So, Dan has made quite the name for himself on booktok lately, and everyone I know well has been reading his books. As a result I decided I should give him a chance with how up in arms everyone has been. To preface this, I DO NOT, and HAVE NOT ever read a thriller/mystery style book in my life. However, not one to shy away from new experiences I got my hands on a copy of Double Blind.
From the first NINE pages I was hooked. The story follows a couple of different perspectives, the killer, the two main detectives working the case, and a freshly recruited ex-military and law enforcement private investigator.
You start the book following the killer and what they are doing and WOW. Dan writes psychotic so well. This person has a very troubled mind and view on the world. You learn things across the book about his motivation and more than that you WANT to know they're motivation.
The detectives. From my understanding this dynamic duo spans the entirety of the series but are introduced for the first time in this book. Carly and Sergio become so loveable right from the very start. Their comradery and banter are both sweet and hilarious. You get a real feeling that they care about each other in the way they carry on between working diligently to catch the killer.
We also follow Tyree who is just starting out as a private investigator with his pseudo uncle/caregiver who is flighty but brilliant. Tyree is an old friend of a family who is the victim of the killer. He's softhearted but stands firm and you fall in love with him as a character so quickly. Following his arc in the story is but lovely and heart breaking for multiple reasons.
Overall the book shifts perspective over various chapters between this main band of characters. What is both incredible and intriguing, it also serves to keep you completely on your toes as you don't know what shift the story will take next. By the end you are left gobsmacked by what happened but it is also wrapped up nice and neat, and if you are paying close attention, the clues to the conclusion were there the whole time.
I read this book in one sitting during the day because I COULD NOT put it down. The story is engrossing and investing, the characters wiggle their way into your heart, and by the time you're half way through the book you'll be dying to know what's next. While I was not a thriller/mystery reader before, I am now, if only to read more of this saga and Dan's books on the whole. If you're looking for a complete roller coaster where you're constantly asking yourself what you really know about what's going on and evaluating and analyzing right along with the detectives, you cannot miss this book. I will suggest this to anyone at this point. It's an amazing ride, and while I wish I could read it again for the first time, there are five more books with another book being released soon. I look forward to seeing Carly and Sergio once again on their next adventure.