NYPD detective Lex Cole tracks a missing Brooklyn teen whose bright future is endangered by the ghosts of his unknown father’s past, in this highly anticipated sequel to A Map of the Dark. One of the few black kids on his Brighton Beach block, Titus “Crisp” Crespo was raised by his white mother and his Russian grandparents. He has two legacies from his absent father, Mo: his weird name and his … Mo: his weird name and his brown skin. Crisp has always been the odd kid out, but a fundamentally good kid, with a bright future.
But one impulsive decision triggers a horrible domino effect–an arrest, no reason not to accompany his richer, whiter friend Glynnie on a visit to her weed dealer, and a trip onto his father’s old home turf where he’ll face certain choices he’s always strived to avoid.
As Detective Lex Cole tries to unravel the clues from Crisp’s night out, they both find that what you don’t know about your past can still come back to haunt you.
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OH NO! The beginning has me super angry. This is the type of book I have been avoiding. Smacks too much of realism and I don’t need anymore than I happen to catch flipping channels on the TV or clicking on the internet.
Ugly business and I see it ruining Crisp’s life. Will it make him become a monster? We’ll see.
A portrait of a white privileged teen girl, a promising, intelligent mixed race boy and a black homeless boy and what results from their coming together.
Kind of a coming of age story …I thought it would be about race when I first began, but it turned into teens…learning about life.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Last Night by Karen Ellis.
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This second-in-series was every bit as engaging as the first – despite a much slower start and the relegation of one of my favorite characters (Elsa, who was THE major detective in book one) to an exceptionally minor side role… It took me longer to connect to the characters this time; Saki is, by design and personality, not an easy character to engage with, nor is Glynnie. But Crisp and JJ were delightful and heart-breaking and I found their unfolding tales to be all too believable and real. It made some of the reading difficult, but in a good, emotionally-charged, way.
I still find Lex (the major consistent player in the two books) a difficult character. I’m not sure if I like him – or feel much of anything at all for him, frankly. He feels like the least well-developed of the major players, and is still a bit of an enigma to me. I’m curious to see if Ellis will continue to draw him out in further titles, and will definitely pick them up because the writing and plot development here are really well presented. And I quite like the way she presents the stories in quasi-real time; it makes the pacing feel slick and fleet and keeps me on the edge of my seat throughout. A great combination, that, especially when paired with such dynamic (generally) characters – even when I don’t love them (hello, Glynnie) I can’t help but be drawn in to their drama…
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
I was so disappointed in this book. I really enjoyed the first one and was excited to read this one. I found the book to be really boring. I just did not care about any of the characters. The first book had Elsa and it drove that book with her as the main character. Lex is not a main character person, he’s the helpful sidekick. I also didn’t care for Glynnie or Crisp. I had such high hopes for this book and it falls flat.
*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
First of all, I have not read A Map of the Dark, which is the first book in The Searchers series. I’m not sure if that played a part in my opinion of this book.
Unfortunately, this book did not draw me in and have me invested in the characters or the stories. I didn’t feel like there was enough suspense to make it a true mystery. And while there was focus on issues, such as addiction, racism, etc., the book as a whole was not my cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Driving While Black
Author Karen Ellis deals with teenagers and some of the seriously dark stuff that can happen when these vulnerable humans get in over their heads and need police help. This is NOT my “Leave It To Beaver” childhood! Well-written, covering disturbing topics compellingly, the novel has some carryover of characters from book one of the series, but this is a standalone (think individual episodes of Special Victims Unit). Of course a great many threads cross and knot together, but one of the more compelling is the casual racism still exercised against the innocent, the destructive effect of pulling THAT thread causing untold consequences.
Last Night is an excellent book! On the surface, it’s a story about Crispo and Glynnie who make some bad choices about how to spend an evening after each has graduated from high school, without any awareness of serious consequences which may result. But at a deeper level the story is very timely, and deals with so many current societal issues. Institutional and individual racism, socioeconomic disparity, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, and the problem of undocumented immigration, all are reflected in the story. I would give this book more than five stars if I could! It’s the second book I’ve read by Karen Ellis, and I look forward to reading many more. Thank you to Netgalley for introducing me to this author!
Two teenagers Glynnie and Crisp find their lives turned suddenly upside down. The story traces how the choices one makes can snowball into life changing events. These children on the cusp of adulthood find themselves in a situation that could derail the rest of their lives. The author has a unique way of allowing the characters to have an inner monologue that searches and seeks to give deeper understanding of the surrounding plot. It is fascinating because it adds so much more insight to the narrative. This is also Lex’s story. We learn a lot more about him and realize why he recognizes so much of the insecurities that lies within Elsa. Great background information on the history of NY as well.
This book is a definite page turner. What happens when three different personalities get together on that fateful night and make the wrong decisions? You will have to turn the pages to find out but it is so worth it! Thanks Karen!
Read my review on my blog – http://www.premeditatedfiction.com/book-review-last-night-by-karen-ellis/
3 stars
I was somewhat disapointed in this book. I felt it was not as good as s. Ellis’ previous novel.
It is about a young man, getting ready to graduate, in fact he is the valedctorian of his class. He is half black and half white being raised by his white mom and his two Russian grandparents. He lives in the Brighton Beach neighborhood, unlike other kids of his background.
Goes with a friend to make a weed buy one night. Harmless enough, right? Not when you’re black.
This story contrasts the racial profiling with the way in which a white kid would have been treated in the same situation. It is an interesting study, but was too spare on the action for my tastes.
The book is well written and plotted, but t moved too slowly for me. I will read others of Ms. Ellis’ books of course. I was just disapointed in this one.
I want to thank NetGalley and Mulholland Books for forwarding to me a copy of this for me to read and review.
LAST NIGHT by Karen Ellis
Last night I read until 4 a.m., a most rare occurrence, but Karen Ellis’ LAST NIGHT was that compelling, with good kids, bad choices, and so much danger.
I liked Crisp from the first, so much to be proud of, so much hard work about to pay off for him, and then . . . I don’t like to include spoilers, but from bad rap to bad decisions, through dangers and insults, Crisp maintains his sense of honor and his concern for others, especially his mom and grandparents, whom he does not want to disappoint. He uses that good brain of his also, to solve problems and make plans, except for when he gets caught up in the craziness that is “being a teenager.”
Taking responsibility for one’s mistakes is a hard lesson but a most valuable one. Realizing you’re not in it alone is good lesson, but it’s harder when life has taught that the police can’t always be trusted. I didn’t want the book to end, and I’m still replaying parts in my mind.
These adventurous wanderings also gave an interesting “tour” of New York City, the parts not so well known to casual visitors and described so well I felt I was there.
I was especially surprised at the complexity of applying to public high schools, having studied and worked always in schools that based enrollment primarily on residence within a certain boundary. That Crisp is sincere in his offer to help JJ navigate high school applications made me love and respect him even more.
Now I need to get a copy of Ellis’ A MAP OF THE DARK, and I hope there will be many more books from this excellent writer.
2.5 stars
While Last Night explores socio-economic and racial lines, at its core, it is a story about a couple of teenagers and the choices they make to lead them down a dangerous path. The problem is those choices aren’t really explained other than to say that teenagers don’t think like adults, which doesn’t really explain anything. As far as the mystery or police procedural aspects, this one leaves something to be desired on both counts. We’re spoon-fed Crisp and Glynnie’s journey of bad decisions while the missing persons cases for them are on again, off again, and it all comes together rather slowly for the first half of the book. Things do pick up in the second half and we get a little more on the procedural side of things, but for those who read book one and are hoping for more of Elsa, those glimpses are few and far between. We do get plenty of Lex, who I liked in the first book, but here, he comes across as whiny and insecure. I get it, there are relationship problems and he doesn’t know where he stands with Adam, but sometimes, less is more. The number of times the lack of text messages from Adam was mentioned quickly grew tedious. We’re also introduced to Saki as she and Lex work together to find both Glynnie and Crisp. Saki had the potential to be a great character, but she isn’t given much in the way of personality. We’re told that she’s ‘on the spectrum’, but other than a lack of social cues, we aren’t given much else about her. While the blurb calls this one a sequel, it works as a standalone, and I feel like those who aren’t familiar with the first book may enjoy it more than I did. For me, Lex was just too different than what I saw in book one, and too much of the story just doesn’t ring true.
Surprising second book in THE SEARCHERS series
Okay – this book totally surprised me. I read the first book A MAP OF THE DARK featuring Special Agent Elsa Myers, FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment division. I enjoyed her character in that story and assumed (and you know what they say about that) that she would be the protagonist in this second book. Silly me. In fact, the protagonist in this book is NYPD Detective Lex Cole and he works with NYPD Detective Saki Finley (who is on the autism spectrum) on a case of two totally different older teenagers.
Titus “Crisp” Crespo is half Russian-half African American, is valedictorian of his graduating class, and intends on going to Princeton.
Glynnie Dreyfus has rich parents and no direction in her life.
And these two totally different teens disappear at the same time.
The story tells just how much your life can get screwed up in one night. I liked book one but loved this book. The author did a wonderful job with character development on all the characters. I loved the progression of the story. And I appreciated the detailed ending.
Oh, and Elsa makes a couple of very brief appearances in this book.
I received this book from Mulholland Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Second book in this excellent series, does not disappoint. This book touches on the inequality of lives and how a simple decision can change the course of the future. Everyone has their own burden and how we balance that burden effects our interactions with those around us. I hope there will be more books, just as I hope the troubled souls each find their own way, and ultimately, peace. Excellent read.