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The Dark Intercept #2
Dark Mind Rising
When the state is no longer watching, what will you give to feel safe?
New Earth, 2296. Two years after the destruction of a universal surveillance system called the Intercept, New Earth struggles to keep crime under control. The citizens are free, but not protected.
Violet Crowley, the eighteen-year-old daughter of New Earth's founder, has opened Crowley & Associates, a private detective agency, to handle the overflow from the overburdened police force.
Violet's first case—a death written off as a suicide—becomes an obsession. Soon a series of similar deaths leads Violet to believe the Intercept is not only still running—it's in the hands of a killer.
New Earth, 2296. Two years after the destruction of a universal surveillance system called the Intercept, New Earth struggles to keep crime under control. The citizens are free, but not protected.
Violet Crowley, the eighteen-year-old daughter of New Earth's founder, has opened Crowley & Associates, a private detective agency, to handle the overflow from the overburdened police force.
Violet's first case—a death written off as a suicide—becomes an obsession. Soon a series of similar deaths leads Violet to believe the Intercept is not only still running—it's in the hands of a killer.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2018
About the author
Julia Keller
32 books489 followersJulia was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from Marshall University, then later earned a doctoral degree in English Literature at Ohio State University.
She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and has taught at Princeton and Ohio State Universities, and the University of Notre Dame. She is a guest essayist on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and has been a contributor on CNN and NBC Nightly News. In 2005, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Julia lives in a high-rise in Chicago and a stone cottage on a lake in rural Ohio.
She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and has taught at Princeton and Ohio State Universities, and the University of Notre Dame. She is a guest essayist on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and has been a contributor on CNN and NBC Nightly News. In 2005, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Julia lives in a high-rise in Chicago and a stone cottage on a lake in rural Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 25, 2018
HUGE content warning for suicide. HUGE. Don’t read this book if you aren’t comfortable reading fairly graphic descriptions of said act. I’m usually a fairly robust reader and this made me super uncomfortable. I appreciate this is the point, it’s supposed to be unsettling, but reader discretion is advised.
This is possibly just me, but I personally feel that the alcoholic (or heavy drinking), lonely, damaged PI character is a little bit overdone? Obviously, the classic example of this kind of character is usually male, so there is some differentiation there, and I do think it is important to address the trauma that a character went through in the first book and the lasting effects of that trauma. Just because you saved the world doesn’t magically make you happy. All the same, I felt like this idea didn’t quite work? I think I wasn’t quite clear on why she became a PI when it so obviously wasn’t really working out for her. Perhaps that is me misremembering or forgetting something key from the first book (entirely plausible) but I wasn’t totally clear on Violet’s motivations.
I thought that the way the book built up the threat levels was very well done. What starts as a series of, albeit horrifying, situations builds to the potential to be truly devastating, whether that happens or not you’ll have to find out by reading it. It’s like the horror movie problem, if you can’t see the monster if you don’t fully understand it, then it’s so much more terrifying. By making part of the mystery finding out why these bad things are happening and what the person behind them wants, the threat level is raised to a much higher level. I’m probably overanalysing it, but it works.
One thing I did enjoy was, once again, the separation between new and old earth. This isn’t as important in this book as it is in the first one, but there are some interesting ideas in there about preservation and permanence which I think were good ideas to bring up, especially in a time where everything feels very disposable.
This is a difficult read in quite a few moments, as I say reader discretion is advised, but it is a good way of building on some of the ideas of the first book. I would say that you probably need to have read The Dark Intercept to get the full force of this book as it feels very much like a sequel.
My rating: 3/5 stars
I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is possibly just me, but I personally feel that the alcoholic (or heavy drinking), lonely, damaged PI character is a little bit overdone? Obviously, the classic example of this kind of character is usually male, so there is some differentiation there, and I do think it is important to address the trauma that a character went through in the first book and the lasting effects of that trauma. Just because you saved the world doesn’t magically make you happy. All the same, I felt like this idea didn’t quite work? I think I wasn’t quite clear on why she became a PI when it so obviously wasn’t really working out for her. Perhaps that is me misremembering or forgetting something key from the first book (entirely plausible) but I wasn’t totally clear on Violet’s motivations.
I thought that the way the book built up the threat levels was very well done. What starts as a series of, albeit horrifying, situations builds to the potential to be truly devastating, whether that happens or not you’ll have to find out by reading it. It’s like the horror movie problem, if you can’t see the monster if you don’t fully understand it, then it’s so much more terrifying. By making part of the mystery finding out why these bad things are happening and what the person behind them wants, the threat level is raised to a much higher level. I’m probably overanalysing it, but it works.
One thing I did enjoy was, once again, the separation between new and old earth. This isn’t as important in this book as it is in the first one, but there are some interesting ideas in there about preservation and permanence which I think were good ideas to bring up, especially in a time where everything feels very disposable.
This is a difficult read in quite a few moments, as I say reader discretion is advised, but it is a good way of building on some of the ideas of the first book. I would say that you probably need to have read The Dark Intercept to get the full force of this book as it feels very much like a sequel.
My rating: 3/5 stars
I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
December 9, 2018
Not reading the first book will be a problem for readers. The other problem is the pacing and some of the big action scenes - many were too fast to figure out what exactly was happening, while others seemed poorly plotted.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
January 12, 2019
Violet and Kendall destroyed almost all of the Intercept, a system used to maintain societal order using the emotions. Two years later, Violet has her own detective agency and Kendall is in the new police force. When Violet is hired to look into a recent suicide, she wants to chalk it up to the denial of a mental health issue. When a double suicide follows, Violet becomes concerned, especially when Rez, her friend from work, informs her of a possible Intercept use. Now she’s racing the clock, determined to find out who may have started up the Intercept again, but with even worse intentions.
Keller’s sequel to //The Dark Intercept// starts two years later. Some situations, like her father’s placement in a home and the change in her former love interest, have changed dramatically, making it difficult to connect the two stories together. There are some notes that are forgotten, like the fact that Violet shouldn’t go back to Old Earth or she would suffer health issues, as Violet makes multiple trips back without repercussions. The characters are flat and the love interest is forced. This series is sufficient if no other reading material is available, but not something to recommend.
Reviewed for City Book Review
Keller’s sequel to //The Dark Intercept// starts two years later. Some situations, like her father’s placement in a home and the change in her former love interest, have changed dramatically, making it difficult to connect the two stories together. There are some notes that are forgotten, like the fact that Violet shouldn’t go back to Old Earth or she would suffer health issues, as Violet makes multiple trips back without repercussions. The characters are flat and the love interest is forced. This series is sufficient if no other reading material is available, but not something to recommend.
Reviewed for City Book Review
November 5, 2018
[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
This wasn't a great fit for me as a reader. There's not a lot of world building in this book to build on the first in the series - I had been hoping for more development in that area after finishing book one. I still didn't have any main characters I really liked. There's not enough engaging character development for me. Most of the off-plot musings - things that might be character development - were parts I skipped over to get back to the main mystery. They just didn't grab my attention. I'm still trying to determine if the author has a "message" with these books about emotional freedom or emotional self-regulation. The title for book 3 grabs my attention after an event in this book, but I'm not certain I will stick with the series after this one.
Severe trigger warning (TW) for suicide. This is a dark story due to the rash of suicides that take place. They are an integral part of the story but the scenes could be triggering.
This wasn't a great fit for me as a reader. There's not a lot of world building in this book to build on the first in the series - I had been hoping for more development in that area after finishing book one. I still didn't have any main characters I really liked. There's not enough engaging character development for me. Most of the off-plot musings - things that might be character development - were parts I skipped over to get back to the main mystery. They just didn't grab my attention. I'm still trying to determine if the author has a "message" with these books about emotional freedom or emotional self-regulation. The title for book 3 grabs my attention after an event in this book, but I'm not certain I will stick with the series after this one.
Severe trigger warning (TW) for suicide. This is a dark story due to the rash of suicides that take place. They are an integral part of the story but the scenes could be triggering.
July 27, 2022
"Dark Mind Rising" is an okay story, but I never connected to it and will probably forget all about it fairly quickly. I didn't particularly like the main characters. I didn't read the first book, so I may be missing some characterization nuance. However, Violet just sucks. She's not a bad guy or anti-hero to get behind, but she's not really a good guy either. She has two guys kind of trailing after her, constantly whines internally about her failing business without ever doing anything to recruit clients, and goes gets insanely wasted on nights when she knows she's investigating a teenager's suicide the next day. She was just not fun to read.
I liked the concept a lot. The Intercept and its ability to push emotions/thoughts into people's heads being turned into a weapon is really cool. This book included enough callbacks for me to completely understand the plot of the first book, so I don't feel like I missed anything in this regard. I would continue for the plot if I liked any of the characters.
I liked the concept a lot. The Intercept and its ability to push emotions/thoughts into people's heads being turned into a weapon is really cool. This book included enough callbacks for me to completely understand the plot of the first book, so I don't feel like I missed anything in this regard. I would continue for the plot if I liked any of the characters.
August 21, 2019
Julia Keller is one of my favorite local authors. I love the Bell Elkins series, so when I heard about the dark intercept I knew I had to give it a read! I enjoyed The Dark Intercept. Teen books can be fun and fast reads. This content was a bit heavy for a teen. But I guess suicides are more common in that age range compared to when I was that age. Nonetheless it was a great second book of the series. A nice twist and a couple things shocked me. I love Rez’s character so I’m excited to see where the third book takes us!
September 10, 2024
I'd give it a 2.5
It's okay, and the writing definitely isn't bad. I just felt that the characters lacked some depth, and the pacing was a bit all over the place.
I also think that violet was an unlikeable main character, and not in a way that felt purposeful.
It's okay, and the writing definitely isn't bad. I just felt that the characters lacked some depth, and the pacing was a bit all over the place.
I also think that violet was an unlikeable main character, and not in a way that felt purposeful.
March 10, 2021
3.5 stars. Took a little long to get to the end.
January 12, 2026
Good book but I was really lost. Maybe I should read the first book ;/
June 11, 2021
***HUGE TRIGGER WARNING THIS BOOK CONTAINS A LOT OF SUICIDE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK***
I would give this book a 3.5/5 I thought that this book was written in a much more fascinating way than the first book in the series. It should also be mentioned that this book could be read as a stand alone but takes into some themes and topics from the first book in the series so it might be beneficial to read that one prior to this one but if you don’t I think you could still understand what is going on.
I would give this book a 3.5/5 I thought that this book was written in a much more fascinating way than the first book in the series. It should also be mentioned that this book could be read as a stand alone but takes into some themes and topics from the first book in the series so it might be beneficial to read that one prior to this one but if you don’t I think you could still understand what is going on.
July 27, 2024
So many child suicides.
Awful main character.
Awful main character.
December 28, 2018
I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review, so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book.
This is the second book in a series
New Earth, 2296. Two years after the destruction of a universal surveillance system called the Intercept, New Earth struggles to keep crime under control. The citizens are free, but not protected.
Violet Crowley, the eighteen-year-old daughter of New Earth's founder, has opened Crowley & Associates, a private detective agency, to handle the overflow from the overburdened police force.
Violet's first case—a death written off as a suicide—becomes an obsession. Soon a series of similar deaths leads Violet to believe the Intercept is not only still running—it's in the hands of a killer.
This was my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
3.5 star rating!
The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book.
This is the second book in a series
New Earth, 2296. Two years after the destruction of a universal surveillance system called the Intercept, New Earth struggles to keep crime under control. The citizens are free, but not protected.
Violet Crowley, the eighteen-year-old daughter of New Earth's founder, has opened Crowley & Associates, a private detective agency, to handle the overflow from the overburdened police force.
Violet's first case—a death written off as a suicide—becomes an obsession. Soon a series of similar deaths leads Violet to believe the Intercept is not only still running—it's in the hands of a killer.
This was my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
3.5 star rating!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews