A heart-wrenching psychological thriller
Night by Night is a heart-wrenching psychological thriller with a tragic heroine at its heart. Rose, a bereaved mother and chronic insomniac, is a skillfully-drawn main character who, after a series of tragedies, sets out on a quest to investigate the disappearance of Finn Matthews, the author of a journal she picked up after bumping into a strange man in the street. As the plot progresses, it is clear that Rose is not as broken as it first seems. When the police refuse to investigate Finn Matthews' case, she regains a sense of purpose and value in life and quickly evolves into a gutsy and strong-willed female lead who is determined to uncover the truth and salvage something positive from the tragedies of her past.
As with Jack Jordan's previous works, it is the characterisation that makes this book come alive. In addition to creating a memorable female protagonist, the author creates a wealth of secondary characters that help to direct the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the mysterious stalker, and I was unable to guess his identity ahead of the final reveal.
The plot did feel a little drawn out in places and consequently, I did not find this book as thrilling as the author's previous book, Before Her Eyes. However, it is a well crafted story with a descriptive narrative, emotive characters and important underlying social justice themes.
