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Tai Randolph Mysteries #2
Darker Than Any Shadow
The dog days of summer have arrived, and Tai Randolph is feeling the heat. Running her uncle’s gun shop is more demanding than she ever imagined. Her best friend Rico is competing for a national slam poetry title. And Atlanta is overrun with hundreds of fame-hungry performance poets clogging all the good bars.
She’s also got her brand-new relationship with corporate security agent Trey Seaver to deal with. SWAT-trained and rule-obsessed, Trey has a brain geared for statistics and flow charts, not romance. And while Tai finds him irresistibly fascinating, dating a human lie detector who can kill with his bare hands is a somewhat precarious endeavor.
And then just when she thinks she might get a handle on things, one of Rico’s fellow poets is murdered . . . and Rico becomes the prime suspect.
Tai pushes up her sleeves and comes to his defense with every trick in her book a little lying here, a little snooping there. Trey wants her off the case immediately. So does Rico. Every poet in Atlanta has a secret, it seems, and one of them is willing to kill to keep theirs quiet. But someone else wants her on the job, someone dropping anonymous clues and clandestine tip-offs her way. Someone with an agenda that’s looking either positively heroic . . . or downright deadly.
Will Tai’s relationship with Trey survive another foray into amateur sleuthing? And even more importantly, will she?
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
9 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Tina Whittle
36 books86 followersTina Whittle’s Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series — featuring intrepid gunshop owner Tai and her corporate security agent partner Trey — has garnered starred reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Published by Poisoned Pen Press, this Atlanta-based series debuted with The Dangerous Edge of Things, followed by Darker Than Any Shadow (2012), Blood, Ash and Bone (2013), Deeper Than the Grave (2015), and Reckoning and Ruin (2017). The sixth book in the series — Necessary Ends — was released in April 2018.
A Derringer finalist and two-time nominee for Georgia Author of the Year, Whittle has published her short fiction in The Savannah Literary Journal, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Gulf Stream, which selected her story “Lost Causes and Other Reasons to Live” as the 2004 winner of their Mystery Fiction contest. When not writing or reading, she enjoys boxing, sushi, tarot reading, and spending time with her family (one husband, one daughter, and one neurotic Maltese).
A Derringer finalist and two-time nominee for Georgia Author of the Year, Whittle has published her short fiction in The Savannah Literary Journal, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Gulf Stream, which selected her story “Lost Causes and Other Reasons to Live” as the 2004 winner of their Mystery Fiction contest. When not writing or reading, she enjoys boxing, sushi, tarot reading, and spending time with her family (one husband, one daughter, and one neurotic Maltese).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 29, 2022
Another good adventure/mystery with Tai and Trey as they navigate solving a mystery that puts Tai’s best friend Rico squarely in the suspect seat. More than anything, the evolving relationship between Tai and Trey, who suffered frontal lobe damage from an accident is fascinating. As they both learn to adapt to his special circumstances within the confines of a relationship, it’s also great to see Trey grow out of the square box he’s usually in, but also Tai learning how to adapt to Trey so they can make their relationship works with the many highs and lows, that do include, working together to solve murders, Tai’s impulsiveness, secrets, Trey being a human detector, and so much more. A good sequel overall.
June 3, 2022
I'm beginning to despair of this series. This book - the second in the series - has all the flaws of the first. Tai Randolph isn't an actual person, but just the narrator who tells us what to look at; there is no person in the character. The same is true of everyone else who appears - they're cardboard cutouts, with hidden speakers mouthing words, and concealed mechanisms moving them through artificial actions. The city of Atlanta is a vague, undefined blob through which the characters move.
There is so much room for really good writing. Tai owns a gun store which her uncle left her - a store which could be a vibrant and colorful place, because her uncle apparently was a Confederate (Tai seems to be opposed to the Confederacy, but it's hard to tell because she never shows any strong position on anything). There are murders and bombs. There's one of the south's biggest cities. There's the south itself - but for all the southern culture and "flavor" in this book, it might as well take place in Spokane or Hackensack.
I really doubt that I'll go further in the series.
There is so much room for really good writing. Tai owns a gun store which her uncle left her - a store which could be a vibrant and colorful place, because her uncle apparently was a Confederate (Tai seems to be opposed to the Confederacy, but it's hard to tell because she never shows any strong position on anything). There are murders and bombs. There's one of the south's biggest cities. There's the south itself - but for all the southern culture and "flavor" in this book, it might as well take place in Spokane or Hackensack.
I really doubt that I'll go further in the series.
July 22, 2021
I'm so obsessed with Trey. And Tai. And Trey and Tai together.
August 11, 2022
People actually compete poetically - consider me confused!
Then again, my interest in poetry never extended past Robert Service so poetry slams could have been booming in Ireland and I just never noticed (possible, but unlikely).
Tia's best friend, Rico, is in the running for a national slam poetry title - the cash and a Hollywood deal beckon.
Then one of the contestants is murdered.
And, with Rico under suspicion Tia has no option other than to get involved - dragging Trey Seaver along.
As in the first in the series, "The Dangerous Edge of Things", the plot plays second fiddle to the relationship between Tia and Trey. He's mostly functional but limited because of brain damage - routine and lists are his go to. She's a disaster waiting to happen - where there is danger, there you will find her.
There are no breakthroughs for Trey but there is a very gradual improvement in his condition, mostly down to Tia.
The very end is sweet.
3 Stars.
Then again, my interest in poetry never extended past Robert Service so poetry slams could have been booming in Ireland and I just never noticed (possible, but unlikely).
Tia's best friend, Rico, is in the running for a national slam poetry title - the cash and a Hollywood deal beckon.
Then one of the contestants is murdered.
And, with Rico under suspicion Tia has no option other than to get involved - dragging Trey Seaver along.
As in the first in the series, "The Dangerous Edge of Things", the plot plays second fiddle to the relationship between Tia and Trey. He's mostly functional but limited because of brain damage - routine and lists are his go to. She's a disaster waiting to happen - where there is danger, there you will find her.
There are no breakthroughs for Trey but there is a very gradual improvement in his condition, mostly down to Tia.
The very end is sweet.
3 Stars.
February 19, 2018
I found this book on the "best bets" shelf at the library and I immediately got into the story because I liked the character Tai Randolph. I am not a poetry fan so the passages about the setting and details about poetry and poetry slams bored me. If not for Tai and her boyfriend Trey Sever I might have stopped reading. Trey Sever is SWAT trained, rule obsessed and his brain is damaged from an accident so he can tell when someone is lying from the "tells" on their faces. Trey was the more compelling character but his rule-obsession is a big conflict for Tai who continually breaks rule. These characters were so compelling I'd read another book just to find out what's up with them. I didn't really care one way or another about Rico and please don't bring poetry into the next installment.
February 11, 2012
The dog days of summer have arrived, and Tai Randolph is feeling the heat. Running her uncle’s gun shop is more demanding than she ever imagined. Her best friend Rico is competing for a national slam poetry title. And Atlanta is overrun with hundreds of fame-hungry performance poets clogging all the good bars. She’s also got her brand-new relationship with corporate security agent Trey Seaver to deal with. SWAT-trained and rule-obsessed, Trey has a brain geared for statistics and flow charts, not romance. And while Tai finds him irresistibly fascinating, dating a human lie detector who can kill with his bare hands is a somewhat precarious endeavor. And then just when she thinks she might get a handle on things, one of Rico’s fellow poets is murdered . . . and Rico becomes the prime suspect. Tai pushes up her sleeves and comes to his defense with every trick in her book a little lying here, a little snooping there. Trey wants her off the case immediately. So does Rico. Every poet in Atlanta has a secret, it seems, and one of them is willing to kill to keep theirs quiet. But someone else wants her on the job, someone dropping anonymous clues and clandestine tip-offs her way. Someone with an agenda that’s looking either positively heroic . . . or downright deadly. Will Tai’s relationship with Trey survive another foray into amateur sleuthing? And even more importantly, will she?
Darker Than Any Shadow is the second novel in the “Tai Randolph Mysteries” written by Tina Whittle and published by Poisoned Pen Press. It presents an immediate problem for me, as a reviewer, because I haven’t read the first novel. Do I treat this novel as independent but part of a series or accept that I have to be conscious of this being a “follow-up” to the previous novel? With sequels, the characters are established as are the relationships, the setting, the precursors to the novel. The immediate and foreboding problem is that the opening pages introduce two characters who earlier readers will be conscious of – to know their tendencies, to understand the reasoning behind certain actions (thinking here of when Tai flinches from Trey’s hand). I have decided to treat this novel as being independent of the earlier novel. This is a mystery thriller and, like most mysteries, while the characters might be established, the plot isn’t. Unlike trilogies like Lord of the Rings, one can understand and learn about the characters, even without knowing what’s happened in the previous novels and this is where Tina Whittle excels – because people can approach the novel having never read her before and not encounter difficulties. Readers will not discover an author’s first novel. It will be random.
Tina Whittle’s subtitle A Tai Randolph Mystery may very well simply be a marketing tactic. People who have read and enjoyed the first novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things, will have no problems in picking up this novel again but, like Iain Banks’ Culture series, Whittle’s novels are just loosely linked by characters, ideas and plots. What’s most interesting is about this novel is the plot itself - a murder mystery revolving around a poetry slam competition where one of the participants is murdered. It’s the idea that Tina Whittle is engaging in her novel with the literary industry – is it a social commentary on the brutality and the viciousness of publishers or is it simply an amusing plot that keeps readers entertained? I’m inclined to believe that it’s more a coincidence than a conscious decision by Whittle to comment on the world of literature and poetry.
Within the first quarter of the book, I found myself connecting more with Trey Seaver as a character than I did with Tai. The two are polar opposites and that’s where readers will get the most pleasure out of this book. Trey, as a character, is organised, single-minded and focused. None of these things are necessarily bad things but it’s Whittle’s presentation of him as a character that makes him seem disconnected from the world. Unlike other readers, I found Trey a thoroughly engaging and interesting character because he approaches the plot of the novel like one should – with method and purpose. His life is centered around those two concepts and it’s fascinating to see it depicted in such a strict and literal fashion. Most people are organised but this is an ultra- version of organised.
This isn’t a criticism of the book itself or the characters but it highlights an interesting point – that male characters will find themselves leaning more towards the appeal of male protagonists and females will associate themselves with female protagonists, unless the character is particularly strong. As mysteries goes, this is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have read in the genre. The characters are well-defined and each one is explored and examined in the critical manner that is expected of the amateur detective. The plot itself is the standard “murder mystery” and yet the circumstances surrounding it – the poetry international competition – provide a rare treat for the reader.
People who enjoy thrillers, murder mysteries and detective novels will no doubt find themselves in good company with Tina Whittle’s novel but those outside of that genre may very well surprise themselves in how easily they get into it. It’s a novel that is extremely easy to get into and you finish it before you know it. That’s what makes a novel so great – you get lost in the world, the characters, the plot. Tina Whittle has achieved that with perfection.
Darker Than Any Shadow is the second novel in the “Tai Randolph Mysteries” written by Tina Whittle and published by Poisoned Pen Press. It presents an immediate problem for me, as a reviewer, because I haven’t read the first novel. Do I treat this novel as independent but part of a series or accept that I have to be conscious of this being a “follow-up” to the previous novel? With sequels, the characters are established as are the relationships, the setting, the precursors to the novel. The immediate and foreboding problem is that the opening pages introduce two characters who earlier readers will be conscious of – to know their tendencies, to understand the reasoning behind certain actions (thinking here of when Tai flinches from Trey’s hand). I have decided to treat this novel as being independent of the earlier novel. This is a mystery thriller and, like most mysteries, while the characters might be established, the plot isn’t. Unlike trilogies like Lord of the Rings, one can understand and learn about the characters, even without knowing what’s happened in the previous novels and this is where Tina Whittle excels – because people can approach the novel having never read her before and not encounter difficulties. Readers will not discover an author’s first novel. It will be random.
Tina Whittle’s subtitle A Tai Randolph Mystery may very well simply be a marketing tactic. People who have read and enjoyed the first novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things, will have no problems in picking up this novel again but, like Iain Banks’ Culture series, Whittle’s novels are just loosely linked by characters, ideas and plots. What’s most interesting is about this novel is the plot itself - a murder mystery revolving around a poetry slam competition where one of the participants is murdered. It’s the idea that Tina Whittle is engaging in her novel with the literary industry – is it a social commentary on the brutality and the viciousness of publishers or is it simply an amusing plot that keeps readers entertained? I’m inclined to believe that it’s more a coincidence than a conscious decision by Whittle to comment on the world of literature and poetry.
Within the first quarter of the book, I found myself connecting more with Trey Seaver as a character than I did with Tai. The two are polar opposites and that’s where readers will get the most pleasure out of this book. Trey, as a character, is organised, single-minded and focused. None of these things are necessarily bad things but it’s Whittle’s presentation of him as a character that makes him seem disconnected from the world. Unlike other readers, I found Trey a thoroughly engaging and interesting character because he approaches the plot of the novel like one should – with method and purpose. His life is centered around those two concepts and it’s fascinating to see it depicted in such a strict and literal fashion. Most people are organised but this is an ultra- version of organised.
This isn’t a criticism of the book itself or the characters but it highlights an interesting point – that male characters will find themselves leaning more towards the appeal of male protagonists and females will associate themselves with female protagonists, unless the character is particularly strong. As mysteries goes, this is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have read in the genre. The characters are well-defined and each one is explored and examined in the critical manner that is expected of the amateur detective. The plot itself is the standard “murder mystery” and yet the circumstances surrounding it – the poetry international competition – provide a rare treat for the reader.
People who enjoy thrillers, murder mysteries and detective novels will no doubt find themselves in good company with Tina Whittle’s novel but those outside of that genre may very well surprise themselves in how easily they get into it. It’s a novel that is extremely easy to get into and you finish it before you know it. That’s what makes a novel so great – you get lost in the world, the characters, the plot. Tina Whittle has achieved that with perfection.
January 6, 2022
Another well written mystery with great character growth. Tai and Trey are back to solve another murder. Rico is a suspect in a fellow poets murder and Tai jumps head first in the case to help clear his name and find the murderer. With Trey following along to keep Tai out of harm and trouble, the two get pretty heated with each other.
May 14, 2024
Just started reading this author and now I'm addicted!
Really love the relationship between Tai and Trey.
And most of all, I appreciate that I haven't figured out the bad guy/guys in before the 5th chapter has started.
Really love the relationship between Tai and Trey.
And most of all, I appreciate that I haven't figured out the bad guy/guys in before the 5th chapter has started.
December 6, 2024
“You begin in the softest of ways, by opening your hand, the hardest part of all.”
“We all hid our soft true parts under masks and layers.”
“Once you let people in - once you opened the doors from the inside- the guarantees vanish.”
“The one thing I can do right now is show up.”
“We all hid our soft true parts under masks and layers.”
“Once you let people in - once you opened the doors from the inside- the guarantees vanish.”
“The one thing I can do right now is show up.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2025
I have a new personal category for books: a WOT book (waste of time). Whittle floods the book with twenty-five character-less characters (yes, I went back and counted them). There is simply no substance to any of them, and they are interchangeable with each other because, well, there is no identifying substance to any of them. Then one looks for a plot, but where could it be??? Ohhhh, such dastardly and uninteresting deeds among poetry contestants. Lastly, the title. The only thing I can come up with was a glance through a window by one of the characters (remember, they're interchangeable) yielding a darker image in the encroaching gloom of the night. That's it. As meaningless as the rest of the book.
June 18, 2017
Great follow-up to the first book in the series. Tai just can't stay out of trouble. Her relationship with Trey is hot and fun to watch evolving.
June 19, 2021
re-reading part2
April 11, 2023
Pretty good though I felt like I should have read the first book in the series to have a better handle on who the characters were and the relationships.
May 10, 2015
Tina Whittle in her new book, “Darker Than Any Shadow” Book Two in the Tai Randolph Mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press gives us another adventure with Tai Randolph.
From the back cover: The dog days of summer have arrived, and Tai Randolph is feeling the heat. Running her uncle’s gun shop is more demanding than she ever imagined. Her best friend Rico is competing for a national slam poetry title. And Atlanta is overrun with hundreds of fame-hungry performance poets clogging all the good bars.
She’s also got her brand-new relationship with corporate security agent Trey Seaver to deal with. SWAT-trained and rule-obsessed, Trey has a brain geared for statistics and flow charts, not romance. And while Tai finds him irresistibly fascinating, dating a human lie detector who can kill with his bare hands is a somewhat precarious endeavor.
And then just when she thinks she might get a handle on things, one of Rico’s fellow poets is murdered . . . and Rico becomes the prime suspect.
Tai pushes up her sleeves and comes to his defense with every trick in her book a little lying here, a little snooping there. Trey wants her off the case immediately. So does Rico. Every poet in Atlanta has a secret, it seems, and one of them is willing to kill to keep theirs quiet. But someone else wants her on the job, someone dropping anonymous clues and clandestine tip-offs her way. Someone with an agenda that’s looking either positively heroic . . . or downright deadly.
Will Tai’s relationship with Trey survive another foray into amateur sleuthing? And even more importantly, will she?
Who would have thought that a poetry competition would be deadly? I mean, come on, poetry? All you have to do is keep your meter and rhyme the last words in your sentences and not even that so much anymore. Don’t get me wrong I can’t do it and I think it is quite an accomplishment for the individuals that can. Tina Whittle has given us a great detective in Tai as she works to clear her friend of murder charges and then actually figure out who did the murder and why. Danger, excitement, a mysterious box, a python and murder all figure into this highly complicated plot. “Darker Than Any Shadow” is loaded with twists and turns that will leave you guessing all the while you are flipping pages to find out what happens next. And let’s not forget about the romance between Tai and Trey. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Poisoned Pen Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: The dog days of summer have arrived, and Tai Randolph is feeling the heat. Running her uncle’s gun shop is more demanding than she ever imagined. Her best friend Rico is competing for a national slam poetry title. And Atlanta is overrun with hundreds of fame-hungry performance poets clogging all the good bars.
She’s also got her brand-new relationship with corporate security agent Trey Seaver to deal with. SWAT-trained and rule-obsessed, Trey has a brain geared for statistics and flow charts, not romance. And while Tai finds him irresistibly fascinating, dating a human lie detector who can kill with his bare hands is a somewhat precarious endeavor.
And then just when she thinks she might get a handle on things, one of Rico’s fellow poets is murdered . . . and Rico becomes the prime suspect.
Tai pushes up her sleeves and comes to his defense with every trick in her book a little lying here, a little snooping there. Trey wants her off the case immediately. So does Rico. Every poet in Atlanta has a secret, it seems, and one of them is willing to kill to keep theirs quiet. But someone else wants her on the job, someone dropping anonymous clues and clandestine tip-offs her way. Someone with an agenda that’s looking either positively heroic . . . or downright deadly.
Will Tai’s relationship with Trey survive another foray into amateur sleuthing? And even more importantly, will she?
Who would have thought that a poetry competition would be deadly? I mean, come on, poetry? All you have to do is keep your meter and rhyme the last words in your sentences and not even that so much anymore. Don’t get me wrong I can’t do it and I think it is quite an accomplishment for the individuals that can. Tina Whittle has given us a great detective in Tai as she works to clear her friend of murder charges and then actually figure out who did the murder and why. Danger, excitement, a mysterious box, a python and murder all figure into this highly complicated plot. “Darker Than Any Shadow” is loaded with twists and turns that will leave you guessing all the while you are flipping pages to find out what happens next. And let’s not forget about the romance between Tai and Trey. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Poisoned Pen Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Read
December 15, 2012‘“Technically true but deliberately evasive”’ (page 103) is an appropriate description for Tai Randolph the owner of an Atlanta gun shop. Tai often skirts the edges of the truth as she looks for answers, while Trey Seaver, her boyfriend, is a security analyst who can extrapolate security scenarios and take down a human without a second thought.
In their second mystery, Tai’s best friend, Rico, is participating in a national poetry slam and the competition is a killer. When Rico’s accused of murder, Tai’s at her ‘“technically true”’ best searching for answers in ways that sometime run counter to Trey’s rule-book.
This series does not disappoint and book two’s setting, a poetry slam, was fascinating. I’m looking forward to her next book in the series, Blood, Ash and Bone, which is coming out in February 2013.
Beware of plot spoiler below:
For anyone who knows someone who is affected by a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), this series is a little bittersweet. The stories are mysteries, but they also follow Tai and Trey's romance as she learns how her boyfriend was changed by his injury and he begins to come out of his shell.
TBI can kill a person’s sense of self, relationships, or transform them into unrecognizable territory. Such as Trey’s estrangement from Garrity, who misses his buddy and still cares for him at a distance.
Without being overdone or slowing her pacing, Whittle provides nuggets on how the TBI changed Trey. There are glimpses of his old self, mixed with the new, and Tai’s realization of what he has lost and gained at the same time. Tai and Trey fit well together, especially when they have to work at it.
In their second mystery, Tai’s best friend, Rico, is participating in a national poetry slam and the competition is a killer. When Rico’s accused of murder, Tai’s at her ‘“technically true”’ best searching for answers in ways that sometime run counter to Trey’s rule-book.
This series does not disappoint and book two’s setting, a poetry slam, was fascinating. I’m looking forward to her next book in the series, Blood, Ash and Bone, which is coming out in February 2013.
Beware of plot spoiler below:
For anyone who knows someone who is affected by a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), this series is a little bittersweet. The stories are mysteries, but they also follow Tai and Trey's romance as she learns how her boyfriend was changed by his injury and he begins to come out of his shell.
TBI can kill a person’s sense of self, relationships, or transform them into unrecognizable territory. Such as Trey’s estrangement from Garrity, who misses his buddy and still cares for him at a distance.
Without being overdone or slowing her pacing, Whittle provides nuggets on how the TBI changed Trey. There are glimpses of his old self, mixed with the new, and Tai’s realization of what he has lost and gained at the same time. Tai and Trey fit well together, especially when they have to work at it.
April 11, 2012
The second entry in the author’s intriguing series featuring a gun shop owner and a corporate security officer is a winner. Heavily populated with interesting characters, the turbulent love affair between the protagonist informs and leavens what could otherwise have been a run-of-the-mill mystery. Indeed, the identity of the killer, while important to the story, was, to this reader, not as compelling as the characters, and the milieu. I'm not sure what I think of the title of the book.
The setting is Atlanta, Georgia, during the run-up to a major poetry slam competition. Some of the characters have known each other from childhood and others seem to have uncertain, even mysterious backgrounds. It’s hot in Atlanta, and gun shop owner Tai Randolph is mentoring her long-time friend, rising poet, Rico. There are teams of competing poets as well as individual efforts and a surplus of egos swirling around as participants prepare. Then murder intrudes.
The relationship developing between our principal “investigator,” amateur tho she is, Tai Randolph and her lover, Trey Seaver, is much more than casually interesting to observe. Seaver is a former cop with a high level of crisis and SWAT training, excellent skills and more than a little rigidity as regards the rules of life and the law. The almost constant battles between the lovers as they try to accommodate each other is a fascinating piece of this very entertaining novel. I recommend it strongly.
April 1, 2012
In this sequel to The Dangerous Edge of Things, we find Tai Randolph, gun-shop owner by day, and her boyfriend, Trey Seaver, spending one hot Atlanta evening attending a poetry slam in which her best friend, Rico, is a competitor. Hell begins to break loose when fellow poet and Rico's teammate, Lex, is found stabbed to death in the restroom. While the suspicion initially focuses on Rico, Tai and Trey begin to find more complications, including a mysterious box left by Lex and a python, along with some stolen property.
I like this second Tai Randolph book in that the characters of Tai, Trey, and Rico are fleshed out more. We also get to see more of how Trey, a former cop, deals with his frontal brain-lobe damage brought on by a car accident a couple of years before. Trey's heightened sensitivities (most notably he can tell whether someone is lying) and straight-as-an-arrow persona meshes well with Tai's more impulsive nature and her tendancy to snoop where she's not supposed to.
Some have compared the Tai Randolph books to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. While I don't really find Tai Randolph laugh-out-loud funny like Stephanie Plum, Tai and Trey have a chemistry together just as strong as Stephanie's chemistry with Joe Morelli.
I like this second Tai Randolph book in that the characters of Tai, Trey, and Rico are fleshed out more. We also get to see more of how Trey, a former cop, deals with his frontal brain-lobe damage brought on by a car accident a couple of years before. Trey's heightened sensitivities (most notably he can tell whether someone is lying) and straight-as-an-arrow persona meshes well with Tai's more impulsive nature and her tendancy to snoop where she's not supposed to.
Some have compared the Tai Randolph books to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. While I don't really find Tai Randolph laugh-out-loud funny like Stephanie Plum, Tai and Trey have a chemistry together just as strong as Stephanie's chemistry with Joe Morelli.
February 13, 2021
it was a 5 stars read again delivered by tina whittle, even better than the 1st book. I always despised poetry at school and thought it was boring, however whittle made it extremely enjoyable to read about it (you've got to admit that poetry and mystery is a very unlikely kind of paring ). and then there's tai and trey's relashionship (which I consider the most important part😉😁).
spoiler alert: it made me all gooey how they understand and respect each others flaws and needs, or how sweet trey can be towards tai, it even made me wonder at times if he wasn't too good for her ;he asks her to stay out of trouble and tries his best to make sure she's safe while she persists on investigating and drawing him out of his comfort zone which is critical for his mental well being.
I also had the impression that she's not as considerate as he's, but overall she takes credit for keeping up with him even when he's being pretty distant. Those were the only flaws tai had shown, aside from that she remains a helluva a heroine.
spoiler alert: it made me all gooey how they understand and respect each others flaws and needs, or how sweet trey can be towards tai, it even made me wonder at times if he wasn't too good for her ;he asks her to stay out of trouble and tries his best to make sure she's safe while she persists on investigating and drawing him out of his comfort zone which is critical for his mental well being.
I also had the impression that she's not as considerate as he's, but overall she takes credit for keeping up with him even when he's being pretty distant. Those were the only flaws tai had shown, aside from that she remains a helluva a heroine.
August 17, 2012
While the author did a good job making the book stand alone, with minimal plot rehashing of the first book in the series, read that one ahead of this one if possible to get a better idea of the characters.
The poetry slam was one of those good ideas that didn't work as well it might've seemed when the book proposal was submitted. These poets are performance artists, which can't be re-created in a print book, so instead Whittle is left working around that in describing the feel (mood) of the events; sorry, even that felt like a cop out. I didn't feel she did a great job handling Rico - giving a couple of examples of where he and Tai had "been there for each other" in the past would've helped.
What did work for me was Renee Raudmann's narration (although I was disappointed she never actually got to recite poetry), mostly as feisty southern Tai, and Data/Spock-like Yankee Trey. She's probably the closest fit of professional narrators available for the series.
The poetry slam was one of those good ideas that didn't work as well it might've seemed when the book proposal was submitted. These poets are performance artists, which can't be re-created in a print book, so instead Whittle is left working around that in describing the feel (mood) of the events; sorry, even that felt like a cop out. I didn't feel she did a great job handling Rico - giving a couple of examples of where he and Tai had "been there for each other" in the past would've helped.
What did work for me was Renee Raudmann's narration (although I was disappointed she never actually got to recite poetry), mostly as feisty southern Tai, and Data/Spock-like Yankee Trey. She's probably the closest fit of professional narrators available for the series.
February 18, 2012
This is the second Tai Randolph mystery in Tina Whittle's series. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. I don't think that I had ever heard of a poetry slam before reading this book.
A poetry slam is a competition for poets. Darker Than Any Shadow revolves around poets and their competitions. This unique setting sets apart this mystery from others that I have read before. I like the characters of Tai, Rico and Trey better in this outing. They seem more human, more believable, more fleshed out.
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I was surprised by who the murderer was and surprised by the motives of the murder.
So all in all a good read. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
A poetry slam is a competition for poets. Darker Than Any Shadow revolves around poets and their competitions. This unique setting sets apart this mystery from others that I have read before. I like the characters of Tai, Rico and Trey better in this outing. They seem more human, more believable, more fleshed out.
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I was surprised by who the murderer was and surprised by the motives of the murder.
So all in all a good read. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
June 21, 2012
The second of Tina Whittle's Tai Randolph series, I rated this one slightly lower than the first for a purely personal reason that has nothing to do with the quality of Tina's writing or story-telling. It has far more to do with the similar fact that I think Stephen King is one of the all-time best commercial fiction writers, but I'm not into his primary subject matter. I'm not experienced in the subculture of life around poetry slams, but if you are, you will be more than satisfied with the twists and turns. And, either way, you'll like the way it ends.
I'm waiting for book three, which is scheduled, I think, for next year.
I'm waiting for book three, which is scheduled, I think, for next year.
April 15, 2016
Having read the first book in the series, and the last, I knew I had to catch up with all the ones in between. I think I'd love reading this author even without a story (although this one had everything from poetry to pythons). You don't skim these books; you savor the rich imagery and the deft writing. And the characters. A hero with a traumatic brain injury who's learning to cope with his new 'after' persona, and a headstrong heroine who understands him, even when she doesn't like it. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2013
I really enjoyed trey and Tia again. I would definitely reAd these in order since the first one explained Trey and his uniqueness. This was a very good one too. Rico Wo is Tia's best friend is in a poetry competition but when a murder happens everyone is under suspicion. This gave us a better look at trey and Tia's relationship and her friends. Quite a quick read and interesting also. When another turns up dead it gets scarier and it has a suspenseful ending.
February 2, 2015
Second in a series and also stand alone mystery. Based in Atlanta. Background a poetry slam involving Rico a bff of female protagonist. Includes her boyfriend who suffered a traumatic brain injury that altered his personality and allows him to detect when ppl are lying. A poet in the poetry slam is murdered and she discovers the body. Well written, great character development. I really like this author.
May 24, 2015
Always fun to read
This series is always fun to read. Tai Randolph probably takes too many chances or takes actions without considering their effects on those around her, particularly her boyfriend who has issues of his own to manage. But she's learning and growing and we care about her and the other main characters in these books -- and they appear to care about one another. I look forward to reading more by this author.
This series is always fun to read. Tai Randolph probably takes too many chances or takes actions without considering their effects on those around her, particularly her boyfriend who has issues of his own to manage. But she's learning and growing and we care about her and the other main characters in these books -- and they appear to care about one another. I look forward to reading more by this author.
April 25, 2012
enjoyable. decent plot.
May 24, 2012
good read, but the first book was better
June 29, 2012
The narrator is good, the mystery is good, but the brain-damaged boyfriend is AMAZING and makes the series completely worth reading.
July 11, 2013
The premise of the story sounded really good, but it ended up feeling like a young adult book and I was not pulled in by the story.
August 14, 2013
Fantabulous! A great continuation to the story and another mystery I didn't figure-out. Trey Seaver is a great boyfriend and Tai is like Nancy Drew, all grown-up!
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