I’ve stopped being surprised by terrible reads which are way overhyped, and deluged with five-star ratings. By the same token I’m no longer surprised by very good reads either ignored completely, or rated too low. I read this novel as a teenager when it first came out decades ago, and gave it another read recently.

It is a very entertaining read in many ways, and while by no means a masterpiece, it held up fairly well. Nightwing is very reminiscent in many ways of Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mystery novels. The atmosphere is very similar, in fact, right down to the Four Corners location and the mysticism of the Navajo and Hopi Indians. There is also the same social commentary in regard to the exploitation of the tribes for the resources on Indian lands. Mainly, however, this is an old-fashioned thriller marred to some degree by an okay but certainly not great ending.

Most readers who like Jim Chee will like the Hopi protagonist, Youngman. Most readers who enjoy the Leaphorn/Chee novels will find a great deal to like here, in fact, though it is a switch in genre from the Hillerman series. Perhaps other reviewers who haven't read (or don't like) the Hillerman mysteries, or were expecting another Gorky Park type of work from Cruz were surprised by this earlier work, and it lessened their enjoyment of this old-fashioned, lean and involving story.

Nightwing certainly isn't perfect, but it has many good moments to recommend it. I rounded up to four stars rather than down to three because the atmosphere overcame the conclusion for me. Others have gone into the plot, which you can read in the book description, so I’ll refer you to that on this occasion. If you don't like Hillerman, however, you won't enjoy this, as it has the same feel as that series, but moved sideways into another genre. A good book to curl up with on a stormy night. It won't bore you, it's just not one which will blow you away. ( )

I liked this book a lot when it was first published. But after seeing the movie version, I now find the book to be harsh. Even tge narrator’s voice and presentation were harsh. The main characters seem less complex and less positive than they were shown in the movie. I guess that’s Hollywood marketing! This book introduced me to the author, who has remained one of my favorites over the years. ( )

Read this many years ago. I remember really liking it. Bats.....lots of bats. ( )

This novel was on the shortlist for the 1978 Edgar. Best known for his series about Arcady Renko, a Russian investigator, Martin Cruz Smith is a gifted novelist with awards and recognition outside his famous series that kicked off with Gorky Park. According to Wikipedia Nightwing was his breakthrough novel. This story set on the Hopi Nation land in Arizona features every bit as much of the stark beauty and native lore of the desert as Tony Hillerman. There is a big creepiness factor with the vampire bat playing a starring role. If you're looking for a solid example of Cruz Smith's writing outside of the Russian milieu, this is not a bad place to start. ( )

I am quite a fan of Martin Cruz Smith's more recent books, so I've been working on picking up his older ones as well. This one, however, I'd recommend giving a miss. I recognize that horror often depends on taking ordinary things and making them somehow "spooky," but "Nightwing" engages in fearmongering that could be genuinely harmful to a necessary and helpful population of bats that are in delicate balance if not actively threatened, often by presenting fictional information as though it were scientific fact.
The plot has to do with a Native American deputy caught between two worlds. His girlfriend is Caucasian, but his best friend, an old shaman, is disgusted with the modern world, and threatens to do a magic working that will end the world, leaving only the people of his tribe to start again. The deputy, naturally, thinks this is just bluster - but when a bat-spread plague begins spreading to epidemic proportions, doubt sets in. He might be able to do something to stop it - but that would also be a betrayal of his people.
The book is reasonably well-written, and (just barely) stays on the right side of the line as far as stereotypes of native Americans - but the portrayals of bats and their behavior patterns are nothing short of libelous. Even though this was written quite some years ago, I believe the author should step up and make a hefty donation to the cause of combating the bat plague - that is, the plague that is seriously wiping out the bat populations of the Northeastern US. ( )