Night Watch is the third novel in the Michael Cassidy series. While the story works by itself, there are references in it to events and people from the first novel, Night Life. Spencer Shaw’s half brother, Russell Crofoot, was a CIA agent killed near Cassidy’s apartment two years before the events of Night Watch. Dylan McCue, Cassidy’s lost love, was also a significant actor in Night Life.
Night Life was followed by Night Work, whose story takes place two years after the events of Night Watch, so the strict chronology of the books would be Night Life, which takes place in New York City in 1954, Night Watch – New York City and Washington, DC in 1956, and Night Work – Havana Cuba, in 1959, at the time of Fidel Castro’s successful revolution and his first visit to New York.
Each book stands alone, but there may be some advantage to reading them in this chronological order. It was the author’s own peculiarities that led him to write them out of the proper order, and the characters in the books should not be penalized for his failings.