The Night Men

This is not a conventional mystery novel. Keith Synder is not a conventional man. As a composer, he adds a dimension rarely found and, as a wise-[crack], he adds a dimension happily found. It is pure craftsmanship. It is, also, the fourth book in a series featuring Jason Keltner, but it stands tall and strong on it's own. Page one and we find Jason peddling his bike madly across the Brooklyn Bridge. What is a California boy doing in Brooklyn? When it's really, really cold? He is there to help when a gay friend's grand opening of a music store is baptized by an act of vandalism. At night, he stands watch amidst the shattered glass and broken instruments, snooping by day. To aid him in his quest are Roberto and Martin. Oddly, you will be introduced to them for the first time whether you've read another book in the series or not. Excerpts from The Night Men, the PI book that cemented their childhood friendship, make up the third story arc that interweaves this exceptional book. Totally original, amazingly funny with characters that make this a must read, re-read, and make others read, book.

Reviews are a strange business. In the end, of course, it's just an opinion of a singular individual, but it's funny how a book or music--or anything, for that matter--can inspire such wildly divergent opinions.For example, the negative review posted below is a substantially different one from my own, as I thought THE NIGHT MEN was one of the best books I've read this year. For one thing, it takes chances. Combining three different story arcs--that of Jason's vigilant nightwatch over Zeb's shop after it's been vandalized, when Jason and his closest friends Robert and Martin meet as teenagers and forge their friendship in the midst of a similar situation (but with different results), and excerpts from a PI novel that was an inspiration for the trio in their teen years and from then on--is no easy task, and most writers don't even come close to succeeding. However, I never had a problem discerning between the arcs, and the transitions were very smooth and easy to follow.Second, the characters have grown from previous books and grow throughout. The Jason, Robert, and Martin you may have met in SHOW CONTROL (or more likely in the later books) are older, more thoughtful, and less likely to fall back on the flippancy that often characterizes their conversations. It's still there, and I'm glad for it, but not to the same degree. This mirrors the progression of Snyder's own writing style--it has far more substance and honesty in THE NIGHT MEN than it ever did before.Which ties into my third point, which is that this book doesn't patronize talk down to the reader, but instead assumes that he or she can handle reasonably intelligent ideas and thought. And it's probably the only book with a subplot about a stolen theremin, and I just thought that was cool.Admittedly, THE NIGHT MEN is not an easy book to categorize; it's drenched in the conventions of the crime novel and owes much to it, but I wouldn't call the book a crime novel. It doesn't have Big Best Seller (TM) written all over it (though I really wish it did) because it doesn't fit so neatly into the little boxes occupied by whoever's on the fiction list these days. But that shouldn't stop you from getting it, reading it, buying it for your friends, getting them to read it, etc. Because if you're looking for something that actually makes you think about a great many things, like what makes a friendship and the emotional benefits and costs, and why familial bonds are often less strong than they potentially should be, THE NIGHT MEN's the book to pick up.

In The Night Men, we follow Jason Keltner to New York City, where he ends up watching his friend's music store at night, after it's vandalized and trashed in a possible hate crime. Jason, having done something similar in high school, stays up nights to protect the place. He also does some snooping around to see if he can find the culprits and solve an enigma relating to the name of the store. The book switches back and forth between the high school Jason and the adult Jason. We learn how he met Robert and Martin, and why they're such close friends. And we admire both Jasons' missions--watching out for friends. Despite the serious nature of the plot, Jason, Robert, and Martin are funny and quick with the offbeat comments. There's also interesting sub-plots about a recording studio, some rare instruments, and Jason's girlfriend. This book is well-written: it's humorous and serious in all the right places. These guys are intelligent and well-read, and they make smart jokes, references, and comments instead of little-boy fart jokes. I have loved all of Keith Snyder's books, and The Night Men is no exception. It's funny, smart, eccentric, and extremely entertaining.

"Suddenly, thoroughly sick of learning things, Jason snapped. "Look-!" Keith Snyder goes deeper and farther with Jason Keltner and his friends than he's gone before (And neither he nor Jason would be guilty of committing a cliche like that.)Comng of age is another cliche and The NIght Men is not "just" a coming of age story. A friend's music store is trashed in the night--amybe a hate crime--and Jason rides his bike over the Brooklyn Bridge in winter. Not a good idea for anyone, especially a California boy. Something more than macho pride or even friendship impels him. The past is never really past, of course, it bleeds into the present. When Jason and Robert and Martin were in high school, they met because life sometimes throws people together and fighting in a very nonTV-ish unsimplistic way against a hate crime/defending Robert's house binds them together. The Night Men--a crime novel that Robert and Jason read togethe--binds the story together. Carter is the hero, one of those lone men who down those dark streets go, the knight errent who tried to save--who tries to save who and what he can. When he can.Jason offers to guard the music store at night. robert flies out to be with him. The past is present. The boy stands guard with the man.And Jason learns, even though, as he says, he is tired of learning lessons. He learns about friendship and love and what a man does to be honorable even when he wonders if he's only making a fool of himself, swinging at shadows. This is a brilliant, wonderful, funny, heartbreaking, heartmeaking book. Buy it. Read it. Love it. (I did. I do.)

The book was different than your standard mystery, but once I got into it I refused to put it down. It's very well written, well edited, and it's even got a nice cover. I've bought all Mr. Snyder's books so far, and I'll buy the next one, too.I'd rate it five stars, but I want to leave the author and editor a little breathing room. These characters grow on you, even Waldo. Pretentious? Nah! You have to think a little, but that never hurt anybody.Thanks for another collection of words worth every penny I spent to read them.