and classmates will.
And yet they're not do different than Ramone's son! They might even be more talented. But they have absent or abusive parents or a parent sent on a downspin when losing a job; they're just a bit lower down on the socio-economic scale. So, yeah, you can see the kind of writing and insider knowledge that Pelecanos brought to The Wire.
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ex-cop detective. In the future, I'm going to make sure that a Pelecanos book features Derek. (And will someone make a movie or series based on this character?)As with the earlier book, I found myself squinting, trying to imagine the parts of D.C. where our white cop Gus Ramone and other characters were wandering. Jeez, don't they ever pass through the "white" parts of town? "White" actually isn't the accurate term; I mean the parts of town where all the white-collar out-of-towners live and work, most of them transient residents.
The attempt to solve a murder, perhaps done by a resurgent serial killer, isn't the reason for reading The Night Gardener. You read it for Pelecanos' sympathetic renderings of people, especially kids, teetering on the brink of a life of crime or drug addiction. If Ramone's own mixed kid is unlikely to go down that route, we can see that some of his friends and classmates will.
And yet they're not do different than Ramone's son! They might even be more talented. But they have absent or abusive parents or a parent sent on a downspin when losing a job; they're just a bit lower down on the socio-economic scale. So, yeah, you can see the kind of writing and insider knowledge that Pelecanos brought to The Wire.
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LibraryThing member jgmencarini
A quick, engrossing read. Character development could have been better, but the story was a good one and kept my attention.
Media reviews
Sometimes, you're reading a book and all you want to do is grab whoever's in the room and say, "Listen to this," and then read a patch of the writing out loud. Just listen to how this guy riffs on street life, you want to say. How he nails boozy guys shooting the breeze in a saloon. How powerfully
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he catches fear or grief -- or love -- in a sentence or two.
This is what happens when you read George Pelecanos's crime fiction. Show Less
Structurally, this may just be the perfect crime novel. It begins in 1985 with the murder of a 14-year-old girl in Washington DC and ends in the same place and time when all is revealed in a denouement that stops the breath. In the intervening pages, the lives of the police who were present at the
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original scene are revisited in a "where are they now" scenario that confirms and, subsequently, challenges the logic of our first encounter. Show Less
Pelecanos rocks!
The Night Gardener” is another of Mr. Pelecanos’s beautifully delineated moral tales, filled with gut-wrenching turns of fate and razor-sharp, boisterously vivid characters.
George Pelecanos' engrossing crime novel -- perfect for fans of "The Wire" -- tells parallel stories of cops and criminals in Washington, D.C.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780446619219
Physical description
464 p.; 4.25 inches
Pages
464