The Deep Dark Descending

Our hero, Max Rupert, really does go down the hole this time. He has an opportunity to seek out and confront those who were responsible for his wife's death and he takes it. To an extreme.

I'm not a big fan of vigilante justice. Well done, suspenseful story, but damn, it made me very uncomfortable.

I've been a fan of Allen Eskens' mysteries since the very first one, The Life We Bury. The four books so far are all loosely gathered around the character of Max Rupert. Readers have seen what a decent, dedicated, hard-working man he is from one book to the next, and now in The Deep Dark Descending, we all have front-row seats to watch what grief and rage can do to such a good man.

The mystery is solid. Why on earth would anyone want to kill a woman who dedicated herself to helping endangered children? The official case Rupert is involved in deals with catching a man who killed a woman, put her body in a minivan, and then set the vehicle on fire. The two cases are a study in contrasts because the minivan murderer could easily be show more eligible for a Darwin Award.

As with all of Eskens' mysteries so far, these books are about much more than merely figuring out whodunit. They are rich character studies. In The Deep Dark Descending, Max Rupert's descent into uncontrollable vengeance is told in two converging, clearly marked storylines. We see Max on that frozen lake at the Canadian border, and we watch Max in Minneapolis during the days leading up to his journey north. This is compelling storytelling that often elicits strong emotional responses.

I look forward to Allen Eskins' next book with a great deal of anticipation. This man can write. show less

I first 'discovered' Allen Eskens in 2015 when I was lucky enough to review his first novel, The Life We Bury. I thought it was fantastic and couldn't wait to read more of his work.

Eskens' fourth book, The Deep Dark Descending, releases today - and it too, is a five star read for me.

Detective Max Rupert has figured into all four of Eskens' books. The Deep Dark Descending finally provides the answer to a question that has haunted Rupert for years - who killed his wife? (And it is here that I will say, yes you could probably read this latest as a stand-alone, but you would be robbing yourself of some great reading if you didn't start with the first book. Just sayin')

Eskens uses one of my favourite story telling techniques - then and now, show more back and forth. It's a short then and now - only over the course of three days - from knowledge to finale. Rupert sees himself as a law abiding, good man, but the need for revenge and retribution has taken the upper hand. Deep Dark Descending opens with an action filled scene on the frozen ice between Canada and the US. One man ready to kill another.....and then we are taken back to the what that led to this moment. The reader does know that these two paths will cross in the end, but the telling in between is so very, very good.

The plotting, mystery and police details are believable, the action non-stop, the dialogue flows easily
the characters have depth and the reader cannot help but be on their side. The book had a bit of a movie feel to it and I can see it easily on the screen. I really like Max's partner Niki as well. She's tough as nails with a sharp tongue and mind and fiercely loyal to Max.

I feel gutted that this might be the last we see of Max Rupert, but my fingers are crossed for more. A note at the end of this book says that a 2018 novel will be the follow up to The Life We Bury. Yay! I'll be watching for it. show less

“The Deep Dark Descending” grabbed me from the very first sentence: “I raise the ax handle for the third time and my arm disobeys me.” True, it could be a thought of a person chopping wood – but odds are there is serious violence going on.

The main character, Detective Max Rupert, lost his wife years ago – but has never recovered from the loss. He’s survived in the most basic sense of the word – but has neither healed nor stopped grieving. When he is unexpectedly given new information about what he’d thought was the hit and run that killed his wife – the darkness and pain envelops him and overtakes his life and career.

The shifting timelines keep the reader guessing as to how he ended up holding an ax handle over a show more beaten man – and where that situation might lead…but there is definitely a sag in the tension as that scene goes on and on. (Too many holes to make!)

The pain that Max still feels so strongly about the loss of his wife Jenni comes across so strongly that it brought tears to my eyes at one point. His love for her is as strong, if not stronger than it was before her death. And as he learns more about her final hours, and what circumstances caused her death – the pain and grief grow.

I was surprised by the ultimate ending. The final plot points got a bit cluttered – but as the reader sees where Max is going – and then see what he is like when he gets there – the book takes on a whole new level. This novel’s look at revenge versus justice and what one or the other does to a person wanting both is fascinating and left me wondering what others might do in Max’s situation. show less

There are, as with an novel, things that work to drive the story on, and those that could have been built on or left out entirely...but unfortunately neither happened here. This author uses an interesting plot to build momentum... alternating between the present, in which Rupert holds the man he believes killed his wife and unborn child to account in the middle of a frozen lake...and the past three days, in which he tracks down this man.

The character of the believed killer was unlikable, unbelievable, and very shallow. You really didn't care one way or the other if he lived or died and after a while you began to urge Rupert to come on and make that decision.

The bottom line is that Allen Eskens is a talented writer but this effort show more could have used a bit more action and a lot less narrative. show less

Reason read. I read #3 last month. This was a new to me author and it is set in Minnesota. This one was in the Twin Cities but it also was up on the Gunflint Trail. Both places are close to places I’ve lived. I did not like the main character in the first book. I did not like him in this one either. I think at person is suppose to like him in spite of his flaws because of the terrible thing that happened to him, but I was unable to have that response. I just don’t like him. I really did not like this story. It has no redeeming qualities in my opinion and I won’t read anymore in the series. Done!

In The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens, homicide Detective Max Rupert is on quest for vengeance for his wife Jenni's killer but when he has the murderer in his grasp, will he fully exact his revenge?

Max has grieved the hit and run death of Jenni for the past four and a half years and he still keenly feels her loss. When his former friend, defense attorney Boady Sanden, hands him a file containing a recording of two men plotting her murder, Max leaves no stone unturned as he begins his hunt for her killers. Before he can begin delving into his wife's case, he and his partner Niki Vang must investigate a vehicle fire in which the remains of Pippi Stafford are discovered after her boyfriend, the Mayor's Deputy Chief of Staff Dennis show more Orton, reports the fire. The investigation quickly reveals Pippi was dead before the van was set ablaze so all eyes soon turn to Orton. Max is also rather curious about his boss, Lt. Emil Briggs' intense interest in the case and with no love lost between him and his superior, Max is determined to uncover the reason why.

With chapters weaving back and forth between a narrow three day window, the narrative flips back and forth between the two investigations in Minneapolis and Max's efforts to seek vengeance on Jenni's killers. The case involving Pippi and Orton is somewhat easy to solve. Once Max has a fairly solid hypothesis about what happened to Pippi, he uses the information to leverage answers about why Briggs' is so curious about the investigation.

The main focus of the storyline is Max's search for answers about Jenni's murder. With new details about the reason she was targeted, he is able to glean enough information from the last day of her life to know where to begin his investigation. Just when it seems he has hit a dead end, Niki provides invaluable information that breaks the case wide open. Once Max knows where to look, he soon zeroes in a suspect which in turn, leads him right to the person he is certain ordered Jenni's death. After he locates the suspect, Max then has to decide whether or not to carry out his plan to exact his revenge which presents an interesting ethical quandary for a man who has always been on the right side of the law.

The Deep Dark Descending is a riveting mystery that will leave readers on the edge of their seats as Max grapples with an unknown man in the bitter cold in an isolated part of the state. Allen Eskens skillfully presents an intriguing scenario in which Max must decide whether or not he can go through with his plan and if he can live with the aftermath of his decision. A very compelling novel that has plenty of tension as it wends its way to a stunning conclusion. show less