--- product_id: 4057268 title: "Night Film: A Novel" price: "S/.99" currency: PEN in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pe/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel store_origin: PE region: Peru --- # Night Film: A Novel **Price:** S/.99 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Night Film: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** S/.99 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pe](https://www.desertcart.pe/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A hair-raising mystery that’s equal parts family drama, horror movie, and jigsaw puzzle. . . . It’s impossible to look away.”— People (four stars) “Maniacally clever . . . like an M.C. Escher nightmare about Edgar Allan Poe . . . You’ll miss your subway stop, let dinner burn, and start sleeping with the lights on.”— The Washington Post A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Cosmopolitan, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world. The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time, he might lose even more. Review: excellent, complex thriller, "larger than life" - I was attracted to this book because I like stories about mysterious “dark films” that have fearful effects on both their participants and their viewers. (If you share this interest, I recommend Experimental Film by Gemma Files and Hard Light by Elizabeth Hand.) I held off buying it, however, because it was quite long (more than 600 pages) and yet didn’t seem suitable for Kindle (the usual answer to not wanting to carry around a thick book) because it was supposed to include photographs, screen shots and the like, and that sort of thing often doesn’t reproduce very clearly on Kindle. I can reassure readers that neither of these things proved to be a real problem: the pages turned quickly, and the non-text items were clear enough and added to the book’s feeling of realism, like the old photos in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. (They used up a number of those pages, too.) The story is a complex thriller, with layer after layer unraveling as middle-aged reporter Scott McGrath and two young sidekicks he acquires, Hopper and Nora, try to find out the truth about reclusive Stanislas Cordova, the maker of several films said to be so horrific that they have become almost impossible to find (and at the same time have acquired a fanatic cult following), and his daughter, beautiful young Ashley, who commits suicide (or does she?) early in the book. The films don’t play quite as great a role in the proceedings as I had expected, existing mostly as dark hints, though they move to center stage in a long section late in the book when McGrath finds himself inside the original film sets, which have been carefully preserved. In addition to these mysteries, the book has some interesting things to say about the human urge to create, or at least witness, personas that are “larger than life”—individuals who are not bound by the humdrum annoyances and limitations that hobble most of us, perhaps even partaking of the supernatural. Cordova and Ashley raise this creation to an art form, but essentially every character in the book is involved in it, either through inventing their own personas or through being attracted to those invented by others in the conscious or unconscious hope that a little of their “magic” will rub off. The writing is excellent, the pace fast, the suspense high, and the characters fascinating. The author does a fine job of balancing on the knife edge between reality and fantasy. The book is very good as entertainment, but it is also a powerful testimony to the human craving for more, even when that “more” takes forms that are terrifying. Review: Dark and gritty - Scott McGrath can't let it go. When news breaks that Cordova's daughter Ashley has committed suicide, Scott must find out why. It may be the answer to his fall from grace all those years ago, when he first started investigating Cordova, the recluse film director. It may be his answer back to the top. It may be darker than he ever imagined. Throw in a pair of amateur detective side kicks and Scott is doing more than investigating the "suicide". He's babysitting two kids who have more to do with Ashley Cordova than he first thought. But as they dive deeper and deeper into the director's legacy, what is real blurs into Cordova's films. Fiction is too close to reality and who says it can't be replicated in real life? I loved Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It still is one of my favorite books. So I had high expectations for Night Film. The dark, eerie tone of the book starts off from page one, thrown into this seemingly real world where Cordova's name is feared and revered in the same sentence. The name is bigger than the man, his power unlimited as he explores evil of the human condition in his films and directing. There is tons of Cordova world building, which I love. There's a biography of Cordova, interactive media, "research" pages, synopses of films and actors. The book fully submersed me into the world of Cordova, his films, his mysteries and most of all, his crazy fans. His fans are crazy. They are crazy pants. Have you seen any crazy pills? No? It's because Cordova's fans have eaten them all! The general malicious and dangerous feeling of the book wrapped around my heart, allowing me to only digest the book in small segments. (It took me quite a long time to read it because I was hanging on every word.) And that is something amazing. Cordova, who is merely a ghost through the book, is one of the biggest characters through the story, silently lurking in the shadows. His fans and his films are equally large characters, making the evils of the world faceless strangers weaving in and out of Scott's investigation. These were my favorite parts of the book- Cordova's life, the speculation, the world. I fully believed in this place, this alternate world. Scott, our investigator, is not a favorite. He's selfish, stubborn and only set on one thing- investigating Cordova to find out the truth. He blames his failings on the director and if he could just find out about Ashley and in turn, Cordova's secrets... The characters in Cordova's world are super creepy and interesting. I really loved how the plot twists again and again going from reality to fiction, never knowing what should be believed. There's black magic, death, illness, mysterious items and sacrifices. There's everything and maybe all of it is true and maybe none of it is true. That's part of the beauty of the book- how Pessl rolls them together until no one knows what is possible. The writing is stellar and awesome. There were only a couple of things that bothered me. First off- everyone is eager to talk to Scott. In fact, as far as investigative detectives go, he's pretty lucky. Even when they are told NOT to talk to them, characters can't seem to come out of the woods and secretly hold meetings for him with hidden information, baring their soul and how they knew Ashley Cordova. I found this to be a little bit unbelievable because Cordova's entire world is about secrecy and yet, every place they went, they found someone who was willing to talk to them. Mental hospital security tight? Don't worry- a red headed nurse will run after your car and give you a lead. Security Guard can't talk? Not to fret! He will meet you in the woods outside his house later on. And so forth. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the characters at the end. There wasn't a lot of self reflection, learning, redemption. I liked the plot ending, and the closing scene. That made my day, but Scott's journey was shallow and I still didn't like him by the time I closed the book. I usually need to like the main characters in order to love the book, but Night Film is filled with so much more, it didn't hinder my reading experience at all. Overall, a wonderful book to be read as the weather gets cold and the days get dark ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #90,795 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,107 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #2,980 in Literary Fiction (Books) #3,785 in Suspense Thrillers | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,241 Reviews | ## Images ![Night Film: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91c-wF+H8cL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ excellent, complex thriller, "larger than life" *by L***) on May 23, 2017* I was attracted to this book because I like stories about mysterious “dark films” that have fearful effects on both their participants and their viewers. (If you share this interest, I recommend Experimental Film by Gemma Files and Hard Light by Elizabeth Hand.) I held off buying it, however, because it was quite long (more than 600 pages) and yet didn’t seem suitable for Kindle (the usual answer to not wanting to carry around a thick book) because it was supposed to include photographs, screen shots and the like, and that sort of thing often doesn’t reproduce very clearly on Kindle. I can reassure readers that neither of these things proved to be a real problem: the pages turned quickly, and the non-text items were clear enough and added to the book’s feeling of realism, like the old photos in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. (They used up a number of those pages, too.) The story is a complex thriller, with layer after layer unraveling as middle-aged reporter Scott McGrath and two young sidekicks he acquires, Hopper and Nora, try to find out the truth about reclusive Stanislas Cordova, the maker of several films said to be so horrific that they have become almost impossible to find (and at the same time have acquired a fanatic cult following), and his daughter, beautiful young Ashley, who commits suicide (or does she?) early in the book. The films don’t play quite as great a role in the proceedings as I had expected, existing mostly as dark hints, though they move to center stage in a long section late in the book when McGrath finds himself inside the original film sets, which have been carefully preserved. In addition to these mysteries, the book has some interesting things to say about the human urge to create, or at least witness, personas that are “larger than life”—individuals who are not bound by the humdrum annoyances and limitations that hobble most of us, perhaps even partaking of the supernatural. Cordova and Ashley raise this creation to an art form, but essentially every character in the book is involved in it, either through inventing their own personas or through being attracted to those invented by others in the conscious or unconscious hope that a little of their “magic” will rub off. The writing is excellent, the pace fast, the suspense high, and the characters fascinating. The author does a fine job of balancing on the knife edge between reality and fantasy. The book is very good as entertainment, but it is also a powerful testimony to the human craving for more, even when that “more” takes forms that are terrifying. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dark and gritty *by K***C on October 1, 2013* Scott McGrath can't let it go. When news breaks that Cordova's daughter Ashley has committed suicide, Scott must find out why. It may be the answer to his fall from grace all those years ago, when he first started investigating Cordova, the recluse film director. It may be his answer back to the top. It may be darker than he ever imagined. Throw in a pair of amateur detective side kicks and Scott is doing more than investigating the "suicide". He's babysitting two kids who have more to do with Ashley Cordova than he first thought. But as they dive deeper and deeper into the director's legacy, what is real blurs into Cordova's films. Fiction is too close to reality and who says it can't be replicated in real life? I loved Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It still is one of my favorite books. So I had high expectations for Night Film. The dark, eerie tone of the book starts off from page one, thrown into this seemingly real world where Cordova's name is feared and revered in the same sentence. The name is bigger than the man, his power unlimited as he explores evil of the human condition in his films and directing. There is tons of Cordova world building, which I love. There's a biography of Cordova, interactive media, "research" pages, synopses of films and actors. The book fully submersed me into the world of Cordova, his films, his mysteries and most of all, his crazy fans. His fans are crazy. They are crazy pants. Have you seen any crazy pills? No? It's because Cordova's fans have eaten them all! The general malicious and dangerous feeling of the book wrapped around my heart, allowing me to only digest the book in small segments. (It took me quite a long time to read it because I was hanging on every word.) And that is something amazing. Cordova, who is merely a ghost through the book, is one of the biggest characters through the story, silently lurking in the shadows. His fans and his films are equally large characters, making the evils of the world faceless strangers weaving in and out of Scott's investigation. These were my favorite parts of the book- Cordova's life, the speculation, the world. I fully believed in this place, this alternate world. Scott, our investigator, is not a favorite. He's selfish, stubborn and only set on one thing- investigating Cordova to find out the truth. He blames his failings on the director and if he could just find out about Ashley and in turn, Cordova's secrets... The characters in Cordova's world are super creepy and interesting. I really loved how the plot twists again and again going from reality to fiction, never knowing what should be believed. There's black magic, death, illness, mysterious items and sacrifices. There's everything and maybe all of it is true and maybe none of it is true. That's part of the beauty of the book- how Pessl rolls them together until no one knows what is possible. The writing is stellar and awesome. There were only a couple of things that bothered me. First off- everyone is eager to talk to Scott. In fact, as far as investigative detectives go, he's pretty lucky. Even when they are told NOT to talk to them, characters can't seem to come out of the woods and secretly hold meetings for him with hidden information, baring their soul and how they knew Ashley Cordova. I found this to be a little bit unbelievable because Cordova's entire world is about secrecy and yet, every place they went, they found someone who was willing to talk to them. Mental hospital security tight? Don't worry- a red headed nurse will run after your car and give you a lead. Security Guard can't talk? Not to fret! He will meet you in the woods outside his house later on. And so forth. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the characters at the end. There wasn't a lot of self reflection, learning, redemption. I liked the plot ending, and the closing scene. That made my day, but Scott's journey was shallow and I still didn't like him by the time I closed the book. I usually need to like the main characters in order to love the book, but Night Film is filled with so much more, it didn't hinder my reading experience at all. Overall, a wonderful book to be read as the weather gets cold and the days get dark ### ⭐⭐⭐ Great buildup but finishes with a whimper *by G***R on December 5, 2013* Others have summarized the plot in great detail, so I won't add much about that here. Instead, I'll focus on my reaction. First, I have to say that I was a great fan of Pessl's debut novel "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" so I was really looking forward to her second effort. "Night Film" shares many similarities to "Calamity Physics" in that Pessl spins a mystery absolutely littered with small details, clues, and dangling threads. In fact, there are so many that characters are made to verbally reiterate details again and again because it's likely that the reader, overwhelmed with the sheer numbers of details they've been exposed to, has to be reminded of them in order for the newest revelations to make sense. When an author has to constantly resort to having characters prompt the reader to connect the dots from 250 pages ago, that might be an indication that the web of mystery is a little too dense. In "Calamity Physics," the reader was also asked to absorb a lot of details, but when the events of the first 250 pages began to be uncorked in the last 200, I felt like I was on a fast-paced thrill ride; the revelation of how seemingly innocuous details were turned into critical plot points was terrific and truly surprising. I felt really rewarded for having the patience to get through the book's first half. "Night Film" presents itself with the same sort of promise, but unfortunately fails to deliver. Now for some SPOLIERS. Pessl spends hundreds of pages building the atmosphere of mystery and darkness surrounding Cordova and his daughter Ashley...only to completely dismiss them in the last 50 pages. We are told again and again how depraved Cordova is, how enveloped in darkness his life is and how those around him fall into madness having been exposed to realms of the human psyche which most ordinary people cannot withstand! I mean, she really, really lays it on thick. And then, at the end...poof, she wipes it all away with a few simple explanations that make the mystery surrounding Cordova and Ashley seem laughable. Not only was I disappointed, I felt cheated. Another gripe: many of the characters in the book served no purpose other than to be "Basil Exposition." Too many times, characters who had almost no motivation to share intimate details of their knowledge of Cordova would ramble on for pages at a time, providing dense background information that allowed the protagonists to advance their investigative efforts. Too easy. I found myself wondering out loud "why would this person give a complete run down of the private details of their lives with complete strangers, one of whom is an investigative journalist!?" I like Pessl's work and there's much to admire in "Night Film" (I liked the inclusion of faux web pages and newspaper clippings that some others found annoying), but it was simply too long for the amount of payoff that it delivered. As others have suggested, this novel could have benefitted from an editor who wasn't afraid to occasionally say 'no' their star author. ## Frequently Bought Together - Night Film: A Novel - Darkly - Special Topics in Calamity Physics --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pe/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.pe/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Peru* *Store origin: PE* *Last updated: 2026-06-03*