Night Life

By: David C. Taylor

Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

With a pulse-pounding murder plot and a protagonist caught between police and Mafia ties, Night Life is the first in a transporting historical crime fiction series set in 1950s New York City.

New York City, 1954. The Cold War is heating up, Senator Joe McCarthy is running a witch hunt for communists in America, the newly formed CIA is fighting a turf battle with the FBI to see who will be the primary United States intelligence agency, and the bodies of murdered young men are turning up all over the city.

Michael Cassidy has an unusual background for a New York cop. His father, a refugee from Eastern Europe, is a successful Broadway producer. His godfather is Frank Costello, a Mafia boss. Cassidy also has an unusual way of going about the business of being a cop - maybe that's why he threw a fellow officer out a third-story window of the Cortland Hotel.

Cassidy is assigned to the case of Alexander Ingram, a Broadway chorus dancer found tortured and dead in his apartment in Hell's Kitchen. Complications grow as other young men are murdered one after the other. And why are the FBI, the CIA, and the Mafia interested in the death of a Broadway gypsy?

Meanwhile a mysterious, beautiful woman moves into Cassidy's building in Greenwich Village. Is Dylan McCue a lover or an enemy? Cassidy is plagued by nightmares - dreams that sometimes become reality. And he has been dreaming that someone is coming to kill him.

©2015 David C. Taylor (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Keith Szarabajka ferries listeners back to McCarthy-era New York City with such authenticity that they may start seeing their surroundings in black and white.... A delightful pairing of narrator and story makes Night Life a superb audiobook." (AudioFile)

A really good listen, smart and fast-moving

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I don't go looking for police procedurals or international intrigue, so this was a lucky find.
The writing is excellent. The prose is tight and moves the reader right along, but there are a couple of subplots that move on a parallel track.
My only disappointment was a climax that seemed stage-written for the screen and manipulated for a sequel. But I liked the main character, his family and his partner, and the narration was crisp and well-paced. I guess I have to say I look forward to book 2.

Good mystery thriller

Not my usual sort of book, but well written about well read. I am used to finding plot holes and unlikely events, but while I think I found one or two they weren't a feature of the story. I don't do spoilers so you will have to try it yourself.

Historical novel that's all to real presently

This is a story that at this time (2016) seems all to likely to actually become reality under President Trump. Congressional hearings fear mongering witch hunts hate speech from our past to again need or present. Will people stay silent and allow it to happen or speak out and call it what it is?

One oft better stories taking place in early '50's.

Sorry book ended. Well crafted and really held your interest. Well worth the time and $'s.

More!

Where does Night Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is apparently the first title in a new series of crime fiction set in the 1905s, and Night Life is a stunning start. Taylor, apparently, isn't a babe in the woods even though this seems to be his first novel. (Or the first one published under his own name.) But he's been a busy guy. It looks like he's written thrillers before, but as a script writer for film and TV. And he produced some documentaries, including one about Graham Greene. What's fascinating about this book is not only the gorgeous writing, but the level of expertise/research. He apparently knows everything there is to know about New York in the 50s, police behavior, loading cargo ships, management of the Waldorf Astoria and Broadway gypsies -- and that's just for starters. What a BOOK. Thank you Jessie Kornbluth, who recommended it.

This is a terrific book.

What made the experience of listening to Night Life the most enjoyable?

The narrator is great, Keith Szarabajka. I had never heard of either of these guys before, but they both are just excellent at what they do. The book keeps twisting and turning around the protagonist, Michael Cassidy, who is a NYPD cop that looks like the beginning of a very good series. The plot is so inventive that you can't possibly guess what is coming next. There are a lot of bodies falling, for the squeamish among you (just as a warning) but if you can get past that, the book is extremely rewarding.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Night Life?

I have been an avid reader of this kind of stuff for decades. It is always interesting to see how the cop behaves in his relationships with women. Mr. Taylor takes Cassidy off the hook in this area, by...(I won't tell you. I'm no spoiler.) So many of the books are written in and about New York City, that the city itself appears as a character in the book, as they say. The scene in which Michael is tracking Dylan by jumping across rooftops is just riveting. The last scene in this section is blood-curdling. Cassidy flirts with death in deeply ambivalent fashion.

Which scene was your favorite?

Yes. His knowledge of law enforcement is vast, not just the NYPD, but also the FBI, the CIA and a number of other agencies. He presents his knowledge in a way that weaves it into the plot, which is the thing. He does not show off what an expert he is, but you do get the point.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Absolutely nothing. He has that gravelly quality that I have always found rewarding to listen to (in music as well: Leon Russell, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and many others). It is not similar to music in any way, but the nuances in his voice are delightful.

Any additional comments?

Buy it. Read it. Have fun. Block out a significant amount of time.

New York in the 50's

Good plots, great characters set in 19 50's New York. Mr. Taylor created a tough, smart, brave detective who was a true hero. Keith Skarabajka did a great job reading the story.

Edge of the seat

Was completely caught up in the story, the suspense and the vivid scenery of the McCarthy era NY.
Characters with depth to love and hate.
Not my usual genre, but will look for more with this author and this reader. Followed that smoky voice through every page Love the unlikely hero. Good guy with a real bad attitude

Incredible Reader

Wow what a name. Keith Szarabajka. What an incredible reader. So many different voices of so many characters. He makes this book come alive.
The story is a bit cop gritty, violence, murder, but kept me interested following the ins and outs of family, history, FBI, CIA, KGB. The McCarthy sub committee hearings made me angry, but it was good to understand how he hurt many innocent US citizens with his paranoia and power. Such a dangerous time in American history.

Glad to find this author...

A very good cop story. Good details make for a very intertwining story. Looking forward to the next one.