That Darkness

That Darkness by Lisa Black is a 2016 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in the Gardiner and Renner series.

I’m not entirely sure my feelings about this book are entirely settled just yet, however, even though I have a few lingering feelings of unease, I thought this story was pretty clever.

Maggie is a fingerprint expert working in forensics and Jack is a cop working homicide. They cross paths after a spate of dead bodies show up in the Cleveland morgue, all of them murder victims. While they seem unconnected, forensics tie them together and it nags at Maggie, who is perhaps a little OCD. But, her powers of observation show more could be her undoing when evidence begins leading her to the most unlikely suspect she could ever imagine.

This is one of those times when I struggle with what to leave in or what to leave out in a review. Suffice it to say, Jack Renner is a most interesting man, a man with a hidden agenda, one that Maggie inadvertently stumbles across. This part of the story was very well executed because the reader is well aware of Jack’s after hours activities. So, I was on pins and needles as Maggie begins to methodically connect the dots. Does her knowledge put her in danger? Will she expose Jack?

The crime element exposes all manner of lowlifes and losers who parade through the criminal justice system without being rehabilitated, or those who walk away with a slap on the wrist or get off Scot free, and who continue to terrorize and murder at will. This novel explores the flaws in our system as well the temptation one may entertain of taking the law into their own hands. This type of personality, the vigilante, is not without conscience, like, say, Dexter, who is sociopathic. The vigilante is righting a wrong and so could evoke a certain amount of empathy from the reader and perhaps even garner some respect, become something akin to the antihero.

In this type of setup, I questioned my own moral code as I caught myself actually hoping Maggie would remain in the dark. Two wrongs never make a right, but are there gray areas? Is it right to cheer this character on or feel relief if they escape prosecution themselves?

To balance out the equation, we have a 'by the book' character, in Maggie, who is sharp, dedicated, and sees things in a right or wrong manner, until she crosses paths with Jack, who leaves her feeling conflicted, up against a wall, forced to make a choice she will have to live with for a long time come.

Did she do the right thing? What would you do? How do I feel about her decision?

Although I don’t know what’s going to happen next in the series or what plans the author may have for the characters, it should be very interesting indeed.

Overall, this is a very well written crime novel and a compelling, thought provoking thriller. It’s unique, dark, and at times brutally graphic and raw with emotion, but also provides a smattering of dark humor which is like the cherry on the cake.

I’m definitely on board for book two! show less

When I started this book, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it. More to the point…I wasn’t sure I was going to like that the heroine is essentially pulled over to the “dark side”. She goes from a fairly firm belief in what is right and what is wrong, to somewhere in the middle just waiting to fall one way or the other. This slip is enforced by a decision that she makes that is in total conflict with what we were lead to think that she embraces. Perhaps it’s just a different way to look at justice and revenge. Being the first book in this series it does give the reader insight into how Jack…a detective with more deep, dark secrets than you can ever imagine…and Maggie…a forensic expert that is a genius when it come show more to evidence identification, actually come to be together. It’s one of the strangest associations I have ever found in any book with the exception of maybe Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series. I believe that this is going to be the beginning of what will become a really good series if this pair stay involved. show less

Thank you to Kensington Publishers, and NetGalley who gave me a free ARC e-book of "That Darkness" by author Lisa Black. Following is my honest review.

Once I opened the cover of [b: That Darkness|4900|Heart of Darkness|Joseph Conrad|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392799983s/4900.jpg|2877220] the story did not let me rest. [a: Lisa Black|115085|Lisa Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1313799493p2/115085.jpg] knows her stuff. I love to learn while reading, and I did learn more about trace evidence in "That Darkness."

A fan of forensic science, I enjoy the character Maggie Gardiner. Maggie is the Protagonist. Dedicated and smart, she is solid gold in her position.

I liked Jack Renner right away, and want to know more about him. Jack goes show more back and forth at being an Antagonist and hero. Justice loving people will root for him - right or wrong.

When I was nearing the end of the story, I could not help thinking I hope the second in this series is quick to publish.

There is pressure on authors, but that happens when they are good. Lisa Black writes like truth is stranger than fiction. She has a new fan.

The writing is good. An almost 400 page book, I read this in a few hours. Traces of the story keep nudging my brain.

I want more, and will read the next book in the series. The intelligence of [a: Lisa Black|115085|Lisa Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1313799493p2/115085.jpg] shines through. show less

Titanic stories have always fascinated me. While I am familiar with much of what happened with the Titanic before, during, and after its demise, I was not aware of the complete story regarding the Californian, and its utter and negligent failure to potentially stop the Titanic tragedy. As the story unfolded, I simply could not put this book down.

In Part One of the novel, Dyer creates a fictional journalist, John Steadman, to uncover and pursue what exactly transpired on the Californian the night the Titanic sank. He alternates Steadman’s story with the story of the crew members that were aboard the Californian that night. Second Officer Herbert Stone, a crew member on the Californian, had night watch on his ship in the early hours of show more April 15, 1912. As he is watching the sea he begins to see white rocket flares in the sky coming from another ship. He alerts his captain, Stanley Lord, who chooses to do nothing but continue sleeping. The next morning the crew members of the Californian learn that the Titanic in fact sank while Lord slept. While Lord attempts to cover up the Californian’s role in the tragedy, the story slowly comes out.

In Part Two of the book, Steadman follows Lord as he appears before the Senate committee and later an inquiry in Great Britain. Dyer finishes the story with a fictional article, entitled “Eight White Rockets” that Steadman wrote as a journalist following his investigations into the event. While I loved the entire book, “Eight White Rockets” was by far my favorite part; it was so beautifully written.

David Dyer writes beautifully and so descriptively that I frequently felt that I was on board the Californian and the Titanic. I really liked John Steadman and his dogged pursuit of the truth. I had a harder time with Stone (who was a real person) and his inability to stand up for himself and do the right thing. I intensely disliked Lord and felt that he should have paid more for his inaction.

I knew very little about the Californian before I read this novel. The story was absolutely captivating and so terribly tragic. It is always easy to say what might have been when looking back at events that have occurred, but in this case if two men had acted differently an entire tragedy might have been averted or at least been limited to a smaller death count. I highly recommend this novel – it is so well done. show less

I had trouble assigning a star rating to this one. I needed more from the people in the story, but the plot is solid. I kept reading because I wanted to know how it would all play out. But, in the end, I was left shrugging my shoulders.

The good stuff:

The plot tackles the philosophical question of vigilante justice. When the justice system fails, is it ever acceptable to kill someone in order to prevent possible future violent crime? The author leaves that question for readers to answer. It's a compelling dilemma that, for many of us, will have no easy answer.

The focus of the story is very much on forensics. We're given a lot of detail in how forensic work is really done, apart from the typical - and unrealistic - DNA evidence shown to show more us in TV programs. The hunt for a killer runs parallel with the evidence, one thing leading to the next, in a steady pace.

The not so good stuff:

My one issue is a huge one for me, and that is the total lack of character development. I spent 336 pages with Jack and Maggie, but I didn't feel like I ever knew either of them. Both main characters were very much one-dimensional.

With Jack, I figured out his driving factor for vigilante killing early on. Beyond this obsession, we learn little else about him. For me to take that leap with a vigilante, to really connect with him as a person and not just a killer, I need more than his playbook and excuses. I need to feel his pain, to see him beyond the murders, and I never got that here.

With Maggie, we learn her relationship status, but no details. We learn she doesn't sleep well and takes long walks alone every night, though we never learn why. And we learn that she excels at her job. She is the hero of the story, yet she could have been anyone or everyone. I couldn't like her, because I didn't know enough about her to care.

My reading experience was a bit like watching a chess match between two strangers; lots of intricate moves but I could walk away and never think about it again.

*I received an advance copy from the publisher, via Amazon Vine.* show less

A good police procedural with an interesting twist. We know from the beginning that the vigilante killer is police officer Jack Renner. The question is, will investigator Maggie Gardiner catch on to him and once she does, what will she do with him.

The question of vigilante justice is an interesting one. We all want to see the bad guys punished. But is it ok to go outside the law to do so? I found myself rooting for Jack, and wanting him to succeed in his mission.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

Brian Johnson, a life-long criminal miscreant, believes he is completing a required pre-release prison interview. Decked out in gangsta garb, stylng a cocky attitude, Brian struts into what appears to be an interview room followed by “Dr.” Renner. Jack Renner, Cleveland homicide detective by day, dispenser of vigilante justice in his spare time, has “interviewed” 14 “clients” here. He has a well-honed method getting the most hardened criminal to spill their story. Each client has been hand selected after careful consideration; Jack has retrieved every known fact about each one and is ready to play his role in cleaning up the world.

So Brian, like the 14 before him, never knew it when the gun pointed at the back of his head show more was fired.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Maggie Gardiner works as a civilian criminalist with the Cleveland Police Department primarily collecting fingerprints but has experience in serology and spends time working crime scenes work as well. Naturally inquisitive, doggedly persistent and keenly observant, Maggie takes on a crime scene challenge like hound dog on a scent.

Renner has managed to control his shady side to perfection right up until he bumps up against Maggie. As the morgue fills with unfortunate victims and murdered criminals, Maggie begins to connect the dots and unknowingly closes in on Renner’s secret life. As Jack unravels trying to control and steer the investigation away from his involvement, Maggie begins to question inconsistencies in his behavior and statements until the day….

Jack straightened and turned to her…She stared at him open-mouthed. Then she said, “It’s you.” “Yes, Maggie,” he told her. “It’s me.”

The novel’s overarching theme posits the question… when is it moral to take the law into your own hands? When society fails to protect the weak from predators that game the system should someone step in and stop the madness? What is the line between justice and vigilantism?

Strengths
The author, a forensic investigator herself, shares her knowledge of the work in exquisite detail.

The parallel story lines with Jack as part of the investigative team trying to distract Maggie from linking him to her findings and Maggie’s dogged determination to unearth the truth move steadily through the story before reaching an unexpected ending.
Jack’s clients reveal the seedy side of life and focus the reader’s thoughts on topics such as human trafficking and elder abuse and neglect.

Weakness
Black “tells” us things about Jack, Maggie, the victims and the perpetrators, but we don’t become invested in their lives. We don’t know the back stories. She doesn’t scratch beneath the surface. It would have been better to personalize the main characters in enough detail to excite the reader to follow them in later works.

Overall impression
A worthy read. The hot topics will challenge your thoughts about the justice system and the plight of the innocent. Hoping for more character development in the second issue of the series. show less