Night Film

A Novel

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Jake Weber

Length: 23 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Brilliant, haunting, breathtakingly suspenseful, Night Film is a superb literary thriller by the New York Times best-selling author of the "blockbuster debut" (People) Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova - a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than 30 years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.

Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense to the final minute.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Marisha Pessl (P)2013 Random House Audio

A chilling and creepy tale!

This story takes you on a wild ride through the investigation of the young woman's death. The author did such an amazing job, the characters felt so real. It read like a true crime book, not a work of fiction.

Meh

The story was an interesting idea, but the author rips the rug out from under it at the end, and not in a shocking twist kind of way unfortunately. What was shocking was that this was written by a woman and not a 50 year old angry white man. The protagonist is hard to listen to, both because of his character and the way the narrator narrates. I often had to adjust the volume because he goes from a normal voice to practically shouting. So beware if you listen with headphones.

Really great. Runs a bit longer than you want.

The writing painted an amazing picture and doled out little morsels of evidence in this detective story.
Was so good. But the pacing seemed to fall off after around Act III.
The novel was made into like a V Act story when it should’ve been a III.
Other than that I couldn’t stop listening!

A REALLY Fun Experience!!

I had no idea if I would like this audiobook--but the description, the idea of an accompanying pdf file, and the reviews made it difficult to resist. I found it truly a fun and engrossing listen, unlike anything I have come across before.

Firstly, the pdf. It added a great deal to my enjoyment of the book but it is by no means a necessary component. This file is used mainly in the beginning of the story and basically, the narrator reads the documents as part of the book. While they are fun to follow along with, they are not necessary. So if you listen only on the go, don't worry about not being able to follow along. But when you have more time, do look at the realistic accompanying documents. Pure fun!

I found this book extremely well written. Pessl has a gift for intriguing descriptions and this makes the book an easy candidate for a second listen. However, the story was what really grabbed me. I would think about it before falling asleep and before I got out of bed in the morning. The characters were well-developed and believable in their motivations and behaviors and were all interesting and mostly likeable. While this audiobook could be described as very dark, it was not TOO dark, I am thankful to report. While at times it seemed to veer off into a fantasy-like state, it always came back to believable reality which I appreciated. Reading this book was more like an "experience" for me, almost like a trip in the dark. I really loved it and would recommend it to mystery fans who enjoy the unusual.

As for the narrator, I loved him immediately. There is something unique about his voice and he put in a great performance. He is ideal for this type of strange, quirky book. I was so surprised to realize I knew him from the television show, Medium, which I watched years back. At that time, I was not so fond of the character he portrayed. I think, however, he was in his element with Night Film. He definitely added to the listening enjoyment for me.

So there it is! Will you or won't you?

Started out great....

The book started out to be a really intriguing mystery story but by 2/3 of the way through, I wasn't sure I could finish it. It veered strongly off into the supernatural which is a genre I don't care for. And, the descriptions of the surroundings, which normally I like to have in detail, just became a grinding bore. I'm in the 3rd section now but I don't really care how it ends....I just want it to be over. I'm not sure I will finish it.

Somewhat Confused But Ultimately Engrossing Horror

Scott McGarth, a journalist on the downside of his career, becomes obsessed with the death of the daughter of a cult film maker, Stanislas Cordova - a man who hasn't been seen in public for more than thirty years.

This is a book with wheels within wheels. Information frequently is proven to be unreliable. Characters are not what they seem. McGarth's own life spins out of control. I really had a hard time putting the book down.

It probably could have been tightened up, it's a bit long and saggy in the final quarter, but I think it is still worth the read. I think the narrator added to the experience.

Glad I finished

About 2/3 through I was going to put this down, thinking this story of the search for a mysterious young woman was nothing I haven't heard before. I'm glad I didn't. Pessl keeps you constantly guessing what's going to happen next and delivers an ending that's perfect, sovereign, and maybe deadly.

One of the best!

After 23 hours of listening, I'm in mourning that I have to say good bye to these characters.

Going Nowhere Slow

Maybe not my kind of story, but the narrator did a wonderful job with the varied ages and gender. There is quite a bit of build up and a short burst of activity. It does make you question your beliefs in another power leading us along pathways.

In the Dark in the Night

This started out as your standard "mystery" story about a girl who committs sucide. But soon the twists and turns and dark magic come into play. Just about the time you think you have it "figured out" (and maybe you do in a sense) the whole thing collapases. What is real is real what isn't is (sorta') ... I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it ....