David C. Taylor’s author’s note in Night Watch says that it’s the third book in the Michael Cassidy series, but the second in chronological order. Although I haven’t read either of the other two, including the Edgar Award nominated Night Life, if you want to read the series in order, start with Night Life. It’s set in 1954. Night Watch is set in 1956, and the time period is crucial to the story.
In 1956, New York City police detective Michael Cassidy handles several Cold War-related investigations while also attempting to discover who is trying to kill him. During rush hour, someone tries to push Cassidy in front of a subway train. His partner brushes it off, saying he should know better than to stand in the front row during rush hour.
Their first case is the death of a hansom cab driver in Central Park. It appears to be a mugging, but forensics says otherwise.Then, a biochemist throws himself through a window in the Astor Hotel, and the stories told by several of the man’s acquaintances don’t add up. As Cassidy, along with his lover, a reporter from The New York Post, ask questions, the same people seem to pop up. And, they seem to have powerful connections with the CIA. When Cassidy and his brother, Brian, a TV journalist, seem to be getting a little too close, his brother suddenly disappears.
What’s the link between a sniper shooting at Cassidy and his brother’s disappearance? This action-packed story is a grim story of the CIA’s actions in the U.S. during the 1950s and ’60s. Night Watch is a suspenseful, frightening thriller filled with deaths, mysterious connections, and the ability of the government to make newspaper stories and connections disappear.
David C. Taylor’s website is www.davidctaylor.com
Night Watch by David C. Taylor. Severn House, 2019. ISBN 9780727888679 (hardcover), 304p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.
