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darkntwystedgurl's review
4.0
First Sandra brown I've read and lived it. Kept me on the edge if my seat. Can't wait to read another of her books.
bluereign's review
4.0
Always count on her…
I took a break from my normal reads and went back to my roots with Sandra Brown. She never disappoints.
It’s got a solid plot, have to be earned love, some sex, several suspects, and an in your face bad guy. No complaints!
I took a break from my normal reads and went back to my roots with Sandra Brown. She never disappoints.
It’s got a solid plot, have to be earned love, some sex, several suspects, and an in your face bad guy. No complaints!
colorfulleo92's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Suspensfull and exciting as always. A very engaging story with lots of twist and turns and I really liked the suspense. But I think I'm falling out of love of Sandra Brown books I'm afraid but still a good book!
beccarettenberger's review
4.0
Great little thriller! Love novels that leave me believing the bad-guy perspective is being presented and then does a complete 180. Would not have guessed the ending. Highly recommend. TW: I will state there are themes of sexual violence, incest, and violence against women as a whole. So keep that in mind if deciding to read.
simonrtaylor's review
4.0
Paris Gibson hosts a late-night radio show featuring love songs and call-ins. She is joined overnight by only the tech guy, Stan, and the janitor. One night, a man phones in suggesting Paris had told his girlfriend to dump him, and as a result he had kidnapped her. In 72 hours he would kill her, and Paris would be next.
Paris finds herself at the centre of an investigation teeming with sleaze alongside Sergeant Curtis and her former friend, police psychologist Dean Malloy. Their backstory is gradually conveyed as the case progresses though much of it is hinted at long before its explicitly revealed.
In many ways, Darkness is a classic whodunit. Despite some divergence (such as there being no victim or crime), it follows a standard pattern of ruling in and out the same suspects until finally settling on the culprit. That sounds like a criticism but sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics and follow an investigation the way God made them. It’s well put together; the web of characters are interconnected all over the place so the runners and riders frequently move up and down the list.
Brown strikes a good balance when it comes to the leads’ personal lives, and we care about their story as much as the case itself. However Paris and Dean, for all their backstories and her sunglasses, are not hugely interesting people. Interest in the story is no substitute for genuinely caring about the characters, and there isn’t much to really care for. Their blandness is unobtrusive but could have tipped the scales from this being a good book to a great one.
I’m not often one to pick holes in plots because fiction often requires a degree of artistic license, but something about Darkness lacks credibility. Liberties are taken: Paris, the DJ, sits in on police interviews; another character remains on the case investigating a family member; and it’s never really acknowledged as completely absurd. Despite her stripes, Brown sometimes comes across as a novice who hasn’t done her research, pretending to write a believable piece. Such instances are infrequent but weaken the impact of the novel. Plus, anyone who refers to a person’s genitals as their “sex” deserves to have their pen snapped.
It’s cleverly written; there are twists and turns that keep you guessing. The characters go on personal journeys and pretty much anything that’s set up gets a satisfying payoff. But at the same time, not very much of Darkness will stay with you after the last page. Maybe like some of its characters, this book is here for a good time, not for a long time.
Paris finds herself at the centre of an investigation teeming with sleaze alongside Sergeant Curtis and her former friend, police psychologist Dean Malloy. Their backstory is gradually conveyed as the case progresses though much of it is hinted at long before its explicitly revealed.
In many ways, Darkness is a classic whodunit. Despite some divergence (such as there being no victim or crime), it follows a standard pattern of ruling in and out the same suspects until finally settling on the culprit. That sounds like a criticism but sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics and follow an investigation the way God made them. It’s well put together; the web of characters are interconnected all over the place so the runners and riders frequently move up and down the list.
Brown strikes a good balance when it comes to the leads’ personal lives, and we care about their story as much as the case itself. However Paris and Dean, for all their backstories and her sunglasses, are not hugely interesting people. Interest in the story is no substitute for genuinely caring about the characters, and there isn’t much to really care for. Their blandness is unobtrusive but could have tipped the scales from this being a good book to a great one.
I’m not often one to pick holes in plots because fiction often requires a degree of artistic license, but something about Darkness lacks credibility. Liberties are taken: Paris, the DJ, sits in on police interviews; another character remains on the case investigating a family member; and it’s never really acknowledged as completely absurd. Despite her stripes, Brown sometimes comes across as a novice who hasn’t done her research, pretending to write a believable piece. Such instances are infrequent but weaken the impact of the novel. Plus, anyone who refers to a person’s genitals as their “sex” deserves to have their pen snapped.
It’s cleverly written; there are twists and turns that keep you guessing. The characters go on personal journeys and pretty much anything that’s set up gets a satisfying payoff. But at the same time, not very much of Darkness will stay with you after the last page. Maybe like some of its characters, this book is here for a good time, not for a long time.
cpriley401's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
b_tellefsen_rescuesandreads's review against another edition
3.0
Predictable...surprising...then predictable again.
If there is one thing I have learned from my CSI binge sessions, it is that the character that seems to serve no real purpose, and that is only briefly focused upon, is usually your guy. Brown used this tactic in this story, much to my displeasure.
It did take me about 2/3 of the book to truly figure it out, but I still knew way before the ending. I do give her props for doing the little fake-out near the end. Had that been the true ending, it would have definitely been a surprise for me.
This book rates a solid 3.5. Though I always love a good thriller, they rarely make it past three stars for me as they all have similarities that make them standard and predictable. This one was no exception.
All in all, I really did enjoy the plot. The story gripped me from the first pages and the characters were enjoyable as well. The romance included (aside from the backstory) was a little bit predictable as well and overall unnecessary for the story, but it didn't hurt. Definitely recommend for any Sandra Brown or thriller fans
If there is one thing I have learned from my CSI binge sessions, it is that the character that seems to serve no real purpose, and that is only briefly focused upon, is usually your guy. Brown used this tactic in this story, much to my displeasure.
It did take me about 2/3 of the book to truly figure it out, but I still knew way before the ending. I do give her props for doing the little fake-out near the end. Had that been the true ending, it would have definitely been a surprise for me.
This book rates a solid 3.5. Though I always love a good thriller, they rarely make it past three stars for me as they all have similarities that make them standard and predictable. This one was no exception.
All in all, I really did enjoy the plot. The story gripped me from the first pages and the characters were enjoyable as well. The romance included (aside from the backstory) was a little bit predictable as well and overall unnecessary for the story, but it didn't hurt. Definitely recommend for any Sandra Brown or thriller fans
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
"Since moving to Austin to ease the pain of tragic mistakes, Paris Gibson has led a life of virtual isolation, coming alive only at night when she hosts her popular radio show. Then one listener - who identifies himself as "Valentino" - tells Paris that the girl he loves jilted him because of Paris's on-air advice. He intends to exact revenge by killing the girl and then coming after Paris.
Desperate to stop the sinister Valentino, Paris enlists the help of the police - including crime psychologist Dean Malloy, the very man she had hoped never to meet again...." (From Amazon)
Another great romantic suspense novel by Brown.
"Since moving to Austin to ease the pain of tragic mistakes, Paris Gibson has led a life of virtual isolation, coming alive only at night when she hosts her popular radio show. Then one listener - who identifies himself as "Valentino" - tells Paris that the girl he loves jilted him because of Paris's on-air advice. He intends to exact revenge by killing the girl and then coming after Paris.
Desperate to stop the sinister Valentino, Paris enlists the help of the police - including crime psychologist Dean Malloy, the very man she had hoped never to meet again...." (From Amazon)
Another great romantic suspense novel by Brown.
afox98's review against another edition
3.0
This book had such a slow start that I almost stopped reading it. I gave it another chapter or two, though, and it got a good bit more interesting. Compared to the normal mystery/thriller authors I read, though, to me Sandra Brown is more of a romance author adding elements of suspense, rather than suspense adding elements of romance. That shows in her writing style. Overall, not too bad a book, though I probably won't read any more of hers for a while.
georgepan94's review against another edition
3.0
The following is my review for "Hello, mediocrity"... sorry, I meant "Hello, darkness"...
Here we go...
OMG, I JUST REALISED I AM GIVING SPOILERS ABOUT THE BOOK!!!!
I DON'T CARE
Here we go...
This book has two sides. The first side, is the dramatic one. Paris had a boyfriend. Paris screwed boyfriend's BFF. Paris killed the boyfriend (bitch please, we all know it was HER fault!). Paris got back with the BFF. End. So, the dramatic part was quite interesting...
The other side was the mystery. Slut gets captivated. Paris pretends she's a cop and tries to find the captivator (along with the BFF and some random people). Paris finds the the captivator, though he has killed the girl. End... that part... just good.
OMG, I JUST REALISED I AM GIVING SPOILERS ABOUT THE BOOK!!!!
I DON'T CARE
What Sandra here chose to do, was mix these two parts. HORRIBLY. BRUTALLY. Ms. Brown couldn't decide wich one to choose so she made us feel like we are listening to two great songs one over the other... wich is bad. REALLY bad.
The irritating thing is that this book had every potential to be an awesome book, you can tell that the writer has talent, but she doesn't use it right...
So would I recommend this book to anybody?