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Night Has a Thousand Eyes: A Novel
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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About this ebook
A detective investigates a psychic’s deadly predictions in the iconic novel from “the supreme master of suspense” that inspired the classic film (The New York Times Book Review).
In Woolrich’s iconic tale, Detective Tom Shawn saves a lovely young woman from a suicide attempt one night, and later hears her story. She is in despair because the death of her wealthy father has been predicted by a confidence man seemingly gifted with the power of clairvoyance; a man whose predictions have unerringly aided her father in his business many times before. Shawn and a squad of detectives investigate this dire prediction and try to avert the millionaire businessman from meeting his ordained end at the stroke of midnight.
One of Cornell Woolrich’s most influential novels, this classic noir tale of a man struggling with his ability to see the future is arguably the author’s best in its depiction of a doomed vision of predestination.
In Woolrich’s iconic tale, Detective Tom Shawn saves a lovely young woman from a suicide attempt one night, and later hears her story. She is in despair because the death of her wealthy father has been predicted by a confidence man seemingly gifted with the power of clairvoyance; a man whose predictions have unerringly aided her father in his business many times before. Shawn and a squad of detectives investigate this dire prediction and try to avert the millionaire businessman from meeting his ordained end at the stroke of midnight.
One of Cornell Woolrich’s most influential novels, this classic noir tale of a man struggling with his ability to see the future is arguably the author’s best in its depiction of a doomed vision of predestination.
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Author
Cornell Woolrich
From the 1930s until his death in 1968, Cornell Woolrich riveted the reading public with his mystery, suspense, and horror stories. Classic films like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black and novels like Night Has a Thousand Eyes earned Woolrich epithets like “the twentieth century’s Edgar Allen Poe” and “the father of noir.”
Read more from Cornell Woolrich
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Reviews for Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Rating: 4.076923076923077 out of 5 stars
4/5
13 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unusual story of a prediction and what happens to those who believe in it. Well written and moves at a fast pace.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Good for a while but Woolrich doesn't seem to know when to end it and it goes on way longer than it has to.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In theory, I find Woolrich's fear of death - forgive the un-progressive word - unmanly. In his stories, I usually find it effective. This is perhaps the best novel that he wrote based on that fear, and it is convincing and moving.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I no longer recall the details of the plot, but I still vividly remember that this case gave me a feeling of almost unbearable suspense. It is not s much a mystery in the sense of solvimg a crime, but waiting for one to occur.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Author Cornell Woolrich is a master of the dark noir and in Night Has A Thousand Eyes, he explores the inescapable nature of death. Based on a psychic prediction that in three weeks time he will meet his death at midnight in the jaws of a lion, we read how millionaire Harlan Reid is slowly driven out of his mind. His 20 year old daughter isn’t in much better shape, but after police detective Tom Shawn is drawn into the case, it starts to appear as if this prediction can be beaten.It begins with a correctly forecast airplane crash, then builds through a number of other accurately prophesized items and events all connected to the Reids and by the time of the death prediction both father and daughter believe totally in this strange mystic. It is up to the police to prove whether this is ordained or a carefully planned plot.Cornell Woolrich allows the suspense to build by first establishing that his characters live by routine and predictability but slowly allowing the possibility of fate and foreknowledge to devastate their lives and allow a grim terror to take over. Even with it’s outlandish plot, I enjoyed this book very much. Woolrich shows his mastery over the dark suspense novel and Night Has A Thousand Eyes kept the pages turning and the reader guessing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first time I read Cornell Woolrich I was slammed by a hammer-punch to my brain. The book was Deadline at Dawn and, while it might not be the most perfect story, it was crammed with incredible writing. I was poleaxed from the first paragraph, and throughout it was obvious that I was being given the unique opportunity to experience a great writing talent.I became an instant Woolrich fan and vowed to find more.Night has a Thousand Eyes is my second foray into Woolrich's writing. I was not instantly struck (as I was in the previous book) by that first paragraph. And, while reading this particular novel, I didn't find myself stopping to soak in the descriptions. But, I think it is quite true that repeated beatings with a hammer dull the impact. And so, even after only two books, the skill exhibited is not quite so startling. In fact, I go back now and look at the first paragraph and, while not knocked senseless, I still step back and think, "That is some mighty fine writing."All this a long-winded way of saying that Night has a Thousand Eyes shows the skill in description and turn of a phrase (as well as tight story-telling that moves the story along nicely) that seems to be the hallmark of Woolrich's writing. And the good news is that a very interesting story is being told. A man walking at night saves a young lady from jumping into the sea. This leads him to learn of her father's self-destruction because of his belief in the ability of a strange individual to tell the future. Of course, no one can tell the future. And yet, as the story unfolds, our conviction (and the protagonist's conviction) of this absolute begins to come under question.In fact, by the end of the story we are no longer sure. Was this a plan for murder? Or was it a cosmic incident that can't be explained? Woolrich keeps us guessing throughout.And Woolrich takes almost implausible events (e.g. a lion's escape happening at a pivotal moment) and makes them feel as logical as the young man's walk along the waterfront at the beginning of the novel.There is a nicely constructed story that is supported by the incredible writing of Cornell Woolrich. And let me end with this thought – Cornell Woolrich is one of the finest craftsmen you will ever read. I can only base this on two books (and the recommendations of countless famous authors – heck, the blurb at the top of this one if from Ray Bradbury – Ray "he-may-be-one-of-the-greatest-writers-ever" Bradbury), but, beyond the entertainment of the story he tells, is the way he works with and molds words to bring that story to life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This suspense thriller takes place in a short period of time. A wealthy man and his daughter have become acquainted with a man who can predict the future. He is told the day and time of his death. The police are involved, trying to determine the how and why of what they assume is a con. Meanwhile the daughter and a detective who has befriended her try to hold off the despair and panic affecting the old man as his time approaches. Quite exciting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dripping in atmosphere, laden with suspense this book was unputdownable. Written in 1945 Woolrich (author of rear window) has taken a slightly silly plot and it imbued it with his own nihilistic terror making the horror of predestination sincere. Perhaps because its my first Woolrich I had no idea which way it would go, allowing me to enjoy each twist of the tale. Highly recommended for all fans of noir.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cornell Woolrich (here writing under his oft-used ‘George Hopley’ pseudonym) has often been described as the ‘master of suspense’ and on this showing, the moniker is justly attributed. Detective Tom Shawn is making his way home one night along the riverside and saves Jean Reid from a suicide attempt. As they start talking, Jean relays her fears concerning the sanity and life of her father. It transpires that a local clairvoyant has foretold Mr Reid’s death at the jaws of a lion, an alarming statement considering all of this strange man’s predictions have thus been proved true. A suspenseful story ensues as Shawn and Reid battle to save her father as the date of destiny fast approaches.Despite being a gripping story in itself, this novel is a wonderful example of Woolrich’s artistic language and beautiful mastery of the noir genre. From the very first page we are plunged into an intense pulp fiction world, with Shawn’s innermost thoughts and feelings laid bare against a sensually descriptive noir landscape.As one enjoys the delicate prose and evocative language, the reader is soon swept up in the story, masterfully spun, and set on a rollercoaster ride of suspense as the story reaches its climactic finale. Cornell Woolrich is a wonderful author just waiting to be discovered and there’s no better book to discover him with than this one. ‘Night has a Thousand Eyes’ is a vital addition to any collector of quality noir fiction.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I recently read "Fright" by Woolrich and was somewhat disappointed. But his book is pure pleasure to read. It is dark, gloomy and evokes a sense of doom. It is the story of a man who has been told he will die in one week, and the cause of daeth will be a lion. He only believes this prediction because the predictor has been right all along. The ddomed man's daughter tells the story to a police detective and he starts to investigate the situation. It is well told and worthy of praise. It was listed as one of the 100 best horror novels. I highly recommend it.