Book Review – Two Nights

Two Nights by Kathy Reichs (William Heinemann) ISBN 9780434021123

I’m a Kathy Reichs groupie, and an avid fan of forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan. So faced with a new stand-alone crime novel by one of my favourite authors, I was ready for a great read. It was interesting. Exciting. But definitely different.

Reichs has created a new protagonist, named Sunday (Sunnie) Night. Sunnie is a former US Military soldier and a retired cop, now turned PI. She’s complicated and emotionally and physically scarred, with a sarcastic aloofness that keeps most people at arm’s length. Initially, I found her quite weird but as the story unfolded and the author dropped in more clues to her past, I began to understand her.

The plot is a complex and fast-paced race to find a missing girl before she is killed. It explores the idea of terrorism as an internal threat to the US, and the emotions connected with revenge and loss. The author has followed the threads of her narrative with forensic skill, leaving this reader quite breathless trying to keep up.

It was a good read, and may well be the start of a new series for Kathy Reichs. I need to know more about Sunnie and her twin brother Gus.

Judy Ward
3/5