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Dark River
Aging gray market dealer Asa Cire may not know exactly who he is or why he’s here, but he does know one He’s going to find the murderer of the teenage girl haunting his visions, regardless of the cost.
Aided by Buddhist adept Tanya Ito and street-smart Neveah Arias, Asa tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the decades-old murder. His only leads are a small town drug dealer and a stolen manuscript that nobody can decipher.
Stalked by a Chinese mob that wants its manuscript back and the killer who wants to put Asa at the bottom of the river, Asa dodges disaster until he faces the brutal To bring justice to the girl, he will have to die. Twice.
Aided by Buddhist adept Tanya Ito and street-smart Neveah Arias, Asa tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the decades-old murder. His only leads are a small town drug dealer and a stolen manuscript that nobody can decipher.
Stalked by a Chinese mob that wants its manuscript back and the killer who wants to put Asa at the bottom of the river, Asa dodges disaster until he faces the brutal To bring justice to the girl, he will have to die. Twice.
287 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2020
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Avery Jenkins
1 book2 followersDr. Avery Jenkins is a former award-winning journalist and essayist who took a 25-year break from the writing world to become a chiropractor and acupuncturist. He is an ordained Daoist priest (ordained name: Li Ning 理宁). Dr. Jenkins also holds a 2nd degree black belt in the martial art of aikido. He lives in northwest Connecticut with his wife and two dogs of uncertain temperament.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 16, 2021
Asa Cire took a bus to a small New England town, Nemaseck, seven years ago. This is
Asa’s story. Asa buys and sells expensive and hard to find antiques of all kinds. For some reason, an old business associate has found him.
Asa starts asking questions about an unsolved murder that happened 20 years ago. He has decided he must solve the murder of a 14-year-old girl. Since Asa inserted himself into this dead girl's murder and accepted some work from that old business associate, it seems Asa has a target on his back. He just wanted a quiet, under the radar life.
Asa realizes he has no idea what he did with his life before coming to Nemaseck; he is slowly discovering this and trying to figure things out. Asa has people trying to kill and is stunned about the ease he handles these dire situations.
I miss reading Dark Rivers. I enjoyed it. The story is well written. The characters are a part of the mystery. The foundation of the book flows from page one. Rarely does a story grow with so many factors, and before you know it, the story has taken you on a journey you didn't even know exists.
I
Asa’s story. Asa buys and sells expensive and hard to find antiques of all kinds. For some reason, an old business associate has found him.
Asa starts asking questions about an unsolved murder that happened 20 years ago. He has decided he must solve the murder of a 14-year-old girl. Since Asa inserted himself into this dead girl's murder and accepted some work from that old business associate, it seems Asa has a target on his back. He just wanted a quiet, under the radar life.
Asa realizes he has no idea what he did with his life before coming to Nemaseck; he is slowly discovering this and trying to figure things out. Asa has people trying to kill and is stunned about the ease he handles these dire situations.
I miss reading Dark Rivers. I enjoyed it. The story is well written. The characters are a part of the mystery. The foundation of the book flows from page one. Rarely does a story grow with so many factors, and before you know it, the story has taken you on a journey you didn't even know exists.
I
November 1, 2020
Avery Jenkins – Dark River – Reviewed 11/1/20 – Read 10/29-30/20
What past? Visions of a murdered teen, and a mysterious manuscript no one can read!!!
Asa Cire is a man that loves two things, finding rare, odd treasures, and pipe smoking. Many times, he has wondered about things from his past, but they just did not seem important. He decided to move to a small town some years back and has been happy there. When Neveah Arias showed up in his shop telling him that things were a mess and that she could fix them for him, he was snowballed into hiring her and now he can’t live without her. She did fix everything for him, and they have happily been working together for some years now. She is an odd duck but so is he, so they get along great together.
One of the things that Asa enjoys is his weekly yoga classes with Tanya Ito, they have a wonderful friendship together sharing their love of caring for health. Tanya is an adventurous woman who loves to explore. She also loves just walking in the woods by herself, gathering plants for her herbal preparations. As an EMT, her knowledge of medical care is quite extensive. Lately, Tanya has been learning more about Buddhism.
Asa recently started having a vision that was disturbing him. He keeps seeing a teenage girl that appears as if she was murdered. She comes to him by stepping out of the river. After checking around, he found out that she was killed, and dumped in the river. Her body wasn’t found for 10 days. After several decades, the police have never figured out who did it, her death remains a cold case. Asa has decided that he will make it his goal to solve the case and give this girl some peace.
And the story begins…
What did I like? As this book started, I was a little slow on the uptake, but as the pages turned, so did the interest until I could not put the book down. The mystery has several avenues that the author took. Asa’s past, the murder, the manuscript, and the killers. Not including some certainly interesting encounters with his friends and their backgrounds. All in all, this book will grip the reader in solving all the different mysteries. He kept the surprise for the ending well hidden, and it will pop up and thrill you!!!
What will you like? Talk about action, suspense, intrigue, and surprises, this book is filled with them. The characters are interesting and captivating. Not your average individuals, one streetwise, one on the Buddha trail, killers from the Chinese, murderers from the past, and a man with a forgotten history. Now just throw in a little romance on top of all the action, and you have one remarkably interesting read. The author gives us the descriptions to take us to that stormy day, hearing the roar of the river, feeling the rain, seeing the snow, and sensing the chill of the hurricane. This book was superbly written and edited giving us the best read all round. I sincerely enjoyed this book and recommend it for all suspense lovers.
• File Size: 667 KB
• Print Length: 287 pages
• Publication Date: October 15, 2020
• Publisher: Black Rose Writing
• ASIN: B08KWFF925
• Genre: Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction, Ghost Suspense
What past? Visions of a murdered teen, and a mysterious manuscript no one can read!!!
Asa Cire is a man that loves two things, finding rare, odd treasures, and pipe smoking. Many times, he has wondered about things from his past, but they just did not seem important. He decided to move to a small town some years back and has been happy there. When Neveah Arias showed up in his shop telling him that things were a mess and that she could fix them for him, he was snowballed into hiring her and now he can’t live without her. She did fix everything for him, and they have happily been working together for some years now. She is an odd duck but so is he, so they get along great together.
One of the things that Asa enjoys is his weekly yoga classes with Tanya Ito, they have a wonderful friendship together sharing their love of caring for health. Tanya is an adventurous woman who loves to explore. She also loves just walking in the woods by herself, gathering plants for her herbal preparations. As an EMT, her knowledge of medical care is quite extensive. Lately, Tanya has been learning more about Buddhism.
Asa recently started having a vision that was disturbing him. He keeps seeing a teenage girl that appears as if she was murdered. She comes to him by stepping out of the river. After checking around, he found out that she was killed, and dumped in the river. Her body wasn’t found for 10 days. After several decades, the police have never figured out who did it, her death remains a cold case. Asa has decided that he will make it his goal to solve the case and give this girl some peace.
And the story begins…
What did I like? As this book started, I was a little slow on the uptake, but as the pages turned, so did the interest until I could not put the book down. The mystery has several avenues that the author took. Asa’s past, the murder, the manuscript, and the killers. Not including some certainly interesting encounters with his friends and their backgrounds. All in all, this book will grip the reader in solving all the different mysteries. He kept the surprise for the ending well hidden, and it will pop up and thrill you!!!
What will you like? Talk about action, suspense, intrigue, and surprises, this book is filled with them. The characters are interesting and captivating. Not your average individuals, one streetwise, one on the Buddha trail, killers from the Chinese, murderers from the past, and a man with a forgotten history. Now just throw in a little romance on top of all the action, and you have one remarkably interesting read. The author gives us the descriptions to take us to that stormy day, hearing the roar of the river, feeling the rain, seeing the snow, and sensing the chill of the hurricane. This book was superbly written and edited giving us the best read all round. I sincerely enjoyed this book and recommend it for all suspense lovers.
• File Size: 667 KB
• Print Length: 287 pages
• Publication Date: October 15, 2020
• Publisher: Black Rose Writing
• ASIN: B08KWFF925
• Genre: Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction, Ghost Suspense
November 25, 2020
After meeting her lover, 15 year old Elle Anderson is brutally murdered. Her body thrown into the rapid currents of a river leading to the Cauldron. Flash forward, Asa Cire an elderly, antiquities dealer sees a vision of a young girl, brutally murdered and becomes haunted by her death.
Asa is a man, who does not remember his past. He is also a man of many talents. He sees visions, hears things, knows many languages, modern and ancient. He has found himself in a small town of odd people among them , an employee, Neveah, with a questionable past and a younger Buddhist, Tanya Ito, to whom he is drawn. In addition to the girl's murder, he receives a mysterious document, written in an unknown language, along with a request from unknown people to translate it. However, Chinese agents are also after this document and will stop at nothing to obtain it, even death. Outside, a hurricane is approaching, which adds to the tension.
At first, there seemed, to me, to be too many plots to keep straight and many spiritual life philosophies, of which I have little background in. I did find the authors use of Esperanto, a language invented by a Pole to allow people of different language backgrounds to communicate, very interesting. I learned of Esperanto many years ago, when I started to study various languages in high school. I even have books written in 5 languages side by side, Esperanto, English, French, German and Spanish.
As the plot builds, all the pieces finally came together for me and I began to follow the story to its dramatic conclusion.
If you have an interest in far Eastern philosophy and religions, this book will appeal to you. Also people, who like to study different languages, will find it of interest. Since I have a background in 5 languages and an understanding of 2 more, I did not have problems with the short passages and single words in Esperanto. I don't know, if the final print or ebook copy will have a glossary for people, who understand only one language. But it might be something to consider if there isn't one.
Asa is a man, who does not remember his past. He is also a man of many talents. He sees visions, hears things, knows many languages, modern and ancient. He has found himself in a small town of odd people among them , an employee, Neveah, with a questionable past and a younger Buddhist, Tanya Ito, to whom he is drawn. In addition to the girl's murder, he receives a mysterious document, written in an unknown language, along with a request from unknown people to translate it. However, Chinese agents are also after this document and will stop at nothing to obtain it, even death. Outside, a hurricane is approaching, which adds to the tension.
At first, there seemed, to me, to be too many plots to keep straight and many spiritual life philosophies, of which I have little background in. I did find the authors use of Esperanto, a language invented by a Pole to allow people of different language backgrounds to communicate, very interesting. I learned of Esperanto many years ago, when I started to study various languages in high school. I even have books written in 5 languages side by side, Esperanto, English, French, German and Spanish.
As the plot builds, all the pieces finally came together for me and I began to follow the story to its dramatic conclusion.
If you have an interest in far Eastern philosophy and religions, this book will appeal to you. Also people, who like to study different languages, will find it of interest. Since I have a background in 5 languages and an understanding of 2 more, I did not have problems with the short passages and single words in Esperanto. I don't know, if the final print or ebook copy will have a glossary for people, who understand only one language. But it might be something to consider if there isn't one.
October 22, 2020
“You know a little about everything, forget nothing anyone has said to you, can look at a piece of jade and know it’s age, where it was carved, by whom, and what the artist’s second child was named.”
What an interesting and enveloping novel! I felt like I was brought into to the author’s universe right from the first page and I kept wanting more. Avery Jenkins really has a talent for not only crafting a mystery, but creating a perfect small-town atmosphere that reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel, with metaphysical elements to make it even more gripping!
The story is about Asa Cire, a man who runs a very specialized antique shop that leans toward items that are difficult—and sometimes illegal—to obtain. Asa lives a fairly quiet life in a small town and he seems to have a working knowledge of everything in the universe, from dead languages to eastern wisdom to healing plants. But, at the beginning of the novel, Asa is faced with a problem even he can’t solve when he finds himself having a strange vision of a dead teenage girl during a round of meditation in his home.
Disturbed by the vision, Asa soon discovers that the teenage girl is real and was murdered in the town twenty years earlier. Her killer was never caught and the case was never solved. Asa takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery behind the brutal killing and get justice for the girl, but first he must find out how all of the pieces of the case come together, including a strange woman who showed up at his house and an ancient indecipherable manuscript.
This book is one that you will definitely want to check out. I love a good mystery and I was fascinated with the way this one played out. ‘Dark River’ is unmissable!
What an interesting and enveloping novel! I felt like I was brought into to the author’s universe right from the first page and I kept wanting more. Avery Jenkins really has a talent for not only crafting a mystery, but creating a perfect small-town atmosphere that reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel, with metaphysical elements to make it even more gripping!
The story is about Asa Cire, a man who runs a very specialized antique shop that leans toward items that are difficult—and sometimes illegal—to obtain. Asa lives a fairly quiet life in a small town and he seems to have a working knowledge of everything in the universe, from dead languages to eastern wisdom to healing plants. But, at the beginning of the novel, Asa is faced with a problem even he can’t solve when he finds himself having a strange vision of a dead teenage girl during a round of meditation in his home.
Disturbed by the vision, Asa soon discovers that the teenage girl is real and was murdered in the town twenty years earlier. Her killer was never caught and the case was never solved. Asa takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery behind the brutal killing and get justice for the girl, but first he must find out how all of the pieces of the case come together, including a strange woman who showed up at his house and an ancient indecipherable manuscript.
This book is one that you will definitely want to check out. I love a good mystery and I was fascinated with the way this one played out. ‘Dark River’ is unmissable!
October 23, 2020
A chilling cold case, an indecipherable ancient manuscript, a strange vision of a murdered teenage girl, 'Dark River' by Avery Jenkins has all of these things as well as twists enough to excite and entice any reader.
Asa Cire is a dealer of antiques and hard to obtain items. He is also a jack-of-all-trades who has a sundry of knowledge about every topic under the sun. One day, when he is meditating, he is disturbed by the image of a dead young woman whom he does not recognize. He is ever more disturbed to see the girl's face on the front page of an old newspaper the following day when he is visiting his friend at the town's historical society.
The girl, Elle Anderson was murdered 20 years earlier and her killer was never caught. Asa feels that Elle is calling out to him somehow and decides to try to find out who killed her and solve the case himself. However, things get more and more intense as a Chinese artifact dealer that he works with soon brings him a strange manuscript that even Asa, with his vast knowledge of other cultures, can't decipher.
Finding out how the girl, the manuscript and Asa fit together is the fun of this book. I was kept guessing the whole way through—a feat that not many mysteries manage these days. Avery Jenkins' writing was incredible, I was completely engrossed in the world that he created from page one. He has such a way of creating likable characters and a realistic small-town setting while still keeping a suspenseful mystery.
Asa was not only intelligent but kind and interesting as a character. I really understood why he managed to make all of the friends that he had and I enjoyed his relationships with everyone as much as I enjoyed the main plot. I loved this intriguing read!
Asa Cire is a dealer of antiques and hard to obtain items. He is also a jack-of-all-trades who has a sundry of knowledge about every topic under the sun. One day, when he is meditating, he is disturbed by the image of a dead young woman whom he does not recognize. He is ever more disturbed to see the girl's face on the front page of an old newspaper the following day when he is visiting his friend at the town's historical society.
The girl, Elle Anderson was murdered 20 years earlier and her killer was never caught. Asa feels that Elle is calling out to him somehow and decides to try to find out who killed her and solve the case himself. However, things get more and more intense as a Chinese artifact dealer that he works with soon brings him a strange manuscript that even Asa, with his vast knowledge of other cultures, can't decipher.
Finding out how the girl, the manuscript and Asa fit together is the fun of this book. I was kept guessing the whole way through—a feat that not many mysteries manage these days. Avery Jenkins' writing was incredible, I was completely engrossed in the world that he created from page one. He has such a way of creating likable characters and a realistic small-town setting while still keeping a suspenseful mystery.
Asa was not only intelligent but kind and interesting as a character. I really understood why he managed to make all of the friends that he had and I enjoyed his relationships with everyone as much as I enjoyed the main plot. I loved this intriguing read!
October 28, 2020
Usually with mystery novels, it's easy to solve everything and guess how the story is going to play out from fairly early on. We've all read the ones where we can see the reveal of the killer coming a mile away. 'Dark River' by Avery Jenkins is not like those books.
This is a mystery on a whole different level than you're used to. The differences are apparent right from the start, when the main character, Asa Cire has a vision of a murder victim. The victim is a teen girl named Elle Anderson, but Asa is not a psychic and he's not a detective either. So why has Elle's spirit, or fate, or whatever called to him in particular? Well, perhaps because Asa is a jack-of-all-trades as far as random knowledge and valuable friends.
Asa is blessed with an impeccable memory; he only has to look at a historical book or a piece of jade jewelry to correctly date it to it's country and era of origin. So, in this respect, maybe he is exactly who you would want solving your murder. But just as he begins to question things about Elle, Asa is surprised by the arrival of a friend of his who is a dealer of Chinese artifacts. The friend brings him an ancient manuscript that is written in a language that no one has been able to decipher.
Asa takes it upon himself to decipher the manuscript and solve the murder and comes to realize along the way that the two are connected in a surprising way.
This one is definitely worth checking out, even if mysteries aren't your normal fare. There is something compelling and hypnotic about the way that Jenkins writes and it makes you want to keep coming back for more even after the book has finished. I hope he considers writing another Asa Cire mystery thriller!
This is a mystery on a whole different level than you're used to. The differences are apparent right from the start, when the main character, Asa Cire has a vision of a murder victim. The victim is a teen girl named Elle Anderson, but Asa is not a psychic and he's not a detective either. So why has Elle's spirit, or fate, or whatever called to him in particular? Well, perhaps because Asa is a jack-of-all-trades as far as random knowledge and valuable friends.
Asa is blessed with an impeccable memory; he only has to look at a historical book or a piece of jade jewelry to correctly date it to it's country and era of origin. So, in this respect, maybe he is exactly who you would want solving your murder. But just as he begins to question things about Elle, Asa is surprised by the arrival of a friend of his who is a dealer of Chinese artifacts. The friend brings him an ancient manuscript that is written in a language that no one has been able to decipher.
Asa takes it upon himself to decipher the manuscript and solve the murder and comes to realize along the way that the two are connected in a surprising way.
This one is definitely worth checking out, even if mysteries aren't your normal fare. There is something compelling and hypnotic about the way that Jenkins writes and it makes you want to keep coming back for more even after the book has finished. I hope he considers writing another Asa Cire mystery thriller!
October 18, 2020
The ending to this one definitely took me by surprise. 'Dark River' by Avery Jenkins is an atmospheric thriller that is hard to define or pin down to one genre in particular.
It is a mystery, but it's a mystery like you've never read before.
The characters are three dimensional and so alive I felt like they came off of the page as I was reading along. The setting of the book was detailed and realistic.
I've never quite read another book like this and that's saying a lot because I read a lot of mysteries.
Here is the main plot, Asa Cire is a fairly normal antiques dealer (he actually refers to it as a dealer of “stuff”) in a normal town. Granted, he is a little strange sometimes. I mean, he seems to have an amazingly detailed memory for random rare objects and at least a little knowledge about everything in the universe. But aside from that he is perfectly normal.
But, if he's normal, why, then does he get a vision one night in the beginning of the book of a teenage girl who was killed 20 years earlier?
Why does he decide to find the girl's murderer himself despite the fact that he is not a detective and not required to do so?
Asa is a man of great character, who can't stand to see anyone suffer. He soon finds out more information about the girl from his friend that works at the historical society and starts on a quest to solve her murder once and for all.
But, along the way he has to escape dangerous situations and protect both himself and his friends from getting killed.
I want to give this one as many stars as possible. I adored Avery Jenkins prose and I would love to read more of his books sometime soon.
It is a mystery, but it's a mystery like you've never read before.
The characters are three dimensional and so alive I felt like they came off of the page as I was reading along. The setting of the book was detailed and realistic.
I've never quite read another book like this and that's saying a lot because I read a lot of mysteries.
Here is the main plot, Asa Cire is a fairly normal antiques dealer (he actually refers to it as a dealer of “stuff”) in a normal town. Granted, he is a little strange sometimes. I mean, he seems to have an amazingly detailed memory for random rare objects and at least a little knowledge about everything in the universe. But aside from that he is perfectly normal.
But, if he's normal, why, then does he get a vision one night in the beginning of the book of a teenage girl who was killed 20 years earlier?
Why does he decide to find the girl's murderer himself despite the fact that he is not a detective and not required to do so?
Asa is a man of great character, who can't stand to see anyone suffer. He soon finds out more information about the girl from his friend that works at the historical society and starts on a quest to solve her murder once and for all.
But, along the way he has to escape dangerous situations and protect both himself and his friends from getting killed.
I want to give this one as many stars as possible. I adored Avery Jenkins prose and I would love to read more of his books sometime soon.
October 28, 2020
A murder mystery with a twist-- Asa Cire is a dealer of rare oddities. From jade jewelry to historical books, he has a way to get it all, at a price. It's not always strictly legal, but Asa is a good man who lives a quiet life. Until, all at once, that life is upended.
A woman shows up at Asa's house days before a storm is supposed to hit. The woman is suspicious and cagey about her business with him and she leaves before revealing anything. Asa tries to forget about the incident, but later that night he is plagued by a strange vision of a dead teenage girl. Later, upon visiting a friend in the historical society, Asa learns that the girl was named Elle Anderson and that she was the victim of an unsolved murder twenty years earlier.
Asa is not a detective, but something about the vision of the girl touches his heart and he decides to try to find her killer and solve her murder. However, the path forward becomes more complicated than Asa could have ever imagined, and he has to rely on help from his friends to help Elle and help himself in the process.
There is a lot to love about this novel. Asa is a great character, whose knowledge of strange and interesting facts really adds an extra layer that makes the whole book sing. I can't imagine how much research Avery Jenkins must have had to do to write this, but it definitely shows without being overbearing. Another thing that makes this story great? The side characters. Neveah, Asa's sassy and fun employee at his store and Tanya, his friend, yoga teacher and possible romantic partner were two of my favorites. The energy that they brought helped flesh out the small-town vibe and complete the whole atmosphere.
A woman shows up at Asa's house days before a storm is supposed to hit. The woman is suspicious and cagey about her business with him and she leaves before revealing anything. Asa tries to forget about the incident, but later that night he is plagued by a strange vision of a dead teenage girl. Later, upon visiting a friend in the historical society, Asa learns that the girl was named Elle Anderson and that she was the victim of an unsolved murder twenty years earlier.
Asa is not a detective, but something about the vision of the girl touches his heart and he decides to try to find her killer and solve her murder. However, the path forward becomes more complicated than Asa could have ever imagined, and he has to rely on help from his friends to help Elle and help himself in the process.
There is a lot to love about this novel. Asa is a great character, whose knowledge of strange and interesting facts really adds an extra layer that makes the whole book sing. I can't imagine how much research Avery Jenkins must have had to do to write this, but it definitely shows without being overbearing. Another thing that makes this story great? The side characters. Neveah, Asa's sassy and fun employee at his store and Tanya, his friend, yoga teacher and possible romantic partner were two of my favorites. The energy that they brought helped flesh out the small-town vibe and complete the whole atmosphere.
November 1, 2020
Some of the best speculative mystery novels come when a writer extrapolates forward in a manner that is not only engaging to his targeted audience but also plausible. This is what Avery Jenkins has done with his new novel, 'Dark River'.
The book revolves around the life of Asa Cire a grey market dealer who describes his profession as simply 'selling stuff' which is actually true. With the help of a street-smart young woman named Neveah, Asa's profession revolves around collecting historical texts, manuscripts, and mechanical devices which can be regarded as antiques which he later resells to collectors. All this goes well until Asa encounters a strange vision of a dead teenage girl during one of his meditations. Startled by this vision Asa embarks on a mission to find out more about the girl where he discovers the girl’s name as Elle Anderson, who was murdered 20 years earlier with no trace ever found of her body. Feeling called to the mission of finding out exactly what happened to Elle and to try solving things get more intense when Asa is given a strange manuscript with a never before seen language by a contact of his own. Piecing together how the girl and the strange manuscript connect is the crux of the matter.
With short fast-moving chapters, this is a blazing storm of a novel, big bold, different and so readable. For mystery novel lovers this is an absolute corker which is both different and intelligent and which worms into a reader's thoughts and then proceeds to hunt them down. Be prepared for a reading maelstrom to suck you in whole when you open this another wonderful piece from Avery Jenkins.
The book revolves around the life of Asa Cire a grey market dealer who describes his profession as simply 'selling stuff' which is actually true. With the help of a street-smart young woman named Neveah, Asa's profession revolves around collecting historical texts, manuscripts, and mechanical devices which can be regarded as antiques which he later resells to collectors. All this goes well until Asa encounters a strange vision of a dead teenage girl during one of his meditations. Startled by this vision Asa embarks on a mission to find out more about the girl where he discovers the girl’s name as Elle Anderson, who was murdered 20 years earlier with no trace ever found of her body. Feeling called to the mission of finding out exactly what happened to Elle and to try solving things get more intense when Asa is given a strange manuscript with a never before seen language by a contact of his own. Piecing together how the girl and the strange manuscript connect is the crux of the matter.
With short fast-moving chapters, this is a blazing storm of a novel, big bold, different and so readable. For mystery novel lovers this is an absolute corker which is both different and intelligent and which worms into a reader's thoughts and then proceeds to hunt them down. Be prepared for a reading maelstrom to suck you in whole when you open this another wonderful piece from Avery Jenkins.
January 26, 2021
Rating 📚📚📚📚📚
The story begins with a prologue of a murder. A 15-year-old girl was dating, having casual and consensual sex with a 23-year-old man who murdered her and threw her into a nearby river. Now, I have to know more.
We meet Asa Cire, a fascinating man. Asa is obsessed with rare and unique objects, and he sells them for a living. He is a man who wants a small-town life where he is at peace; I mean, the man does yoga.
He begins to have visions of a teenage murder victim. One of his clear images is her battered body stepping out of the river. It’s been decades since someone had killed the girl, and it took the local police over a week to locate her body. Her killer is still out there, free.
Not only does he have to find out who murdered the girl, but he now has to translate an ancient manuscript bought to him by an old associate. Asa is a brilliant man, and his curiosities for the world drive him to want to solve the case. I find myself on the edge of my seat every time I think we are getting closer to finding out who killed the girl all those years ago.
If you are a big fan of mysteries, history, and other unique objects, I suggest reading this book. It reminds me of the Da Vinci Code. The Dark River will keep you on your toes with its unpredictability and Avery Jenkins’s storytelling.
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The story begins with a prologue of a murder. A 15-year-old girl was dating, having casual and consensual sex with a 23-year-old man who murdered her and threw her into a nearby river. Now, I have to know more.
We meet Asa Cire, a fascinating man. Asa is obsessed with rare and unique objects, and he sells them for a living. He is a man who wants a small-town life where he is at peace; I mean, the man does yoga.
He begins to have visions of a teenage murder victim. One of his clear images is her battered body stepping out of the river. It’s been decades since someone had killed the girl, and it took the local police over a week to locate her body. Her killer is still out there, free.
Not only does he have to find out who murdered the girl, but he now has to translate an ancient manuscript bought to him by an old associate. Asa is a brilliant man, and his curiosities for the world drive him to want to solve the case. I find myself on the edge of my seat every time I think we are getting closer to finding out who killed the girl all those years ago.
If you are a big fan of mysteries, history, and other unique objects, I suggest reading this book. It reminds me of the Da Vinci Code. The Dark River will keep you on your toes with its unpredictability and Avery Jenkins’s storytelling.
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November 23, 2020**I received a copy of Dark River by Avery Jenkins in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.**
Fast-Paced, Didn't Want to Put it Down...
Talk about a page-turner! The moment I started reading this book I didn't want to put it down. I really enjoyed how the book opens up with such a mind catching scene that makes you want to continue to read on.
Some books I read start out slow then get better as they go which makes it hard to keep my attention. This one had my attention from the very beginning.
Could you imagine living your life as "normal" as possible only to have an image show up in your mind and continually haunts your dreams?
Asa Cire deals in the 'gray' market. Some of his items are hard to find, some are not. Just like the Chinese manuscript he has, that is sought after by the Chinese who are after him.
Will Asa find the murderer from the decades-old unsolved murder of the teenager? Will the Chinese find him before he finds the killer?
You will have to read this book to find out. You will be happy you did.
Fast-Paced, Didn't Want to Put it Down...
Talk about a page-turner! The moment I started reading this book I didn't want to put it down. I really enjoyed how the book opens up with such a mind catching scene that makes you want to continue to read on.
Some books I read start out slow then get better as they go which makes it hard to keep my attention. This one had my attention from the very beginning.
Could you imagine living your life as "normal" as possible only to have an image show up in your mind and continually haunts your dreams?
Asa Cire deals in the 'gray' market. Some of his items are hard to find, some are not. Just like the Chinese manuscript he has, that is sought after by the Chinese who are after him.
Will Asa find the murderer from the decades-old unsolved murder of the teenager? Will the Chinese find him before he finds the killer?
You will have to read this book to find out. You will be happy you did.
October 19, 2020
First, it starts as a murder mystery that has just happened and needs unveiling by top detectives on land. But what follows is a mysterious story that turns out to be in part magical and brutal at the same time.
Asa the main protagonist in this story unfolds how a seemingly old man who in most cases looks odd and funny comes to terms with a meditative vision that has been haunting him for a while. It is now clear to him that the girl in his vision is from a murder case that happened 20 years ago!
With tons of determination, Asa is determined to find out more about this mysterious manslaughter. What will be his next course of action? What are the consequences of his actions?
I enjoyed reading this story, Avery Jenkins has done a great job. The descriptions are perfectly contextualized, the conversations are really making this story a perfect masterpiece. In short, if asked to describe Avery Jenkins’ writing style, I will simply say he doesn’t let down the reader.
June 23, 2021
This is a uniquely amazing book. I haven’t read anything like it before. It’s an approachable, easy to read page-turner, yet it’s deep and philosophical. The character development is outstanding. I came to like and really care about these characters. Even the dog has a well-developed personality. I don’t know what section of the bookstore it would be filed in, which I love about it. It’s like a suspenseful detective mystery, but deals with eastern philosophy, linguistics and the supernatural. It refuses to be easily summarized.
Jenkins is a remarkable author. I eagerly await future books from him.
Jenkins is a remarkable author. I eagerly await future books from him.
February 6, 2021
What an engaging read; a combination of many genres (film noir, adventure, romance, mystery mysticism, and more) that work so beautifully as a whole. Couldn’t put the book down; adored the protagonist, supporting characters, depiction of the setting, feel of the tone and mood, and suspenseful pacing. I highly recommend this novel; loved it!
December 21, 2020
I’ve been waiting to read a book like this one most of my life. Full of mystical truths and experiences that I know to be true, woven into a whodunit, a river that becomes a character in the plot and a language that people will kill to see, it’s indescribably perfect. Can’t wait for the next one.
January 2, 2024
Loved
I loved this book. It sucks you in, and made me want to keep reading. Parts are a little far fetched but yet you can still see it happening. I know the author and can see pieces of him in this book. It impressed me. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I loved this book. It sucks you in, and made me want to keep reading. Parts are a little far fetched but yet you can still see it happening. I know the author and can see pieces of him in this book. It impressed me. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
October 17, 2020
This book is incredible. There were twists and turns constantly; I couldn’t put it down! I can’t recommend it highly enough for a non stop story lockdown page turner.
books-with-go-references
January 3, 2021There are multiple references to the game of Go, which plays a role in the solution of the mystery portion of the plot.
October 14, 2020
Dark River does not fit snugly into any genre. That is, in part, why it is so enjoyable. It's a bit introspective, thoughtful, mysterious, magical and brutal, but not too much of any of these things. The writing is sparse, yet full. The short chapters keep you turning the pages wanting more. Other chapters just make you pause in awe. I’m thinking here of Chapter 22, when Asa is reminiscing about his spelunking trip with Tanya. In the end I’m left thinking, is this James Rockford like character, a wizard, or a mere mortal gaining steam after his many lives here on earth? A metaphysical detective novel. Congratulations on this well done first novel.
December 1, 2020
An excellent mystery peppered with interesting characters. An enjoyable read which keeps you guessing through the end.
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