Nightwing

Notes

Nightwing by Martin Cruz Smith drew on Smith’s American Indian heritage and was nominated for an Edgar. It was the first book published under the pseudonym Cruz Smith and earned him a significant fee when Hollywood bought the film rights. Smith is, however, less than complimentary about the movie:

“I know for a fact that it was the worst film ever made. I visited the studio once and met this actor who was made up like an Indian and he introduced himself by saying he would like to apologise privately, or publicly if I wanted, for the things they were doing to my book.”

Publisher’s Synopsis

When an unhappy, aging shaman invokes the Hopi god of death in an effort to bring the world to an end, those around him are sceptical. Then they discover his body, mutilated and bloody, and other similarly disfigured bodies begin to appear. Horses, sheep, cattle – no living thing is safe. But the cause of these horrifying deaths remains unclear…

Enter a young Duran, called back to the reservation to investigate. Duran immediately recognises the significance of the shaman’s spell, and with the help of two scientists, he works to combat the supernatural scourge – before there’s nothing left to save.

Praise for Martin Cruz Smith

‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe’ — Val McDermid

‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream’ — Mail on Sunday

‘Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’ — Guardian

Read a full review of Nightwing by Martin Cruz Smith at Too Much Horror Fiction