Nightwork

Nora Roberts

Contemporary Thriller

Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother’s head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago—but kept up his nightwork.

Wandering from the Outer Banks to Savannah to New Orleans, he dons new identities and stays careful, observant, distant. He can’t afford to attract attention—or get attached. Still, he can’t help letting his guard down when he meets Miranda Emerson. But the powerful bond between them cannot last—because not all thieves follow Harry’s code of honor. Some pay others to take risks so they can hoard more treasures. Some are driven by a desire to own people the way they own paintings and jewels. And after Harry takes a lucrative job commissioned by Carter LaPorte, LaPorte sees a tool he can use, and decides he wants to own Harry.

The man is a predator more frightening than the alligators that haunt the bayou—and when he strongarms Harry into robbing a Baltimore museum, Harry abandons Miranda—cruelly, with no explanation—and disappears. But no matter what name he uses or where he goes, LaPorte casts a shadow over Harry’s life. To truly free himself, he must face down his enemy once and for all. Only then can he hope to possess something more valuable than anything he has ever stolen… 

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) To be able to pay bills for his ailing mother, a young boy learns to steal and sell the items bringing in enough money to support his mom. He later makes a career out of it and goes against one of the biggest kingpins of the time.

The beginning of this story grabbed me right away. The love this boy had for his mother was admirable. At a young age he showed the maturity of an adult and his relationship with her and his aunt was heartwarming.

My interest went in and out with this one. It was high at the beginning then wavered throughout. There wasn’t a lot of fluidity to his missions; some went into detail for pages and chapters, some were barely skimmed over. I would have preferred more continuity in that aspect.  

I believe I lost interest when the romance became intertwined with the missions. For one thing, I was not “sold” on the romance to begin with. They fell in love within a matter of days? It didn’t jive for me. Later, the romance was well done but how they started never clicked for me.  The buildup to the end dwindled the more she was involved. I loved the missions and the details but having her involved and being inexperienced and worried lessened the intrigue. I didn’t get the specifics of the mission as before. I instead heard her side of it and missed hearing about his drive and mental clarity that he went through to succeed. 

With that being said, the writing was well done and the characters are easy to love. Nora Roberts may not have a ton of unique stories anymore but her writing is enough to keep me turning the pages. 

General content summary: F- words: 20+, a young boy (later too as an adult) steals many items, a boy sees a woman naked then see her intimate with a man, cancer and effects of the treatment, death and grief, intimacy (few details), underage drinking, detailed intimacy, theft and many details with stealing and breaking in.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy!

The book releases May 24, 2022.

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