Book Review: The Kiss of Night
The Kiss of Night. Mark Wukas, Eckhartz Press, February 2025, paperback, 278 pages.
Reviewed by Robert H. King, Jr.
Will Moore, an Ivy League graduate, heads off to Chicago to pursue a graduate degree in Classics. His life plan is to get married and ultimately obtain a teaching job. Upon arriving in Chicago, he is dumped by his fiancé. In despair, and with no clearly thought-out plan B, he drops out of graduate school and lands a low paying job with a local newspaper as an overnight police beat reporter. His meager financial resources force him to rent a room in a house by the expressway under the iconic (at least to Chicagoans), mammoth Magic Kiss neon sign. Now his real education begins.
His teachers include Frank Foley, a gruff, no-nonsense police sergeant, hardened veteran reporters, a female sex partner and a gang-leader neighbor who tutor him in the sometimes-brutal ways of life in the big city. He learns that truth, justice, and relationships are not always as black and white as his coddled Ivy League upbringing had suggested.
The Kiss of Night is not primarily a plot-driven novel. It’s more of a character study of the various individuals that inhabit night-time Chicago. The principal characters developed are Will and Frank. To Will, Frank’s willingness to use any tactic necessary to catch criminals, including beatings and torture, is an abomination. To Frank, Will’s naiveté about the realities of life in the streets is unfathomable and frustrating. However, each character eventually moves towards an understanding of the other’s position, particularly after Will is presented with the opportunity to participate in vigilante revenge for the murder of his gang-leader neighbor.
Some of the characters developed in the book are alive, interesting, and thought-provoking; others not so much, just as in real life. The book is well-written, but the plot is slow moving in places. Readers familiar with Chicago will find the descriptions of local area spots recognizable, accurate, and fun.
The book makes frequent references to Thucydides, Homer, Vergil, and Greek and Roman mythology, which is not surprising considering Will’s educational background. But such references certainly limit the target audience for the book to serious, educated readers. That is as it should be. This book is not a who-done-it type of mystery novel, nor is it meant for a quick summer beach-read. This is a thoughtful novel that challenges the reader to think about important issues, like whether the ends justify the means, and if so, when. If you enjoy the literary fiction genre, this book is for you.
