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Their Will To Survive
The Kiss of Night follows a newspaper editor who retraces a decades-old secret, unraveling into an exploration of a shared past, violence, ethical compromise, and justice. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My novel is based on my experience as a City News Bureau reporter. It is not autobiographical, but I did see almost everything that I describe.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Given all the adversity in the world, I am always amazed by the resourcefulness and resilience of people. How people transform, how they become themselves—or not—always intrigues me. I read newspaper stories and wonder how people got to where they are in the headlines, just as I’d look out at my students and wonder where they’d be in five 10 or 20 years.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
Story development is key; plot twists usually are cheap tricks. I care about characters on their journeys, especially their will to survive. My novel portrays a lot of people who lose their will and give up, and it’s always a tragedy.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out.
I have started a second novel, but don’t look for it anytime soon.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
–Vergil, Aeneid
The death of a retired Chicago homicide detective forces Will Moore, an assistant city editor for the Chicago Tribune, to revisit life-and-death events from his first days as a police reporter for City News Bureau. As he becomes immersed in the dark river of despair coursing through the streets at night, Will comes to understand the humanity lying beneath Chicago crime statistics. Will himself becomes part of the story when his next-door neighbor, a young Latino gang member is murdered, and Will is asked to help take revenge. The Kiss of Night will keep you turning page after page before reaching its affecting conclusion.
The Kiss of Night
The Kiss of Night is a sharp and heartfelt novel set in the shadowy underbelly of Chicago journalism and crime. Told through the lens of Will Moore, a former classicist turned newspaper editor, the story retraces the roots of a decades-old secret between Will and retired homicide detective Frank Foley. The plot unfolds as a mystery layered with reflections on morality, loyalty, and regret. What begins with the obituary of a legendary cop slowly unravels into an exploration of a shared past haunted by violence, ethical compromise, and a chilling understanding of justice.
What struck me immediately was the writing. It’s clean, stylish, and unpretentious. Mark Wukas writes like someone who has seen things—journalism that feels lived-in, dialogue that crackles, characters who breathe. The voice is witty but vulnerable. I loved how the narrator doesn’t pretend to be a hero. He fumbles, he overreaches, he regrets. And I could relate to that. Wukas builds the suspense slowly, not with cheap thrills, but with memory, conscience, and the weight of choices. That’s what hooked me: not the mystery, but the man trying to live with it.
There’s a lot of reflection, and if you’re in the mood for fast-paced action, you might fidget through the philosophical detours. But I didn’t mind them. They grounded the story. I liked sitting in the newsroom with Will, feeling the city breathe outside the windows. And Foley? God, Foley was a character. Crude, brilliant, and strangely touching. Their relationship—gruff affection, mutual wariness, unspeakable bonds—was the novel’s aching heart.
The Kiss of Night is a book about ghosts—of people, places, past selves—and what it means to try and do right in a world that rarely lets you. It’s for readers who love character-driven crime fiction, who want a story with soul and grit, not just blood and bullets. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s worked in news, lived in Chicago, or wrestled with guilt. Wukas’s writing reminds me of Michael Connelly’s gritty realism mixed with the introspective depth of Raymond Chandler, but with the emotional resonance of Richard Russo.
Pages: 278 | ASIN : B0DDSY1D9X
LITERARY TITAN 