Cover of Night
by Linda Howard
Published by Ballintine Books
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Reviewed by Connie Anderson
This, Linda Howard's 19th novel, is my introduction to her wonderful and compelling storytelling.
Cover of Night is placed in an isolated village in Utah. Innocent people become involved in the ruthless dealings of powerful men who can hire killers--men without consciences but with the ability to use guns and create terror. Trail Stop, Idaho is a sleepy stopover for hunters, hikers and rock climbers--until that fateful day when Mr. Layton comes to town.
Cate Nightingale is the widowed mother of four-year-old twins. After the sudden death of her husband three years earlier, she bought the B&B in the village where they stayed and had enjoyed rock climbing.
Far from family she becomes part of a small community of people who watch over and befriend her and her boys--people who Cate thought had lived there forever.
Guest Mr. Layton "checks out" through the second-story window, leaving behind a suitcase, shoes and shaving kit. This guest has something someone wants--and wants it badly enough to terrorize Cate, the B&B owner. When she and a friend are accosted by two goons, they are rescued by the town's shy handyman who guesses that she is in trouble when she meets him at the door.
The town is energized that one of their own was assaulted in this quick-moving story, filled with people so real you think you know them. The relationships grow during this crisis when everyone takes the brakes off their feelings. Love shows itself to two couples as the message becomes clear: "If I care about her and never tell her, what if something happens and I can NEVER tell her?"
When the bad guys want something, they will do whatever it takes to get it, especially if they are paid very well for the job. Revenge, self-serving justice, and especially ego, turn the bad guys against each other. The men who order the job show no mercy to those who take a job from them--and fail!
My mother used to say: Work first; then read--but she never picked up a Linda Howard novel!
Armchair Interviews says: This is a book you will want to set aside some time for because you will not want to put it down.