Rating: 
Summary: Wicked thriller
Review: Excellent mystery. The feminist angles reminded me of June Arnold's "Sister Gin" and Monique Wittig's "Les Guerilleres". I did have a difficult time getting into it at first, but King's writing and characters drew me in (this being the first of her books I've read).
Rating: 
Summary: Taut, suspensful and very entertaining
Review: I admit that I have only read 1 previous Kate Martinelli mystery (A Grave Talent) which I also enjoyed. This one captured my attention from the very beginning and never let go. Martinelli is such an appealing character and I enjoy the way the author weaves her home life and those close to her into the story. In the end, when you think about the actual number of suspects (not that many) you will be still be surprized at the outcome. The last chapter is one of the most suspensful that I have read in a while.
Rating: 
Summary: Point gets in the way of plot
Review: I found King to be a talented writer-- this is the first book of hers that I've read and I'm relieved to see this described in the reviews as the weakest of her books. There are many good ingredients in this book-- a humorous vigilante group that has captured the imaginination of a city, a very real relationship between two women, and a number of very touchy subjects which have a lot of potential for exploration. The problem that I have with _Night Work_ is that none of it really seems to come together in an adequate way. The resolution felt a little like King had painted herself into a corner and didn't know quite how to get out without sacrificing the political point. It was a real let down given the masterly set-up in the early phases.
Rating: 
Summary: not really a mystery; not really a character study
Review: I found the book quite unsatisfying for two reasons: First, the guilty party is revealed within a few pages of the start,so there is no mystery. This means the reason to read on is either to learn more about the the characters, or about the modus operandi of the killer. It is the authors obligation to provide one or the other. Here we learn neither, despite perservering through some lukewarm action, and some dreadful social interactions. For example, how on earth are these victims lured to their death. Failing to provide this information means the author is not confined by any rules of logic, and in so doing cheats the reader. Second, the dialogue is flat and forced. Do we really neat to create a lesbian relationship that suffers from the same irresponsible cliche behavior attributed to male detectives? I don t think this is a step forward. All in all, I ended the book feeling incredibly ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: Night Work Disappointed This Fan
Review: I had been looking forward to this book, since I appreciate the dark ambience and complex issues King waves into this series. I was disappointed. The prose is sparer, less elegant, than I remember in her previous books, and King indulges her passion in Old Testament theology to the point of tedium (and I consider myself a pretty big fan of the Old Testament). King's creative genius and sense of fun is still there: the militant Ladies' terrorist acts made me laugh. But by the end of the book, I didn't particularly care who the murderer was. With all this complaining, will I buy the next King book? Probably. She's the most interesting mystery/suspense writer out there right now. I'd like to see more depth and craft in the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A different perspective
Review: I have read all of the previous Kate Martinelli stories, and I particularly enjoyed this one. I think it was the unconventional feminist response to harm visited on other women that most appealed to me. I understood the use of the Hindu goddess Kali as the justification for the violence, but all the talk of blood, slaughter and gore kind of put me off. I would have liked to attend the play described in the book, and I thought that the description of the Indian family and its treatment of the bride was particularly good.
Rating:
Summary: A different perspective
Review: I have read all of the previous Kate Martinelli stories, and I particularly enjoyed this one. I think it was the unconventional feminist response to harm visited on other women that most appealed to me. I understood the use of the Hindu goddess Kali as the justification for the violence, but all the talk of blood, slaughter and gore kind of put me off. I would have liked to attend the play described in the book, and I thought that the description of the Indian family and its treatment of the bride was particularly good.
Rating:
Summary: 2 stars so far, I bravely push forward
Review: I must admit I haven't finished this book yet. At this point (the beginning of Ch. 5) I wish Ms. King would get to the damn mystery and spare us the misandrist drivel: "Men are condemned to brutality...Who better to change[them] than lesbian mothers?" I'd like to think that it's just her characters and not herself who are the slaves to sexual bigotry and ideology. Perhaps she might try reading a little less Steinem and Gilligan and a little more Patai or Sommers. She might learn that the boys who grow up to be good men are the ones with good fathers, not gay mothers. If Ms. King did not have Al Hawkin in this mix I would not bother with the Martinelli stories hereafter and stick with the equity-feminism of the Mary Russell series. I hope to have reason to change my mind by the end of the book, since I have enjoyed Kate's adventures to date. I'm getting tired of lesbian ministers and the treatment of fathers as regrettably necessary sperm donors.
Rating:
Summary: Read and re-read... and re-read
Review: I read Night Work. Then I read it again. And then I re-read Ms. King's other Kate Martinelli books in order. Night Work was one of those books where I read each and every word. The plots held my interest... the murders, the LOPD, and Kate's home life. The characters were rich and full and the exploration of the Indian culture was very interesting. Nothing felt flat. What I like about this series is nothing is given away freely. Kate and Al uncover one clue at a time, and sometimes not in time. This is what I imagine police work really is like. One thing I noticed is the vast amounts of coffee everyone consumes. My stomach aches just to think about it. And Night Work certainly did set off my craving for Indian food. In talking with others, some one suggested this was Ms. King's last Kate and Al book. I hope not, I really hope not.
Rating:
Summary: Complex, interesting but more a thriller than a mystery
Review: I started to read Laurie King because I loved Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich but had run out of titles - a friend recommended her as another author I would like - and I think I do but this is the first of her books I have read and I don't think it was a good place to start. The Kate Martinelli mysterys - of which this is one, seem to be very personal and there is a lot of history in them which would, I think, make more sense, if I had started with the first book in the series - which I think is called "A Grave Talent.". Either way all the crimes Martinelli is involved in seem to directly affect her, her partner or her friends. So back to the story - Kate Martinelli is called in to investigate what seems to be the work of a serial killer. A man is found hand-cuffed, strangled and dumped - soon two other bodies appear. The only link seems to be that they have been involved with abusing women in some way (rape, murder, wife-beating). There are suspicions that this might be another step in the work of a women's vigilante group the 'Ladies' who have been humiliating these sort of men in the past - are they now murdering them? It is certainly hard to find any sympathy with the victims of these crimes and Martinelli and her partner Al Hawkins are troubled by this - its an interesting dilemma in itself - but made far more personal when Kate meets two of the victims, a young husband suspected of a crime of murdering his wife, and a convicted child-molester who survives an attempt on his life. As I said in the beginning, this seems more of a thriller than a mystery - perhaps because I am not used to mysteries I didn't feel that it would be easy to figure out given the clues available although there were plenty of suspects. I did enjoy King's writing, she has a nice easy style and the story really flows along.
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