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Grim Measures: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist.
"A gripping and gut-wrenching thrill ride, as we experience the horrors of kidnap and the terse action David has become known for. Get your copy of Grim Measures today!" – Lt. Colonel Rip Rawlings, New York Times, USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author.
"Brilliant, tense, and filled with action!" ★★★★★
– Jonas Saul, International Bestselling author of The Sarah Roberts Series and The Drowning. "David Darling’s trademark crisp writing and lightning-fast pacing is once again on display in Grim Measures . Even with the reduced word count of a novella, there is enough physical action and psychological intrigue to keep readers engaged to the very end."
– Todd Wilkins, Best Thriller Books reviewer. Months after Ava was taken, the abductor offered John a chance to get his young daughter back, but he must perform a few tasks.
First on the list is killing FBI Special Agent Robert Rothman, lead investigator on the case.
Without his little girl, nothing else matters. So, John Weland clings to hope as he prepares to darken his soul and commit murder.
Grim measures await.
"Brilliant, tense, and filled with action!" ★★★★★
– Jonas Saul, International Bestselling author of The Sarah Roberts Series and The Drowning. "David Darling’s trademark crisp writing and lightning-fast pacing is once again on display in Grim Measures . Even with the reduced word count of a novella, there is enough physical action and psychological intrigue to keep readers engaged to the very end."
– Todd Wilkins, Best Thriller Books reviewer. Months after Ava was taken, the abductor offered John a chance to get his young daughter back, but he must perform a few tasks.
First on the list is killing FBI Special Agent Robert Rothman, lead investigator on the case.
Without his little girl, nothing else matters. So, John Weland clings to hope as he prepares to darken his soul and commit murder.
Grim measures await.
213 pages, Paperback
Published June 28, 2023
15 people want to read
About the author
David Darling
8 books61 followersAuthor of the Noah Hunter series, Edge of Time, Edge of Eternity, Serve in the Shadows: Recruitment, and Grim Measures.
David grew up in a small-town east of Toronto, Canada. He has had many interests throughout the years including the military, martial arts, playing guitar, reading, and in his own mind, he is quite the excellent fisherman. David is married and has one daughter and misses his chocolate lab daily.
Feel free to write to David Darling at:
author.david.darling@gmail.com
David grew up in a small-town east of Toronto, Canada. He has had many interests throughout the years including the military, martial arts, playing guitar, reading, and in his own mind, he is quite the excellent fisherman. David is married and has one daughter and misses his chocolate lab daily.
Feel free to write to David Darling at:
author.david.darling@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 16, 2023
Book Review – Grim Measures – David Darling
Canadian author David Darling penned probably one of the best psychological novellas – too long to be a short story but too short to be a full novel – quick thriller that I have read in a long time! “Grim Measures” is an emotional, gut-wrenching, intense action thriller that kept me engaged through its 200+ page entirety. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It had me hooked with the “I-must-read-what’s-going-to-happen-next” syndrome. The storyline is one that I’m grateful that I personally never had to endure but sympathized with the father of a young, kidnapped daughter. Darling is known for his curt thriller action in his Noah Hunter series, and it carried over in this wonderfully written novella, Grim Measures. And the ending – well, the words shocking, surprising, and unexpected don’t do this narrative any justice. Disappointed in myself for not reading this stellar psychological thriller, albeit a novella, any sooner.
Canadian author David Darling penned probably one of the best psychological novellas – too long to be a short story but too short to be a full novel – quick thriller that I have read in a long time! “Grim Measures” is an emotional, gut-wrenching, intense action thriller that kept me engaged through its 200+ page entirety. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It had me hooked with the “I-must-read-what’s-going-to-happen-next” syndrome. The storyline is one that I’m grateful that I personally never had to endure but sympathized with the father of a young, kidnapped daughter. Darling is known for his curt thriller action in his Noah Hunter series, and it carried over in this wonderfully written novella, Grim Measures. And the ending – well, the words shocking, surprising, and unexpected don’t do this narrative any justice. Disappointed in myself for not reading this stellar psychological thriller, albeit a novella, any sooner.
April 23, 2022
As sure as success has many fathers and failure is an orphan, the gigantor legend of American and Canadian folklore--Paul Bunyan, is claimed to have many a birthplace across the snowy north of the continent. Among them are several located in the 26th state of the Union, formerly a French colony and Ojibwe territory: mishigami. Michigan, the Great Lake State, is the snowy backdrop of GRIM MEASURES, a veritable winter wonderland and home to a man as mythical, burly, and determined as that lumberjack extraordinaire, minus the blue ox of course.
Loving beautiful snowy Michigan, John Weland lives in this idyll, toiling in construction, making an honest living as a single dad. A herculean effort when examined in isolation, rearing children and getting by financially at the same time isn't easy on anyone, but Weland makes do until one day the worst thing that can happen to a parent happens. The abduction of a child. Far from the reaches of 18 U.S.C. § 1201, ushered in after the Lindbergh case in 1932, Weland is desperate and out of options, the local cops none the wiser. From there, John preps everything to roll up the person responsible. He copes and he stokes the fire of rage that burns deep within.
Throwing out a red herring of sorts, GRIM MEASURES has topical hints of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, but whereas Dumas 1846 book is a tale about wrongful imprisonment, plotting and taking revenge on those who've perpetrated the deed, eventually financed with the fortune amassed after escaping jail, the sooner proffers something less complex than during the 100 day rule of Napoleon after his first exile exit from Elba. Boiled down, GRIM MEASURES is about a man willing to go through hell to find his daughter, sort of like TAKEN, even down to the leather jacket but sans Liam Neeson.
Since SPEED brought on the existential question via a pop quiz, bar antics, teen dares, and yoga mat philosophy has since been awash with the dilemma of O'Henry proportions. GRIM MEASURES is ankle deep in grenade pins when the protagonist must face the music: what would you do to get your daughter back? John Weland is motivated, he is capable and he is angry, crossing the River Styx into the lower demographics of the city, like DEXTER perpetually looking for the Ice Truck Killer. Not for the faint of heart, Weland starts things off with a fight that'll make Moe Green wince. Hopping out of the frying pan into the fire, things take a slight turn towards THE CHAIN and even Anne Coulter and Eli Crane make an appearance, albeit in borrowed name only.
GRIM MEASURES is a daring novella that strips away the thriller formula and takes it main street America. No Ranger/Delta/SEAL, no vast fortune, no international tango threats, no secret omnipotent government sanctioned task force--just one man up against the most vile of predators with the most evil of motivations. Thus drawing readers in with a protagonist and a premise that cuts to the quick, GRIM MEASURES is an exercise of 'what if' and goes a step further and asks 'what next'. The admonition is clear: be vigilant, there are a lot of monsters out there praying on children. So sleep with one eye open, measure twice and shoot once. GRIM MEASURES will take you to the edge, and past.
February 16, 2022
David's writings have kept me in suspense and entertained since the beginning!
While John is trying to get his young daughter back, the FBI is falling through a rabbit hole of unsolved child abduction cases. John gets a call. The games begin, and a nice twist near the end!
While John is trying to get his young daughter back, the FBI is falling through a rabbit hole of unsolved child abduction cases. John gets a call. The games begin, and a nice twist near the end!
February 21, 2022
Wow!!! @DavidDarlingCA cranked up the tension and suspense in his GRIM MEASURES novella⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What lengths would you go to in order to get your daughter back? A thought provoking read with scenes I'm still visualizing and twists that keep me guessing. #visceral #visualnovel
March 19, 2023
David Darling has an exceptional talent at making me feel the emotions of the characters that I am reading. Grim Measures proves that once again. While reading Grim Measures I was put in the place of John Weland, whose young daughter had been abducted. The story really made me think “what would I do to get my own daughter back?” An excellent fast paced novella that I would recommend to anyone that loves a fast, hard hitting, gut punch of a story with an ending that will leave you speechless!
April 21, 2022
Dark and grim and quickly read. But the topic will stay with you for quite a while. What would you do if...? Would you be willing to sacrifice everything to save what is most important to you? This is such a tough subject, especially as a parent. If this book doesn't get under your skin and make you think, nothing will. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews