Nightwing

Written by Martin Cruz Smith

Narrated by Richard Ferrone

Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now! 

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin’ Independent

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When an unhappy, aging shaman invokes the Hopi god of death in an effort to bring the world to an end, those around him are sceptical. Then they discover his body, mutilated and bloody, and other similarly disfigured bodies begin to appear. Horses, sheep, cattle - no living thing is safe. But the cause of these horrifying deaths remains unclear…

Enter a young Duran, called back to the reservation to investigate. Duran immediately recognises the significance of the shaman's spell, and with the help of two scientists, he works to combat the supernatural scourge - before there's nothing left to save.

Praise for Martin Cruz Smith

'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child 

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’  Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation

‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday

'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'  Guardian

'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'  Sunday Times

‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: May 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781471183058

Martin Cruz Smith

Martin Cruz Smith’s novels include Gorky Park, Stallion Gate, Nightwing, Polar Star, Stalin’s Ghost, Rose, December 6, Tatiana, The Girl from Venice, and The Siberian Dilemma. He is a two-time winner of the Hammett Prize, a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award and Britain’s Golden Dagger Award, and a winner of the Premio Piemonte Giallo Internazionale. He lives in California.

Reviews for Nightwing

[sharrona_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book a lot when it was first published. But after seeing the movie version, I now find the book to be harsh. Even tge narrator’s voice and presentation were harsh. The main characters seem less complex and less positive than they were shown in the movie. I guess that’s Hollywood marketing! This book introduced me to the author, who has remained one of my favorites over the years.

[joe73-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this many years ago. I remember really liking it. Bats.....lots of bats.

[jhemlock-1711 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this many years ago. I remember really liking it. Bats.....lots of bats.

[danhammang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel was on the shortlist for the 1978 Edgar. Best known for his series about Arcady Renko, a Russian investigator, Martin Cruz Smith is a gifted novelist with awards and recognition outside his famous series that kicked off with Gorky Park. According to Wikipedia Nightwing was his breakthrough novel. This story set on the Hopi Nation land in Arizona features every bit as much of the stark beauty and native lore of the desert as Tony Hillerman. There is a big creepiness factor with the vampire bat playing a starring role. If you're looking for a solid example of Cruz Smith's writing outside of the Russian milieu, this is not a bad place to start.

[altheaann · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am quite a fan of Martin Cruz Smith's more recent books, so I've been working on picking up his older ones as well. This one, however, I'd recommend giving a miss. I recognize that horror often depends on taking ordinary things and making them somehow "spooky," but "Nightwing" engages in fearmongering that could be genuinely harmful to a necessary and helpful population of bats that are in delicate balance if not actively threatened, often by presenting fictional information as though it were scientific fact.
The plot has to do with a Native American deputy caught between two worlds. His girlfriend is Caucasian, but his best friend, an old shaman, is disgusted with the modern world, and threatens to do a magic working that will end the world, leaving only the people of his tribe to start again. The deputy, naturally, thinks this is just bluster - but when a bat-spread plague begins spreading to epidemic proportions, doubt sets in. He might be able to do something to stop it - but that would also be a betrayal of his people.
The book is reasonably well-written, and (just barely) stays on the right side of the line as far as stereotypes of native Americans - but the portrayals of bats and their behavior patterns are nothing short of libelous. Even though this was written quite some years ago, I believe the author should step up and make a hefty donation to the cause of combating the bat plague - that is, the plague that is seriously wiping out the bat populations of the Northeastern US.

[hredwards · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Typical seventies disaster/thriller nature run amok.

[avhacker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this book wasn;t anything specail. i mean it's nt the worst book ive read but not the best. i kept thinking something would happen when sadly it didn't.i thought the indian magic was pretty cool though. sand art is really pretty!

[dwate_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This early Cruz Smith novel is a somewhat macabre tale set in the New Mexico desert. Youngman Duran is a Hopi Indian Deputy who is trying to discover the reason for a series of deaths in which the victims appear to have been repeatedly slashed with razor-like cuts. In fact, vampire bats are the culprits, and they also carry the plague bacillus. Local government is attempting a cover-up while a scientist, Hayden Paine is trying to eradicate the bat colony. There is suspense and tension, plenty of background research, and also a love interest, but at this early stage, Cruz Smith’s talents are just beginning to develop.

[seldombites · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, to begin with, the synopsis is not entirely accurate. The book is not about vampires but vampire bats, and as far as I can tell, the 'entire American Southwest' was not threatened, though it could have been if the story didn't work out. Add to that the mediocre writing style, and what could have been an exciting novel comes up a fizzer. I found Night Wing to be predictable and not overly thrilling. I doubt I'll be seeking out any more of Smith's work.