Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Ace (2004), Mass Market Paperback, 256 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:The name�??s John Taylor. I work the garish streets of the Nightside�??the hidden heart of London where it�??s always three A.M., where in human creatures and otherworldly gods walk side by side in the endless darkness of the soul. I have a talent for finding things. People�?�property�?�no problem. But now I�??m after something different. A local diva called the Nightingale has cut herself off from her family and friends, and I�??ve been hired to find out the reason. I�??m also wondering why her suicide�??prone fans think she has a voice to die for. Literally. To get the truth, I�??ll have to lend an ear to the most enticingly beautiful and deadly voice in all o… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Murphy-Jacobs
Again, a good time, an addictive read. I'm speeding through these books via audio rather than reading my copies, but they lend themselves well to audio presentation in many ways. Some of the writing weaknesses -- repeating metaphors in particular -- show up more strikingly in audio, but they don't
Storywise, we are still dealing with John Taylor's mommy issues and meeting yet more Nightside denizens with interesting stories who we most likely won't see again. Not much depth or shading to characters and even our viewpoint Protag is somewhat more shallow than I'd like (he doesn't compare well with, say, Harry Dresden, for nuanced motivations and layers of experience). John had X happen which made him Y, and that's what we are told, end of story. Still, good story, lots more about the Nightside revealed, and plenty of fun.
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get too much in the way. I'd rate the books more highly if they'd been more carefully and strictly edited, though.Storywise, we are still dealing with John Taylor's mommy issues and meeting yet more Nightside denizens with interesting stories who we most likely won't see again. Not much depth or shading to characters and even our viewpoint Protag is somewhat more shallow than I'd like (he doesn't compare well with, say, Harry Dresden, for nuanced motivations and layers of experience). John had X happen which made him Y, and that's what we are told, end of story. Still, good story, lots more about the Nightside revealed, and plenty of fun.
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LibraryThing member bookwormteri
So far, my least favorite in the series, but that still makes it great. I just want to meander around the Nightside and meet the awesome and awful characters that inhabit Mr. Green's mind.
LibraryThing member lewispike
John gets hired by a man who appears and disappears better than he should be able to, to contact his daughter who is a singer on the verge of making big.
There are a number of twists and turns along the way, but they're more like bends than shocking turns, and there are no real surprises in the
There are a number of twists and turns along the way, but they're more like bends than shocking turns, and there are no real surprises in the
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book. There are a few good moments of comic relief though, that raise it up a little. Divas! as a concept and the description is just so good. Sadly, that's just about all that raises it to 3 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member greytfriend
I continue liking this series. The writing isn't great, with lots of unnecessarily wordy descriptions of the setting and strange characters just for the heck of it. But the lead, John Taylor, is an amiable hero, complex enough to keep things interesting. The pace was fast and easy and the story
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peaked my curiosity and kept me engaged. The foreshadowing made me look forward to the next book in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the third book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. It was an excellent and very creative story.
John Taylor is contacted by Charles Chabron to find out the whereabouts of his daughter Rossingol. Rossingol came to the Nightside to hit it big as a singer. She has signed up with some new
This series just seems to be getting better and better. The cast of characters is creative, amusing, and very colorful. I loved Julien Advent and Dead Boy. Dead Boy in particular added a lot of wry humor and fun to the book. The Nightside continues to be a surprising and darkly amusing environment. I don't know how Green thinks up all of this stuff but the surprises and creative environment flies at you from all sides. The writing is action packed, descriptive, and moves along at a fast clip. The story is, once again, fairly self-contained.
The overlying doom of what John Taylor is and who his mother is still hovers over the overall story arc. So far I have just absolutely loved this series. I want to go out right away and buy all of the books!
John Taylor is contacted by Charles Chabron to find out the whereabouts of his daughter Rossingol. Rossingol came to the Nightside to hit it big as a singer. She has signed up with some new
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managers, the Cavendishes, and is selling out all of her shows. Her success is coming with a strange side effect; after hearing her sing many of her fans commit suicide. As Taylor struggles to figure out what has been done to Rossingol, he finds out her managers are more dangerous than he ever imagined.This series just seems to be getting better and better. The cast of characters is creative, amusing, and very colorful. I loved Julien Advent and Dead Boy. Dead Boy in particular added a lot of wry humor and fun to the book. The Nightside continues to be a surprising and darkly amusing environment. I don't know how Green thinks up all of this stuff but the surprises and creative environment flies at you from all sides. The writing is action packed, descriptive, and moves along at a fast clip. The story is, once again, fairly self-contained.
The overlying doom of what John Taylor is and who his mother is still hovers over the overall story arc. So far I have just absolutely loved this series. I want to go out right away and buy all of the books!
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LibraryThing member Reacherfan
Wow, after reading and loving the first two books in the Nightside series, I couldn't wait to start this one. It was a major let down. I felt that plot was weak. Taylor has to find out why a singer has changed, and her songs lead people to kill themselves. Honestly, that's the plot. I found this
I guess the biggest letdown for me is that there is so much description going on that it lost me. Green will spend about 10 pages telling us how Taylor gets to a newspaper company. The same thing happens when Taylor goes to a nightclub. We know and see every single step that Taylor takes, and it's not necessary.
I've always loved the characters that dwell in the Nightside, except for this time. The characters seemed goofy. Taylor was meeting them, and not much happens. I just feel that a lot happens for no good read.
I'm also hearing about Taylor's mom. We need to meet her already, or drop that subplot.
I hope that the next installments are much better.
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book to be very dull and not any plot twists. I guess the biggest letdown for me is that there is so much description going on that it lost me. Green will spend about 10 pages telling us how Taylor gets to a newspaper company. The same thing happens when Taylor goes to a nightclub. We know and see every single step that Taylor takes, and it's not necessary.
I've always loved the characters that dwell in the Nightside, except for this time. The characters seemed goofy. Taylor was meeting them, and not much happens. I just feel that a lot happens for no good read.
I'm also hearing about Taylor's mom. We need to meet her already, or drop that subplot.
I hope that the next installments are much better.
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LibraryThing member PallanDavid
Once again Simon Green has taken me a vacation from the real world and given me a trip through the Nightside. Nightingale's Lament, Book Three in the NIghtside series, gives us a bit of John Taylor's history and we see he has had good friends and he maintains those ties of friendship even though
In this adventure he is hired by a broken hearted father to find out what has happened to his daughter. The girl is a singer, looking for a big break... and she disappeared into the Nightside after signing a contract with the reclusive and secret Cavendishes! This is a married couple who head major corporations throughout Nightside - and they are quite probably a part of some very nefarious situations in that place of dark magic. In this mystery, John teams with Dead Boy... quite literally a dead boy. His spirit is alive and working to right wrongs so as to redeem his bad karma -- his boy is merely a vessel in which his spirit works.
Together they explore the entertainment industry of their world; discovering the high points and the low points (which are much much lower than those of our world). Yet, through it all they of course find the girl, solve the mystery... as well as a couple others on the way... and save the day! I love stories that turn out happy in the end!
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some have passed to the afterlife. He is also shown as a man of deep empathy, willing to go the extra yard to help those to whom bad is done. I like John Taylor! In this adventure he is hired by a broken hearted father to find out what has happened to his daughter. The girl is a singer, looking for a big break... and she disappeared into the Nightside after signing a contract with the reclusive and secret Cavendishes! This is a married couple who head major corporations throughout Nightside - and they are quite probably a part of some very nefarious situations in that place of dark magic. In this mystery, John teams with Dead Boy... quite literally a dead boy. His spirit is alive and working to right wrongs so as to redeem his bad karma -- his boy is merely a vessel in which his spirit works.
Together they explore the entertainment industry of their world; discovering the high points and the low points (which are much much lower than those of our world). Yet, through it all they of course find the girl, solve the mystery... as well as a couple others on the way... and save the day! I love stories that turn out happy in the end!
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LibraryThing member les121
Another great installment in the Nightside series. It's very similar in style and tone to the first two books - dark, macabre, intentionally cliche yet highly imaginative, with dashes of humor mixed in. Some parts were a bit predictable, but the story was still very entertaining. Once again, I was
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extremely impressed by Green's creativity. I'm getting more and more into this fantastic P.I. series, so I'll definitely pick up the fourth book. Show Less
LibraryThing member dswaddell
John Taylor has been hired by a singers father to look into the meteoric rise of his daughter and whether her new managers are holding her against her will. Along the way Taylor picks up the Dead Boy and together they discover the evilness going on. A good, enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
As in Neverwhere and other stories there is another world beside our own and if you know how to get there you find dreams and nightmares. This is a story about that world. A story about a man who works as an investigator in this world, it helps that if he tries he can find anything, but that
He's asked to go find a singer and find out why her audience are comitting suicide. Along the way he gathers help in finding her and solving the reasons behind her ability.
Nothing is ever what it seems on the nightside and it's always 3am. Solutions are never easy and death isn't always a way out.
Dark and interesting this is a great dark fantasy series. Each book is fairly short so it is quite a quick read, the only problem is that you're tempted to just gobble them up!
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ability opens him up to being found by his enemies. He's asked to go find a singer and find out why her audience are comitting suicide. Along the way he gathers help in finding her and solving the reasons behind her ability.
Nothing is ever what it seems on the nightside and it's always 3am. Solutions are never easy and death isn't always a way out.
Dark and interesting this is a great dark fantasy series. Each book is fairly short so it is quite a quick read, the only problem is that you're tempted to just gobble them up!
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
This is #3; The other two are Something From the Nightside and Agents of Light and Darkness. If you want a good escape read, this is it. I absolutely love this series...a kind of a cross between horror, sci-fi, and crime noir. Give it a try.
The Nightside is now home to John Taylor, who previously
In this installment, after having solved a mystery as to where a certain power plant has its energy source, John goes into hiding. While he's laying low, he receives a visit from one Charles Chabron asking him to look into the welfare of his only daughter, Rossignol. She is a singer, and lately her singing has inspired several people to go home and commit suicide. As John goes about the Nightside seeking help in finding and saving Rossignol, he meets with a host of creepy characters who try to get in his way.
At times funny, Nightingale's Lament does have at its core a good "mystery." It is simply a good fun read and does not aim for more but it is fun on a higher level and does not insult your intelligence. I mean, by the time you finish one of these books, you're scratching your head going "hmmm. Maybe...."
I would recommend this book, but even though someone noted that this book could be a stand alone away from the series, I would recommend reading them in order; the character of John Taylor and his experiences are built upon in each installment.
The Nightside is now home to John Taylor, who previously
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lived in the Nightside, left it to work in the outside world and has now returned. He has many enemies, but he also has some amazing powers which tends to keep his enemies (and everyone else) at bay. The Nightside is found in a dark corner of London (the way to the Nightside is obscured and only those who know about its existence can find it). In the Nightside, it's permanently 3 in the morning; it has its share of ghosts, ghouls, monsters, zombies, and other creepy folk. But other than that, the same type of living goes on in the Nightside...there's commerce, there is law, there are parts of the place smart people never go to and everything is taken in its stride. In this installment, after having solved a mystery as to where a certain power plant has its energy source, John goes into hiding. While he's laying low, he receives a visit from one Charles Chabron asking him to look into the welfare of his only daughter, Rossignol. She is a singer, and lately her singing has inspired several people to go home and commit suicide. As John goes about the Nightside seeking help in finding and saving Rossignol, he meets with a host of creepy characters who try to get in his way.
At times funny, Nightingale's Lament does have at its core a good "mystery." It is simply a good fun read and does not aim for more but it is fun on a higher level and does not insult your intelligence. I mean, by the time you finish one of these books, you're scratching your head going "hmmm. Maybe...."
I would recommend this book, but even though someone noted that this book could be a stand alone away from the series, I would recommend reading them in order; the character of John Taylor and his experiences are built upon in each installment.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is the third book in the Nightside series, featuring John Taylor, who isn't just a "private eye," he has a "private eye", a mystical eye through which he can find just about anything "in the Nightside." The Nightside is a hidden magical area within London where it's always three in the morning
I received an omnibus edition of the first three books as a gift from a friend. Had I gotten just the first volume, I might have stopped there. I thought that despite the intriguing setting the plot was too predictably noir and I was irritated by the clunky infodump. Things did pick up in the second book. With his character and setting established, it was more immersive, concentrating on story from the start. However, with this series, it was the third story that's the charm.
Maybe it's just that Taylor and the Nightside has grown on me, but I don't think so. This one just had so many memorable scenes. One in particular was a fun romp--a visit to the Night Times, the local newspaper. It sports a poltergeist copyboy, two ravens for fact-checkers, a typewriter haunted by their ghostwriter, a goblin drag queen doing the horoscope and Argus, a shifter, as their gossip columnist. The publisher and editor, Julien Advent, is worthy of a book of his own. Add characters such as Dead Boy and Rossignol, a nightclub singer with a voice to die for. What's not to love?
So, given Nightingale's Lament was quite good, I may take other walks on the Nightside someday and keep the omnibus volume on my shelf.
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and inhabited by every feature creature you can imagine including poltergeist sedan chairs and headless bikers. That's its strength--the phantasmagorical setting created by Green filled with offbeat characters.I received an omnibus edition of the first three books as a gift from a friend. Had I gotten just the first volume, I might have stopped there. I thought that despite the intriguing setting the plot was too predictably noir and I was irritated by the clunky infodump. Things did pick up in the second book. With his character and setting established, it was more immersive, concentrating on story from the start. However, with this series, it was the third story that's the charm.
Maybe it's just that Taylor and the Nightside has grown on me, but I don't think so. This one just had so many memorable scenes. One in particular was a fun romp--a visit to the Night Times, the local newspaper. It sports a poltergeist copyboy, two ravens for fact-checkers, a typewriter haunted by their ghostwriter, a goblin drag queen doing the horoscope and Argus, a shifter, as their gossip columnist. The publisher and editor, Julien Advent, is worthy of a book of his own. Add characters such as Dead Boy and Rossignol, a nightclub singer with a voice to die for. What's not to love?
So, given Nightingale's Lament was quite good, I may take other walks on the Nightside someday and keep the omnibus volume on my shelf.
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LibraryThing member AdriaFaye
Another great addition to the series. I just love the endings I never see them coming.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
These books are always strange, a bit scary, a bit horrific, and on top of that a well written detective story. Simo R. Green has a way with words - I always find John Taylor to be an interesting character. The Rossignal is a great character, she is a damsel in distress, but once saved, is kick
I liked that we see more of the Darkside business, the newspaper is intriguing. One thing - read too many of these in a row, and the gruesome turns into everyday life - Which is sad since these books are so dark and creepy.
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ass, beautiful, smart and awesome. I liked that we see more of the Darkside business, the newspaper is intriguing. One thing - read too many of these in a row, and the gruesome turns into everyday life - Which is sad since these books are so dark and creepy.
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LibraryThing member Garfatron5000
Review of the audiobook:
Third and weakest so far of the Nightside books. The character of John Taylor is likable enough, full of noir and black humor, but Nightingale herself is pretty weak. I was not impressed with new baddies The Cavendishes and The Jonah, who were just watered down versions of
However, I read a review that said things really pick up in the next book so I'll have to keep on going! Narrator Marc Vietor is, as always, bang on the money.
Third and weakest so far of the Nightside books. The character of John Taylor is likable enough, full of noir and black humor, but Nightingale herself is pretty weak. I was not impressed with new baddies The Cavendishes and The Jonah, who were just watered down versions of
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previous enemies encountered. And I know the Nightside books are not known for their intricate plots but this one was thinner than most.However, I read a review that said things really pick up in the next book so I'll have to keep on going! Narrator Marc Vietor is, as always, bang on the money.
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LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: John Taylor is a private investigator working in a very odd part of London, the Nightside. In book 3, Taylor is hired to find out if a very popular singer is working under duress, and if her voice is really killing people. To complete this job he must work with a person who is back from
Review: Weird and fun are good adjectives to describe this book. Although this is the third in a series, it stands alone. The characters and the plot are interesting, making the book difficult to put down.
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the dead as well as several other entities who are ‘not quite normal’.Review: Weird and fun are good adjectives to describe this book. Although this is the third in a series, it stands alone. The characters and the plot are interesting, making the book difficult to put down.
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LibraryThing member wickedshizuku
Compared to the first two books in the series this book was a pale and sickly thing. There seemed to be more information dumping than actual investigating. Green is able to pull this off flawlessly, and be forgiven for it. This is all due to the personalities he's given his characters. They're
Cheers Pretties!
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quick witted, resilient, and all have a never say DIE attitude. My personal favorite factor in this series is Alex, and the Strange Fellows bar. That honestly has to be one of the things that keeps me putting my brain through the punishment this series keeps meting out. (I wholeheartedly blame this to over exposure to Disney movies and Nickjr.)Cheers Pretties!
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LibraryThing member Navarre1963
After 3 books, the series is still going strong. The Nightside never gets dull because there's always new areas to discover and new evils to battle.
LibraryThing member Krumbs
Not such a fan of this one. Almost seemed like filler for some reason, perhaps because of the whiney teenager? Not sure. Just eh.
LibraryThing member jrg1316
One of my least favorite books of the series. I just wasn't that interested in the overall story. The one redeeming aspect of it, however, is the introduction of the awesome Dead Boy. He's in my top 3 favorite characters of the series.
Subjects
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
256 p.; 6.82 inches
ISBN
0441011632 / 9780441011636