Night of the Juggler

A task force has been formed in the NYPD to find the killer known as the Juggler. Detective Vincent "Gypsy" Tonnelli has insisted that something links a series of violent murders that have occurred each October 15, and his interest has placed him at the head of the task force. As the date draws near, the elements are falling in place for Gus Soltik, an illiterate and childlike giant, cut off from the rest of the world, who watches and waits for the right young girl to present herself. He is casing a particular part of Central Park, where he watches a young girl named Kate Boyd. What Gus Soltik can not know is that her father is Luther Boyd, a onetime Army officer with training in guerrilla warfare and the ability to find him and bring him in. When Kate disappears into Central Park, the clock begins to tick as the search closes in. Will Tonnelli and Boyd find her before it is too late?

McGivern restricts his story largely to the area of Central Park in Manhattan, where Gus Soltik is pursued on October 15. Night of the Juggler captures the ever-tightening intensity of the search for a serial killer as the clock runs down, with flavorful touches of character and life in New York. It is a deft and intelligent thriller, superbly controlled and rich in suspense.

• Odds Against Tomorrow

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• The Breach
• Boneyard