Private Midnight

Kris Saknussemm made a splash with his first novel, Zanesville, and Private Midnight, his second novel, solidifies his reputation as an edgy, creative and blackly comic writer. Private Midnight's themes and styles morph from noir to supernatural thriller to philosophical treatise on gender politics, and while not each incarnation is equally successful, the writing is at all times a joy. This man loves language. He loves words. I couldn't stop myself from reading some lines out loud, and that alone puts this book on my recommended list. The story opens in fine noir style, with world weary battered police detective Birch Ritter trying to connect the dots on a couple of murders no one else sees as murders, while struggling with the temptation to visit an address his former, now estranged, partner gave him without explanation. Ritter suspects the address will lead him to a woman of pleasure, but he has no idea what shadow lands she occupies. Naturally, he can't help but find out. Ritter is a man with secrets himself. The first part of the novel deals with self-sabotage, and the line between light and shadows, particularly our own shadows we'd rather not illuminate. The mysterious Genevieve says her business is shadows and from his first visit to her, Ritter is on a journey to his past, reclaiming bits of himself he's buried over the years. At the same time, he appears to be losing other parts of himself, and this blurring of boundaries between apparently oppositional definitions of identity is a continuing thread of the novel and its most successful theme. The language in this part of the book is delicious. Waking up after a stormy night, the detective says, "The storm had cleared the air but not my mind or the inside of my apartment." Ritter's voice is so lushly noir it's almost a parody of itself and it is often funny, no matter how dark or twisted the subject. And the subject matter is dark and twisted, dipping into unconventional sexual practices that both fascinate with their ability to redefine and repel with their violence. It's a tribute to the author's power with words I was often laughing even when I was horrified by what I was reading, which, as a cat lover, I often was. Make of that what you will and be warned. The criminal case is far from the focus of the story. It really is just a frame on which to hang an exploration of gender politics. The more Ritter peers into the darkness, trying to figure out who or what Genevieve is, the less sure he is of his own identity. The more he tries to decide whether she's a force for good or evil, the less sure he is he can tell the difference. As the story progresses, the language changes from darkly noir to more supernatural thriller, though the ghosts are more memories than spirits. Genevieve, though, is hard to define, which is very much the point. The final chapters lean toward a discussion of the gender issues raised throughout the story. The narrative is gripping e

Wow! I tried to put the book down many times but I was intrigued with what Ritter was going to experience next. It made me reflect on what dark memories we all have in the corners of our minds...and what healing processes would be necessary....a must read and I agree with J Bube - it would make a great feature film. I must add I loved the CD that compliments the book!

Told in the voice of the crime noir classics, with intense erotica and unsettling psychological horror in abundance, Detective Birch Ritter's story is one I can guarantee you've never heard. Over the course of his unhappy and unfaithful life, he has seen much of the surface darkness of humanity--the crimes we commit against each other, the lies we sell--but with the introduction to what he at first assumes to be a high class hooker, he is exposed to an inner darkness that even he could never have imagined. A darkness that both seduces and repels, and in the end--reveals and transforms. There is so much to see in this book, so much to hear and feel, and so much to learn. It is an assault on the senses, a stinging whip and a tickling feather, and a lesson in division that vividly illustrates the tenuous nature of borders. Good or evil, torment or salvation, pleasure or pain, fear or hope, submission or dominance...male or female--where do the distinctions lie? Others may say Private Midnight is not for the squeamish, but I say it is exactly what the squeamish need--to shake 'em up and wake 'em up.

Under the cloak of a mystical crime story,Saknussemm offers up a disturbing and provocative shadow play about illicit erotic desire and the battle of the sexes--more importantly--the nature of power inside any relationship. Sure, there are mysteries, switchbacks and more than a few misdeeds in Private Midnight to keep crime fiction and horror fans perversely happy. But, for me, the real story hinges on a contest of wills and the irrepressible mental rigor, more complex than simple competition, always at play between the sexes. Saknussemm winningly frames his narrative within several larger questions of what distinguishes men from women: Is it fashion armor and a few hormones--or something purely psychic and qunitessential? I'd be very surprised if this book doesn't spark a lot of discussion around the water cooler, in bedrooms and maybe even out back of the barn, for those readers embarked on their own inner search for fulfillment [and connection] will find much to admire in the novel. WARNING: Prone to prickle flesh? Some scenes are guaranteed to raise hairs. Ultimately, however, some meaty issues and Saknussemm's tony writing are on offer as age old dramas get enacted in [dare I say] a fresh way, issues, perhaps, that none of us can ignore.

This is a startling and disturbing psychological thriller with heady doses of both the erotic and the surreal. Saknussemms' first person is totally believable and compelling. The atmosphere is intense and so fully realized that you feel you have stepped into this strange dream and can't get out. Even as the mysteries unfold, a deeper darkness sets in. Crime readers will enjoy this as a genre work, but the real mysteries are of the psyche. This is a book of revelation.