Review of White Night

[Alyn-ayz Bryan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "White Night" by J.J. Holt.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Nikolai Kotov remembered the stories about the white nights of St Petersburg, "beliye noch," that his father told him. Nights where the sun didn't set and you couldn't tell if it was day or night. That was before he died protecting Romano Sr. condemning Nikolai to a life of servitude to the Romanos. Now he wants out and white night is the only effective option open to him.

After a year out recovering from a career threatening injury, detective Jennifer Connors returns to work with the NYPD and is partnered with detective Alan Ross, a man who after his last case in which he shot and killed a suspect is dangerously reluctant to act under pressure.

Together, they are handed a case that if not solved might potentially be detective Connors' last. A man is shot dead and another wounded but with no witnesses present, no conclusive ballistics evidence to start with and the perpetrators seem to be very clever. The crime scene is a construction site with numerous finger prints all over it and the second victim from the shooting can't be located. With no clear motive behind the crime, detective Connors and her new partner attempt to solve a seemingly impossible case which takes them down a dark path littered with danger, suspicion and threatens to end their careers. But there is more to this case than what meets the eye, if not solved, it has the potential of lighting up New York city, leaving it's residents wondering whether it's night or day. White night.

White night by J. J. Holt is a crime fiction novel that takes a reader on a journey of the why and how of both crime solving by the police and crime-commiting by the perpetrators. The book starts off with three subplots running simultaneously which the author weaves, carefully integrating them into one and giving the reader a captivating and interesting storyline. The author employs suspense in and between chapters so well that the reader is hooked and simply keeps flipping through the pages. The idea of having women take up major roles in the book is also a welcome break from all the male dominated books out on the market. The author is also realistic enough to let the female characters retain their feminine traits and not try to mould them into some kind of super cop resembling a man more than a woman.

Much as women taking up major roles in the book was a positive, it also had it's negative aspects. Their feminine traits left them vulnerable especially when faced with their more aggressive male antagonists and this mainly applied to the protagonist of the book detective Jennifer Connors who was always being saved by the male characters around her. It certainly begs the question of whether the protagonist's role was better suited for a man than a woman. Otherwise the book was splendid and I really enjoyed it.

The book was excellently edited which also contributed to my overall enjoyment. I rate White night by J. J. Holt 4 out of 4stars and highly recommend it to all crime fiction lovers. Readers interested in having female characters starring in leading roles should also find this one interesting and all readers looking for an escape from the monotony of male protagonists should try out this one

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White Night
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[DyanaFl]

Yes, the author did a good job with the suspense. Interesting perspective of the feminine and masculine traits with respect to the protagonist. Good job on the review.

[Humera955]

I just find this crime fiction lovely. I always like it when an author tries to put a female characters as a lead. Great work on the reveiw
Looking forward to read the book .