Crime reporter Kate Murray is determined to excel in her career at a New York City tabloid. She tracks down stories, researches police activity reports, and speaks to families of victims to get the details just right. But she makes a not-so-small mistake while reporting a murder. As a result, her bosses put her on a six-month probation to prove she is cut out for the job. And then she finds a huge story – a hard working nurse is found shot dead in her apartment lobby. While developing her story, she meets Detective John Finn, who is battling his own PTSD from an on-the-job incident, who is also working on the case. Another man, Dominick Donatti, is the only witness to the murder and knows exactly who the killer is. However, he is also a criminal and develops an unhealthy obsession with Kate. And if she wants to get to the front page, she has to work with both men to break the story before anyone else does. Strangers in the Night by Peg Tyre is a suspense crime fiction novel in which Kate must tread carefully and decide if her career is worth her sense of security or even her life.
Detective Finn recently nearly lost his life while on another case – luckily for him, the criminal’s gun didn’t have bullets. But he has visions of the perpetrator and sees him in each new case he takes on. He’s not sure if law enforcement is the best career at this point, but he wants/needs the pension that comes with it. Needless to say, he’s going through it. But when he meets Kate, he can’t help but wonder if there’s something more there. But Kate is still hung up on her ex, and believes that they might get back together. Not to mention that both of them know the risks involved when a cop and a reporter get involved. And as I’ve said before, Kate will do anything to get ahead in her career.
Now Dominick is another story. He believes that Kate is his ticket out of a life of crime – for which Kate herself might be responsible. She finds him valuable as an informant. But when it comes time to meet him in person, his appearance and behavior turn her away. And since he’s a bit of a psychopath, she is wise to keep her distance – that is, until he tracks her down and realizes that she’s avoided him. As a result, Dominick doubles down and insists that they have a romantic future together, taking matters into his own hands. And when he finally gets the chance to talk to her in person, both Kate and John have to make quick decisions to survive.
Tyre develops a seemingly-unique story with Strangers in the Night. The suspense is there, and I was curious to see how the final showdown would play out. However, I didn’t really like Kate as a character. She has tunnel vision when it comes to finalizing the details to solving the crime. And she doesn’t care what she has to do to make it happen – or who she manipulates. John could have been more likable if he had a better attitude towards his career and women. And even though Dominick is a scary hot mess, he is the most interesting of all of them. The pacing was slow at times, and the delivery didn’t quite hit the mark. At times I couldn’t tell whose POV I was reading, and some details became muddled with all the crimes and people they tried to connect to each other. Seeing as Strangers in the Night is a crime fiction novel that involves a messed up love triangle, this should have been a compelling story. But for some reason I was mostly bored and underwhelmed.
Peg Tyre joins the Cantina Book Club podcast to talk about how her professional career inspired the story. Strangers in the Night is available now.
