In the world of crime fiction, the battle of wits is generally between a male criminal and, with few exceptions, a male sleuth. Rarely do we see a cat-and-
mouse game between female equals. But that is what Thomas Perry presents in “Nightlife,” a fast-paced thriller powered more by plot than the driving force of character.
Tanya Starling is a manipulator, young and attractive enough to live nicely off men with an ability to pay. She met her latest boyfriend, Dennis Poole, in Aspen. The successful businessman from Portland, Ore., has the resources to support Tanya in the manner she would like to be kept. But she suspects he’s not willing to pay the freight. Instead of opting into a discussion about her spending habits, Tanya avoids the issue by putting a bullet through his brain – and then runs to a different city, adopting a new identity for cover.
Tanya is an expert chameleon, but she makes a few mistakes. She doesn’t realize that Dennis is cousin to Hugo Poole, an L.A. crime boss. Hugo cannot allow the murder to go unsolved. More important than family loyalty is his reputation. If this murder was intended as a threat to him or his empire, he cannot afford to let it go unanswered. Also, Tanya could never have anticipated the determination of Catherine Hobbes, the Portland police detective assigned to the case.
Catherine is hardly pleased when Joe Pitt, Hugo’s hired investigator, shows up in Portland to offer her a hand. Pitt, now a private investigator, earned quite a reputation when he worked for the L.A. district attorney. Catherine bristles at the idea of working with an outsider with possible mob connections. But Pitt is street smart as well as attractive. In L.A., Tanya becomes Rachel Sturbridge, where she commits another crime. Local police are unwilling to buy into Catherine’s belief that they are dealing with a serial killer. They believe Tanya is a victim.
Perry alternates his narrative between the hunted and the hunter, revealing the motives and strategies of both, at least on the surface. Tanya’s manipulation of her trusting victims, and their eventual fate, is clear to the reader. What is not so clear is how the killer will eventually, as she must, be stopped.
“Nightlife” is tightly plotted, with a lot of action and plenty of twists. But it also rings a bit hollow. Perry offers little insight into why his characters behave as they do, and this omission makes it difficult to care about them. Clearly Tanya had an unhappy childhood, but few girls raised by hellish mothers become killers. Catherine, smart and attractive, has a different set of issues with men. The resulting novel has some surprises, but the characters’ motivations are predictable.
Tanya shows up in a new town with a new identity. Tanya kills another man. Word reaches Catherine in Portland, and she flies to a new destination. The circles draw to the center, where the ultimate conflict between the protagonist and antagonist must play out. While there are mind games aplenty, there is no surprise in the outcome.
Robin Vidimos is a freelance writer who reviews books for The Denver Post and Buzz in the ‘Burbs.
Nightlife
By Thomas Perry
Random House, 373 pages, $24.95
