Validation of author Hallinan's incredible ability to wring the absolute best out of a sentence in a way that grabs readers and doesn't let them go until he's good and ready to. ... In addition to the fabulous writing, you'll get an education, too ... Light on plot—in the author's own words his books are character driven rather than plot centered—but heavy on enjoyment, this is a not-to-miss mystery ... Hallinan is easily one of the most entertaining crime writers in the business today.
The conclusion of this intriguing story packs an unexpected wallop, which resonates long after the last (and highly satisfying) sentence is read ... anyone who has read Nighttown (not to mention the previous six books) will be back for more, regardless of hinting, prodding or otherwise. The plotting, characterization and superior prose make this a memorable series that you should be reading religiously.
If you enjoy the ironic wit and criminal adventures of Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr, then you’ll want to read Timothy Hallinan’s Nighttown ... Junior Bender is one of my favorite fictional felons and Hallinan is a writer with the kind of heart and healthy cynicism that I admire ... Another of the pleasures of reading Hallinan is he’s a pretty literate dude too.
Highly readable but relatively weightless, as if Hallinan had padded a short story out to novel length by spinning loop after agreeable loop of his hero’s woolly asides, reflections, and professional apothegms.
