16 March 2011

The End of the Night

The End Of The NightTold in almost reverse chronological order, The End of the Night tells the tale of four youths (called the "Wolf Pack" by the media) travelling from Mexico to New York who decided to embark on their own mini-murder spree. Eventually, the Wolf Pack is caught, tried, and executed for their crimes.

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Spider Robinson have highly praised MacDonald's work and listed him as one of their favorite authors. Stephen King went as far as to say: "John D. MacDonald has written a novel called The End of the Night which I would argue is one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. It ranks with Death of a Salesman, it ranks with An American Tragedy."

Fans of police procedural television shows would likely enjoy this book, as the facts of the story are presented in a very straightforward manner. Because the first chapter deals with the Wolf Pack's executions, there isn't much surprise to the story. However, the most educated member of the Wolf Pack, Kirby Stassen, recounts much of his experiences, and the transition from a group of ne'er-do-wells into a murderous quartet seems like a natural progression.

The plot and tone do show their age somewhat, but it's still an entertaining read. If you enjoy true crime literature, this might be one you should check out.

This book appears to be temporarily out of print, so you might check eBay and see if you can find it there.

Title: The End of the Night
Author: John D. MacDonald
Year: 1960
Pages: 192

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