Shot in Darkness: In Darkness Book Four

Greetings!  I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend (for those in Texas--I pray you made it through the hurricane safely).  I spent Sunday watching murder mystery movies.  I enjoy solving the mysteries!  Today's featured writer is Heather Sunseri.  I first discovered this author when I read her Mindspeak series (young adult science fiction).  Ms. Sunseri's has also written Emerge series and her adult In Darkness series.

Shot in Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the fourth novella in the In Darkness collection.  Brooke Fairfax has agreed to housesit/pet sit for her friends, Tyler and James in Georgetown (dogs are called Thurston and Lovey—who know what show these names come from?).  The call came just when Brooke needed to get away and her old college friend, Anya Bhatia requested an in-person meeting (good timing).  Her boyfriend, Declan O’Roark was talking about their future and Brooke is not sure she is ready.  She packed up her suitcase and took off—without telling Declan.   Brooke is out with the dogs when she notices Tyler’s neighbor, Bradley getting a large package of ammunition.  She puts it aside when she sees Declan standing on the front porch (did not take him long to track her down).  They agree to not discuss the future for the next two weeks (while housesitting).  That evening on the way to the Full Court Press for her meeting with Anya she notices Bradley again.  Brooke calls Tyler to get some details while Declan heads into the bar.  Then shots ring out and, once again, Brooke’s life is in jeopardy.  But who was shot?  Does this have anything to do with Brooke asking Anya to dig for Romeo’s identity? 

Shot in Darkness contains good writing and strong characters.  I was thrilled that Shot in Darkness had a faster pace than the last two books.  It is a quick and easy novella to read (just a short story).  And at long last, it looks like the Romeo case is making headway (hooray). It was nice to see growth in Brooke’s character (about time).  I could feel the suspense during critical scenes in this story.  I can understand wanting answers about her husband, but Brooke takes things to extremes.  I give Shot in Darkness 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).  Shot in Darkness is not a stand-alone book.  Each book in the In Darkness series builds upon the previous one.  It will be interesting to see what happens next regarding Romeo (I am just hoping it does not drag on for several more books).  The other books in the series are Exposed in Darkness (currently free on Amazon), Cut in Darkness and Covered in Darkness.  Shot in Darkness will be available on August 29!

I appreciate you visiting.  I will be featuring Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower on Tuesday (book release day)!  I am currently reading Sins of the Mother by Susan Boles (I am so far behind in my reading thanks to this awful flu).  I hope you have an amazing Monday (the last one of August)!  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Covered in Darkness: In Darkness

Happy Book Release Day!  There are many new releases out today.  Cat About Town by Cate Conte, A Tangled Yarn by Betty Hechtman,  The Return by Suzanne Woods Fisher, The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling, The Girls of Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke, A Wedding Tail by Casey Griffin, The Address by Fiona Davis, The Blessing (Amish Cooking Class) by Wanda Brunstetter, Dressed to Confess by Diane Vallere, Pieces of Happiness by Anne Ostby, Chime and Punishment by Julianne Holmes, and Gone Gull by Donna Andrews are some of the new books published today. 

Covered in Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the third volume in the In Darkness series.  Brooke Fairfax and her boyfriend, Declan O’Roark are enjoying the reopening party of the Mint Julep Inn until Brooke starts receiving warnings of an impending storms (high winds, hail, tornados).  Brooke is the new director of Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and the governor is worried.  The storm takes out the power in many areas and leaves debris in its wake.  Power is restored but not in Louisville.  When Louisville Power fails to respond to Brooke’s calls, she heads to Louisville with Governor Mac Kale.  After speaking with Ryan Saltzman (the CEO of LP), Brooke can tell the company is hiding something.  But what?  With the help of Sam Clay and her team, Brooke uncovers a cyberterrorism plot.  Louisville is just a jumping off point for this group.  Brooke and her team needs to find the culprits before they succeed in terminating power along the whole eastern seaboard.  When Sam is kidnapped, Brooke will do what it takes to get her back even if it means risking her own life.  Join Brooke on her latest case in Covered in Darkness.

Covered in Darkness is nicely written and it has a fast pace.  The book contains evildoers, kidnapping, a stalker, romance, thoroughbred horses, cyberterrorism, and more.  Covered in Darkness is the third book in the In Darkness series and the books are best read in order.  Each book in the series builds upon the previous one.  I thought the main mystery was complex with many twists and turns.  The Romeo storyline (is present in all the books in the series) is beginning to grate on my nerves.  I keep hoping that the identity of Romeo will be revealed (so it can end and I can see if I correctly identified him).  My rating for Covered in Darkness is 3.5 out of 5 stars.  While it is a good story, I found it similar to Exposed in Darkness (free on Amazon at the time of this posting) and Cut in Darkness.  In each novel, there is a bad guy that Brooke needs to find, she risks her life, Declan to the rescue with the help of Romeo.  Declan tries to protect Brooke, but she is stubborn and wishes to prove she can take care of herself (which leads to her needing to be rescued).  I would like to see more growth in Brooke.  While she is in a relationship with Declan, she has yet to emotionally move past what happened to her husband (and her losing her baby).  Brooke is still angry with her father and refusing to speak with him about personal matters.  There is repetition of information (details about the case for example).  In Covered in Darkness there is foul language, violence, and intimate relations in Covered in Darkness.  Covered in Darkness is a good suspense novel, however, I would like the author to deviate from her formula (shake things up).  Shot in Darkness is the next book in the series (and I will be reading it) and it will be published on August 29 (pre-order price of $2.99 on Amazon).

I hope you have a lovely day.  I will be talking about A Toast to Murder by Allyson K. Abbott on Wednesday.  For today, though, I am off to dust and sweep. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Cut in Darkness: Second book in the In Darkness series

Greetings!  On April 8, Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell will be released.  It is the second book A Quaker Midwife Mystery series. The first book in the series is Delivering the Truth and is currently $1.99 on Amazon.  Give the Devil His Due by By Steve Hockensmith also comes out on April 8.  It is the third book in A Tarot Mystery series. The White Magic Five and Dime and Fool Me Once are the first two books in this series.  Maybe you will find a new book to read this weekend!

Cut in Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the second book in the In Darkness series.  It is the weekend of the fourth of July and Midland, Kentucky is gearing up for their parade.  Unfortunately, Special Agent Brooke Fairfax is going to miss it.  She has been called in to the local hospital by Special Agent Erica Marshall.  There have been an unusually large number of overdoses occurring in the area among the homeless and women of ill repute.  There seems to be a new designer drug in town that someone is testing on what they must consider the “disposable” populace.  But then Senator Westbrook’s daughter, Angela dies of an overdose.  FBI Director Jack Waller (Brooke’s father) puts Brooke in charge on the Westbrook case.  This leads her into the world of OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) which she has been researching for the last few weeks since starting back to work at the FBI.  It seems that Samael’s Army may be behind the new drug, but Brooke needs irrefutable proof to put the leaders away.  The FBI needs information about this new drug, and they turn to Declan O’Roark (did I mention he is Brooke’s boyfriend) for answers.  Declan’s lab will be able to quickly analyze the drug and provide Brooke with the necessary results (state lab is backed up).  Brooke investigation turns dangerous when her stalker, Romeo reveals her identity to Gray Packstone, son of Samael’s leader.  Samael’s Army is out to eliminate her, and Declan will do what it takes to keep Brooke safe.  Samael’s Army will not go down without a fight and neither will Brooke. 

I found Cut in Darkness to be well-written, have a good pace, and a complex mystery.  Brooke Fairfax is starting to grow on me.  I had trouble liking her in the first book, but Brooke gets better over time (like a fine wine).  The drug situation in the book is complex and readers are given many details about illegal drugs and motorcycle gangs (OMGs).  I did feel, though, that the romance portion of the book was extremely prevalent.  I wish the author would tone it down a notch (bedroom scenes).  While Cut in Darkness is the second book in the series, it can be read alone.  The author gives the reader all the information needed to read and enjoy Cut in Darkness.  I give Cut in Darkness 4 out of 5 stars.  I am glad to see Brooke start to overcome her past towards the end of the book.  The story is told from Brooke’s and Declan’s point-of-views.  Personally, I would have preferred if it had been told from the third person for consistency (instead of wondering is this Brooke or Declan).  I am wondering, though, how Brooke makes a good agent when people can tell when she is lying or uncomfortable (especially around a person she does not like).  It just seemed a little off to me.  At the end of the book, readers are left with two unanswered questions (identity of Romeo and the identity of the police informant).  I hope that the stalker storyline picks up the pace in the next book in the series.  It would be nice to know his identity or motive.  It will be interesting to see what happens next with Brooke as she starts a new job and the relationship between Declan and Brooke deepens.  The first book in the series is Exposed in Darkness. The next novel in the In Darkness series is going to be Covered in Darkness which is expected to be released in August.  

Thank you for visiting.  I hope my review is helpful to you.  I am off to run an errand and then there is housework to complete (of course).  I will return tomorrow to review The Last Chance Olive Ranch by Susan Wittig Albert.  I hope you have a fun day (aim high and then settle for okay).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader