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Major Crimes Task Force #1
A Choice of Darkness
For millennia philosophers have explained the nature of the world in terms of dualities, such as masculine and feminine and fire and water. As a new year dawns over the capital city of Pennsylvania, far more ominous examples come to mind. The media debates the concept in terms of good and evil. A killer perceives it as a struggle between the light and the darkness. For members of the state's newest criminal task force, it's a matter of life and death.
Under cover of night, he trawls the streets of Harrisburg, relentlessly searching for answers to questions formed in a mind damaged by nature and a traumatic childhood. In his wake he leaves the lifeless bodies of his victims, each lovingly posed beneath a synthetic yellow blanket, the same type used by police and emergency personnel.
Venturing into the shadows, a diverse team of investigators quickly realizes little time remains before the killer chooses his next victim. Forced to navigate the fickle waters of inter-agency relations, lacking the trust of the community they seek to protect, and used as pawns in a political game of chess, the task force races to decipher actions spawned in a mind gripped by psychosis. Yet, their greatest challenge will not be external. Years of battling criminals, comforting victims, and living life leave scars. Hidden behind the stoic facade, even the most indomitable investigator faces demons.
Good or bad, cop or criminal, choices will be made. And with choices come consequences, some temporary, some lasting, and others...eternal.
Under cover of night, he trawls the streets of Harrisburg, relentlessly searching for answers to questions formed in a mind damaged by nature and a traumatic childhood. In his wake he leaves the lifeless bodies of his victims, each lovingly posed beneath a synthetic yellow blanket, the same type used by police and emergency personnel.
Venturing into the shadows, a diverse team of investigators quickly realizes little time remains before the killer chooses his next victim. Forced to navigate the fickle waters of inter-agency relations, lacking the trust of the community they seek to protect, and used as pawns in a political game of chess, the task force races to decipher actions spawned in a mind gripped by psychosis. Yet, their greatest challenge will not be external. Years of battling criminals, comforting victims, and living life leave scars. Hidden behind the stoic facade, even the most indomitable investigator faces demons.
Good or bad, cop or criminal, choices will be made. And with choices come consequences, some temporary, some lasting, and others...eternal.
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First published December 22, 2013
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About the author
Jon D. Kurtz
3 books80 followersJon D. Kurtz is a retired Deputy Commissioner for the Pennsylvania State Police, living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Writing what he calls “Pragmatic Police Novels,” his goal is to provide the reader with works of fiction that exhibit an authenticity born from experience. Jon also provides Law Enforcement and Security consulting to individuals and industries with the goal to afford better protection to persons and property.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 10, 2014
To be clear, I wrote this book.
Rife with investigative and political truths, interspersed with irreverent police humor, and written as could only be done by someone who has spent more than a quarter century in law enforcement, A Choice of Darkness provides a glimpse into a world of contrast in which love and hate, grief and solace, and ruin and redemption are opposite sides of three separate doubloons co-mingled in the treasure chest of its pages. Only after close examination of each coin will the reader discover the story’s central message.
Set in the gray winter environs of Pennsylvania's capital area, A Choice of Darkness offers two perspectives on an intense three-day-long homicide investigation. The first affords the opportunity to define a mysterious killer in terms of his memories of exploitation, marginalization, and most recently, murder. The second, that of the new task force members, provides background and growth for each protagonist utilizing third person narrative, memories, and dialog. Two trains matching speed on parallel tracks, the viewpoints inevitably merge in the final act.
In small part a work of literary fiction, A Choice of Darkness incorporates in-depth character and scene development. As example, initially despised as a murderer of children, the antagonist slowly evolves into a figure worthy of a modicum of pity as his story of abuse and mental illness unfolds. Likewise, the protagonists gradually mature both personally and professionally as they discover hidden strength in the bonds created during a homicide investigation turned manhunt.
In larger part a work of commercial fiction, A Choice of Darkness makes use of short chapters with cliffhanger endings and increasing tempo as the story plays out to its climax. Methodically, and at times impertinently, building their case, harried investigators rush to identify and apprehend a murderer before he chooses his next victim. Unaware of the tightening noose, the killer's manic moods resolve as fate provides a long-awaited opportunity for further exploration and introspection. Only, as often occurs with Providence, nothing is as it seems.
Choices will be made. Consequences will follow.
Rife with investigative and political truths, interspersed with irreverent police humor, and written as could only be done by someone who has spent more than a quarter century in law enforcement, A Choice of Darkness provides a glimpse into a world of contrast in which love and hate, grief and solace, and ruin and redemption are opposite sides of three separate doubloons co-mingled in the treasure chest of its pages. Only after close examination of each coin will the reader discover the story’s central message.
Set in the gray winter environs of Pennsylvania's capital area, A Choice of Darkness offers two perspectives on an intense three-day-long homicide investigation. The first affords the opportunity to define a mysterious killer in terms of his memories of exploitation, marginalization, and most recently, murder. The second, that of the new task force members, provides background and growth for each protagonist utilizing third person narrative, memories, and dialog. Two trains matching speed on parallel tracks, the viewpoints inevitably merge in the final act.
In small part a work of literary fiction, A Choice of Darkness incorporates in-depth character and scene development. As example, initially despised as a murderer of children, the antagonist slowly evolves into a figure worthy of a modicum of pity as his story of abuse and mental illness unfolds. Likewise, the protagonists gradually mature both personally and professionally as they discover hidden strength in the bonds created during a homicide investigation turned manhunt.
In larger part a work of commercial fiction, A Choice of Darkness makes use of short chapters with cliffhanger endings and increasing tempo as the story plays out to its climax. Methodically, and at times impertinently, building their case, harried investigators rush to identify and apprehend a murderer before he chooses his next victim. Unaware of the tightening noose, the killer's manic moods resolve as fate provides a long-awaited opportunity for further exploration and introspection. Only, as often occurs with Providence, nothing is as it seems.
Choices will be made. Consequences will follow.
December 12, 2014
For many years I've been a professional journalist, writer and copy editor, albeit rarely of fiction. I also read a lot of books, mostly legal and medical thrillers and police procedurals. Nonfiction and fiction are two different animals, of course, but there's one thread of commonality that connects all genres: Errors in form and/or function are not acceptable to me, no matter whether the work is by an established, successful author or a self-published first novel.
Most of us are aware of introductory clauses (such as prepositional, participle and infinitive), even if we don't know what to call them, to-wit:
"Feeling a bit whimsical, he blew a kiss to the woman dressed up like the Tooth Fairy."
"Concerned about hurting his lady friend's feelings, he hesitated before answering her question about whether the dress made her look chubby."
I'll be the first to say such clauses can be useful. Until, that is, they're not.
Starting with the first page of this novel, the clauses came one after another, starting just about every other sentence. By the time I got to the end of Chapter 4, they were coming so fast that my inner voice reached Shakespeare's Macduff proportions, screaming, "Hold enough!"
And hold enough I almost did; but I can count on the fingers of one hand with three fingers left over the number of times I failed to stick with a book to the end, so I sucked it in and kept going. Thereafter, I noticed a few other errors that, IMHO, should have been caught before publication, such as "reluctance" instead of "reluctant" and "site" instead of "sight." And when I read that a character removed his tongue from his "pallet," I nearly choked.
Okay: All that's off my chest - mentioned primarily because this appears to be the first in a series, and it is my fervent hope that, when the next one is published, the editing will be much improved. As for the story, it's engaging enough that a follow-up (or two, or more) could well be in order.
Here's the lowdown: The setting is Harrisburg, Pa., where a new group of investigators called the Major Crimes Task Force has been pulled together to help solve crimes - hampered somewhat by having to serve two masters including the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the state governor. Almost immediately, they're faced with the probability of a serial killer who targets young boys (as a big fan of TV's Criminal Minds, serial killers always get my attention - so we're off to a good start).
Chapters shift from the ongoing investigation to glimpses into the mind of the killer to learn why he goes on his rampages in the dark of night and the significance of the yellow blanket with which he covers his young victims. As team members get to know one another better, their get-down-to-business activities are interspersed with kidding around (some of the latter antics reminded me more of junior high than the behavior of grown-up professionals, but then that's probably a guy thing). And as the book description says, team members are a diverse group of seasoned investigators with unique skills as well as "physical and psychological scars from years of battling criminals, comforting victims and living life," so it makes sense that they'd want to let off some silly steam once in a while.
Although I might argue that anyone as severely mentally ill as this killer really doesn't have a "choice," it's clear he must be caught before other young lives are lost - no matter what the cost to the psyche's of team members. Revealing how that happens - or even if it happens, of course, would spoil things for other readers, so you'll have to read it for yourself to see how things turn out.
Most of us are aware of introductory clauses (such as prepositional, participle and infinitive), even if we don't know what to call them, to-wit:
"Feeling a bit whimsical, he blew a kiss to the woman dressed up like the Tooth Fairy."
"Concerned about hurting his lady friend's feelings, he hesitated before answering her question about whether the dress made her look chubby."
I'll be the first to say such clauses can be useful. Until, that is, they're not.
Starting with the first page of this novel, the clauses came one after another, starting just about every other sentence. By the time I got to the end of Chapter 4, they were coming so fast that my inner voice reached Shakespeare's Macduff proportions, screaming, "Hold enough!"
And hold enough I almost did; but I can count on the fingers of one hand with three fingers left over the number of times I failed to stick with a book to the end, so I sucked it in and kept going. Thereafter, I noticed a few other errors that, IMHO, should have been caught before publication, such as "reluctance" instead of "reluctant" and "site" instead of "sight." And when I read that a character removed his tongue from his "pallet," I nearly choked.
Okay: All that's off my chest - mentioned primarily because this appears to be the first in a series, and it is my fervent hope that, when the next one is published, the editing will be much improved. As for the story, it's engaging enough that a follow-up (or two, or more) could well be in order.
Here's the lowdown: The setting is Harrisburg, Pa., where a new group of investigators called the Major Crimes Task Force has been pulled together to help solve crimes - hampered somewhat by having to serve two masters including the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the state governor. Almost immediately, they're faced with the probability of a serial killer who targets young boys (as a big fan of TV's Criminal Minds, serial killers always get my attention - so we're off to a good start).
Chapters shift from the ongoing investigation to glimpses into the mind of the killer to learn why he goes on his rampages in the dark of night and the significance of the yellow blanket with which he covers his young victims. As team members get to know one another better, their get-down-to-business activities are interspersed with kidding around (some of the latter antics reminded me more of junior high than the behavior of grown-up professionals, but then that's probably a guy thing). And as the book description says, team members are a diverse group of seasoned investigators with unique skills as well as "physical and psychological scars from years of battling criminals, comforting victims and living life," so it makes sense that they'd want to let off some silly steam once in a while.
Although I might argue that anyone as severely mentally ill as this killer really doesn't have a "choice," it's clear he must be caught before other young lives are lost - no matter what the cost to the psyche's of team members. Revealing how that happens - or even if it happens, of course, would spoil things for other readers, so you'll have to read it for yourself to see how things turn out.
January 21, 2016
Introducing: "A Choice of Darkness". An absolutely breathtaking spine tingling debut novel by author, Jon Kurtz. "A Choice of Darkness" propels you into the minds of the characters on both sides of the coin. You view the crime series through the eyes of the police, you see the devastation brought to the families of the little boys so cruelly taken, & you are brought into the heart of a killer.
Jon Kurtz has an amazing ability to draw the reader a picture w/ his words. When we're introduced to the "Bad Guy", a disturbing picture emerges as we see a psychopathic cruelty created. You will find yourself backing away from the the book, much like when you're watching a scary movie; you cover your eyes but watch thru your fingers hoping to protect yourself from that eventual cold pit in your stomach & chill running down your spine. While there's no sympathy to be had for such a killer, a brutal picture of how a madman is born is painted
If you're looking for something new or just want to read an absolutely breathtakingly good book, THIS is THAT book! "A Choice of Darkness" will make you feel. For me, while I couldn't bring myself to fully sympathize w/ the killer, I sadly could see how the monster was created & how he grew to do what he did. This book made me feel & I am so excited that I found this book AND this author.
Jon Kurtz has an amazing ability to draw the reader a picture w/ his words. When we're introduced to the "Bad Guy", a disturbing picture emerges as we see a psychopathic cruelty created. You will find yourself backing away from the the book, much like when you're watching a scary movie; you cover your eyes but watch thru your fingers hoping to protect yourself from that eventual cold pit in your stomach & chill running down your spine. While there's no sympathy to be had for such a killer, a brutal picture of how a madman is born is painted
If you're looking for something new or just want to read an absolutely breathtakingly good book, THIS is THAT book! "A Choice of Darkness" will make you feel. For me, while I couldn't bring myself to fully sympathize w/ the killer, I sadly could see how the monster was created & how he grew to do what he did. This book made me feel & I am so excited that I found this book AND this author.
January 1, 2015
It's hard to believe this is a first book. I would rate the excitement factor alongside Joseph Wambaugh, Sidney Sheldon, Dennis Lehane. It has an in-depth perception of people from both sides of the law. It almost feels like you are working with these characters in the new Crime Unit. They have a special camaraderie among them and genuinely care about each other. The darkness that is in the man who has been a victim of child abuse is amazingly perceptive. I'm hoping that there is a special place in hell for child abusers.
The ending was chilling and surreal. The author points out, though, that no matter what has happened to you, there is always a choice.
The ending was chilling and surreal. The author points out, though, that no matter what has happened to you, there is always a choice.
December 11, 2014
I really really enjoyed this! It is surprising that it's a debut novel, given the expertly crafted story and reader-friendly prose.
I was also rather impressed with the grammatical structure of the book and the extensive use of language. It makes a pleasant change to read something by an author who is intellectually stimulating. Highly recommend
I was also rather impressed with the grammatical structure of the book and the extensive use of language. It makes a pleasant change to read something by an author who is intellectually stimulating. Highly recommend
April 18, 2025
I've read enough history written in Old, Middle and Modern English. The Old English was always incomprehensible for me to master.
Yes, I did notice some errors, but I interpreted what you were saying just fine. It did not affect my interest in the emotion of the story.
.
Perhaps a few pre readers on your next books would be of an assist.
The story was good. In the end, that is what holds up the house of cards.
Yes, I did notice some errors, but I interpreted what you were saying just fine. It did not affect my interest in the emotion of the story.
.
Perhaps a few pre readers on your next books would be of an assist.
The story was good. In the end, that is what holds up the house of cards.
August 7, 2015
A choice of darkness by Kurtz is just that, very dark. I couldn't say I enjoyed it as it's not an enjoyable story. The plot was inevitable but the story was saved by the character development. Thomas Payne could be used again and he is shown as having the ability to pull no punches as far as the politicians are concerned. At least the small boy showed some humanity.
January 10, 2017
"Choice of Darkness" an absorbing and exciting story opens with the appointment of Agent Thomas Payne as Commander of the Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF) an untested team of investigators charged with hunting a serial killer after two children are found strangled, their bodies dumped in an alley. With the emergency blanket covering each victim as their main clue, and fighting political unrest, the team's investigation is continually jeopardized especially when a third body is found and the "Cradle Killer" is suspected.
Skilfully Jon Kurtz builds a dark and thrilling story not only with the clever and adept investigation of Thomas Payne and the MCTF into a crime that terrifies the residents of the community, but with subplots that include a copycat killing and a close examination of the mind of a killer who was tortured physically and mentally as a child. Well-developed by an author with experience in law enforcement, this plot is frighteningly realistic as the MCTF team searches for a link to the emergency blankets covering the victims and an oil residue on the boys necks. Intensity and suspense continually escalate especially as you're drawn into the darkness and pain of a mind traumatized by childhood mistreatment and suffering that struggles with a dissociative disorder that has him blacking out or swirling in a nightmare of shadows, and tragically making bad decisions that will destroy his life.
Yet Jon Kurtz offsets the tension and violence in the plot with witty dialogue, humor and a spark of romance that ignites when Agent Payne meets Breanna O'Malley after struggling with the loss of his wife for five years. Combining elements of love and hatred, death and redemption, grief and healing in a plot with twists that keep you captivated, it quickly and smoothly progresses to a fiery ending and the promise of another chapter in the lives of Thomas Payne and his team.
Jon Kurtz never fails in creating multi-faceted and fascinating characters in his novels and no less in "Choice of Darkness". Thomas Payne haunted by the death of his wife finds solace in his work, devoting himself to bringing criminals to justice. He's smart, empathetic, level-headed and even-tempered. Among his MCTF team are a wealth of personalities who're skilled, committed and develop as the story progresses, including brilliant computer tech Raj "Doc" Patel, a geek with a shrewd and analytical mind; twenty-five year old and slightly immature Bill Travis; and the loyal, and perceptive office manager Maggie Bennett. Even the political machinations of the arrogant, egotistical, and power-hungry deputy secretary Mark Murphy spices up the plot when he calls or barrels into the office giving Payne a headache.
Yet it's the tragedy of a murderer suffering from the trauma of his past that also invokes pity. Robbed of his childhood, set adrift by society after a tragic death he loses himself in darkness and unreality, striking back at the innocent until a child shows him the difference between being a "wolf and a cat", and he realizes the devastating repercussions of his decision.
Like all of Jon Kurtz's novels I thoroughly enjoyed "Choice of Darkness " a realistic plot with a keen but often frustrated team of investigators searching for a murderer adrift in darkness and unreality.
Skilfully Jon Kurtz builds a dark and thrilling story not only with the clever and adept investigation of Thomas Payne and the MCTF into a crime that terrifies the residents of the community, but with subplots that include a copycat killing and a close examination of the mind of a killer who was tortured physically and mentally as a child. Well-developed by an author with experience in law enforcement, this plot is frighteningly realistic as the MCTF team searches for a link to the emergency blankets covering the victims and an oil residue on the boys necks. Intensity and suspense continually escalate especially as you're drawn into the darkness and pain of a mind traumatized by childhood mistreatment and suffering that struggles with a dissociative disorder that has him blacking out or swirling in a nightmare of shadows, and tragically making bad decisions that will destroy his life.
Yet Jon Kurtz offsets the tension and violence in the plot with witty dialogue, humor and a spark of romance that ignites when Agent Payne meets Breanna O'Malley after struggling with the loss of his wife for five years. Combining elements of love and hatred, death and redemption, grief and healing in a plot with twists that keep you captivated, it quickly and smoothly progresses to a fiery ending and the promise of another chapter in the lives of Thomas Payne and his team.
Jon Kurtz never fails in creating multi-faceted and fascinating characters in his novels and no less in "Choice of Darkness". Thomas Payne haunted by the death of his wife finds solace in his work, devoting himself to bringing criminals to justice. He's smart, empathetic, level-headed and even-tempered. Among his MCTF team are a wealth of personalities who're skilled, committed and develop as the story progresses, including brilliant computer tech Raj "Doc" Patel, a geek with a shrewd and analytical mind; twenty-five year old and slightly immature Bill Travis; and the loyal, and perceptive office manager Maggie Bennett. Even the political machinations of the arrogant, egotistical, and power-hungry deputy secretary Mark Murphy spices up the plot when he calls or barrels into the office giving Payne a headache.
Yet it's the tragedy of a murderer suffering from the trauma of his past that also invokes pity. Robbed of his childhood, set adrift by society after a tragic death he loses himself in darkness and unreality, striking back at the innocent until a child shows him the difference between being a "wolf and a cat", and he realizes the devastating repercussions of his decision.
Like all of Jon Kurtz's novels I thoroughly enjoyed "Choice of Darkness " a realistic plot with a keen but often frustrated team of investigators searching for a murderer adrift in darkness and unreality.
December 29, 2014
This was a solid debut novel from a promising author. The author was brave enough to take on a child killer, where most fiction centres on older victims. There was a lot of authenticity in the police procedure, politics and "play" between the cops. The major issues with this book are the editing in the beginning and that there were too many points of view. The number of qualifiers and descriptors in the first third of the book almost caused me to put it away, it kept pulling me out of the story. I also think if the author took a less omniscient approach to his characters it may have been a tighter story. It would have fallen less into the trap of "telling, not showing". On the whole, it was worth a read, and I will read the follow up too. 3.5 stars.
February 4, 2015
Good first novel. Overall I like the book and enjoyed reading the killer's point of view, though, I did not feel any sympathy for the killer. But then I don't usually feel any sympathy for real life killers who use their childhood trauma as an excuse to kill.
I like most of the characters, however I really didn't like some of the adolescent kidding around. I understand the stress of the job and the characters were getting to know each other, but I just thought the antics were too much. One character in particular came across as an immature high school bully picking on the smart kid. I like to think the characters will develop as Jon writes more.
I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Update: I fixed the "glaring" spelling error. Guess I should have edited my work.
I like most of the characters, however I really didn't like some of the adolescent kidding around. I understand the stress of the job and the characters were getting to know each other, but I just thought the antics were too much. One character in particular came across as an immature high school bully picking on the smart kid. I like to think the characters will develop as Jon writes more.
I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Update: I fixed the "glaring" spelling error. Guess I should have edited my work.
December 31, 2014
Here we have a more realistic mystery, and it almost seems as though it could have been taken from real cases. A sadly demented, disassociated individual handles his disconnection from life by killing small boys. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has set up a new task force, with political underpinnings, to investigate the serial killings of two small boys. The new team leader, Thomas Payne, is our hero. Time is not on the side of the intrepid investigative team, but they pull together a wide range of abilities to solve the crime and save the day.
I look forward to additional cases by the author, Jon Kurtz, and a developing style.
I look forward to additional cases by the author, Jon Kurtz, and a developing style.
December 7, 2014
Very impressive first novel. Well plotted story filled with likable main characters. I can easily see the squad continuing in the series and solving other crimes. I think the most surprising part is how I found myself feeling sympathetic toward the killer in the end. The hint of romance was perfect and another way It makes me want to find out more about the characters in future installments. Excellent crime novel.
November 20, 2014
This was a very good read. The characters were well developed. The storyline flowed. The prose was very nice. My favorite quote..."I'm 92 years old. I'm not supposed to look good. I'll soon be traveling to meet the good Lord, and He wants me humble when I arrive."
December 14, 2014
Excellent, I highly recommend this book, I can't wait to read Jon's second one when it comes out
December 14, 2014
For the first novel by Jon Kurtz I thoroughly enjoyed t & can't wait for the next book.
October 7, 2015
The book started okay but by the time it was done my head felt like it might explode! This was a new author’s first book and I just felt like he was trying to tell every possible associated story in minute detail. It wound up feeling just overdone.
I’m not sure if the book was written as a thriller, an introduction to the task force or a probe into a killer’s mind. There was a lot of time spent in the killer’s mind; what planted the seed, how his psychotic mind works and what motivates him. The reader knew what he’d do and why almost before he even did it, so it’s definitely not a mystery.
Then there’s the main character; a cop who has been given the role of forming and leading a new special task force while he’s still dealing with his own mental demons of life after his wife’s passing five years ago. It’s not even presented as a strong subplot, yet while he was assessing a potential lead his mind broke into a enthralled like a schoolgirl daydream about kissing a woman the night before. I’ve never been involved in something big at work and drifted off to thinking about my romantic life, in fact a project at work has more often worked for forgetting a romantic situation. Maybe obsessing about one’s love life at work is a guy-thing I don’t know about.
There were many places where things were over-explained. If the book is in the killer’s mind, I don’t need an additional narrative telling me what society thinks is normal. As the reader, I AM society. I know what’s normal and understand that his thinking is not acceptable.
The story was slow and the end was worse. I think in the end there was a chase scene. I think it was after a twist in the plot where the killer became mentally clouded in a different way and it was a shocking total change. The writing was in many characters’ minds and the mental explanations were more detailed than what was actually happening. That lessened the action and the intensity of what I think was supposed to be the book’s climax. There were multiple points where the story could have ended but jumped back in and went further. It became less believable as it went on. After switching gears between thriller, psychology text and personality study throughout the book, it moved into a spiritual story describing things in a way that just didn’t fit with the way the rest of the book was written.
It finished with an epilogue that basically told you that the police never did figure out as much as the reader does. The epilogue was basically a wrap up of the things other books leave out because they aren’t necessary. I was surprised to see an epilogue because the book seemed like it had already ended. After reading the epilogue, I still wondered why it was there.
A Choice of Darkness didn’t leave me soured on a new author, but it didn’t leave me with an anxious desire to read Book #2 either.
I’m not sure if the book was written as a thriller, an introduction to the task force or a probe into a killer’s mind. There was a lot of time spent in the killer’s mind; what planted the seed, how his psychotic mind works and what motivates him. The reader knew what he’d do and why almost before he even did it, so it’s definitely not a mystery.
Then there’s the main character; a cop who has been given the role of forming and leading a new special task force while he’s still dealing with his own mental demons of life after his wife’s passing five years ago. It’s not even presented as a strong subplot, yet while he was assessing a potential lead his mind broke into a enthralled like a schoolgirl daydream about kissing a woman the night before. I’ve never been involved in something big at work and drifted off to thinking about my romantic life, in fact a project at work has more often worked for forgetting a romantic situation. Maybe obsessing about one’s love life at work is a guy-thing I don’t know about.
There were many places where things were over-explained. If the book is in the killer’s mind, I don’t need an additional narrative telling me what society thinks is normal. As the reader, I AM society. I know what’s normal and understand that his thinking is not acceptable.
The story was slow and the end was worse. I think in the end there was a chase scene. I think it was after a twist in the plot where the killer became mentally clouded in a different way and it was a shocking total change. The writing was in many characters’ minds and the mental explanations were more detailed than what was actually happening. That lessened the action and the intensity of what I think was supposed to be the book’s climax. There were multiple points where the story could have ended but jumped back in and went further. It became less believable as it went on. After switching gears between thriller, psychology text and personality study throughout the book, it moved into a spiritual story describing things in a way that just didn’t fit with the way the rest of the book was written.
It finished with an epilogue that basically told you that the police never did figure out as much as the reader does. The epilogue was basically a wrap up of the things other books leave out because they aren’t necessary. I was surprised to see an epilogue because the book seemed like it had already ended. After reading the epilogue, I still wondered why it was there.
A Choice of Darkness didn’t leave me soured on a new author, but it didn’t leave me with an anxious desire to read Book #2 either.
January 17, 2016
I put this on the "airplane reading" bookshelf because, once I got in to it, it really was the type of book that would see me through a long flight. It didn't take much thought to follow it, and the story-telling was robust enough that I felt I was right there in the investigation. It took me a few chapters to get into it because it seemed to jump around, even within one chapter, to the point where I didn't know whether it was a dream, was it current, was it history, and/or was it a hallucination. There were also some grammatical errors that an editor should have caught. But as I got more into the book, I decided to not let those errors get in the way of the story. I seriously hope that the author continues with these characters as I'd like to see their relationships and camaraderie develop (much like the Jonathan Kellerman books with Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis). I also hope that the author gets a better editor who can catch the errors.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews