Under the Night
"..a fast-paced, intelligent thriller that packs a real punch."
Synopsis:
In 1950s Manhattan, the CIA carry out a covert study of psychoactive drugs. When ad man Ned Sweeney accidentally takes a dose of MDT-48, he finds his horizons dramatically expand, and he is hurtled towards the corridors of the rich and powerful, all the way to the government's nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.
Just months later, Ned plunges to his death from a fourteenth-floor window of the Fairbrook Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The official story is that he jumped.
Over 60 years later, Ned's grandson, Ray, meets a retired government official who claims he can illuminate not only Ned's life and death, but also the truth behind the mysterious drug MDT-48.
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Review:
Described as both a sequel and prequel to his debut novel, 'The Dark Fields', Glynn's latest novel is another clever political thriller. The story is told from the points of view of the two main characters: ad man Ned Sweeney in the 1950s, and his grandson, Ray, an oppo researcher living in contemporary Manhattan. (In US politics, an oppo researcher is someone employed to collect information on a political opponent or other adversary that can be used to discredit or weaken them). On a night out after work, Ned and his boss, Matt Drake end up in the apartment of a man called Mike Sutton. After drinking a Martini, prepared by Sutton, something happens to Ned. His brain speeds up and he becomes hyper aware. Leaving Sutton's apartment, Ned spends the rest of the evening moving from bar to bar, at one point, Ned even finds himself in a hotel suite with Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe. 'Under the Night' is a welcome addition to Glynn's growing body of work. This is a fast-paced, intelligent thriller that packs a real punch. Highly recommended.