Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
Every once in a while, the same author pops up in my emails about books to read. Charlie Donlea was one of those names. He was getting a lot of attention in my daily missives for about a month. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to read one of his books. I went right to the Lockport Public Library to see what novels of his were on the shelves. Some Choose Darkness was the first one that I could find, and that’s the one that came home with me.
Rory Moore is a forensic reconstructionist, studying physical evidence at crime scenes to help reconstruct the order of events. She is visiting the office of her late father, cleaning out his files after his death. She receives a call that brings part of her father’s past back into the light. Four decades before, five women disappeared in Chicago at the hands of someone simply known as “The Thief.” In 1979, a woman named Angela was ready to present the police with the identity of “The Thief.” However, she disappeared, sending “The Thief” to prison on the only charge they could come up with for him -- Angela’s disappearance. Now, that man is ready to be released from prison. That phone call sets Rory off on an investigation that could uncover the darkness from the past.
Across four decades of subterfuge, misdirection, and hope, Rory peels away the layers to uncover the truth. But at what cost? Some secrets are meant to be buried. Is this one of them? As she gets closer to uncovering what happened those many years ago, the murkier things seem to get. In the end, you end up breathlessly wondering how you, as the reader, ended up here.
Charlie Donea writes one heck of a thriller. There is a lot of misdirection, as there is in all thriller/mystery stories. However, Donlea gives your brain a more subtle nudge rather than just dropping it in your face. With some authors, you can smell the misdirection coming from a mile away. Donlea doesn’t do that. He weaves them through the story so you’re not sure where to look until the reveal smacks you full in the face. As you think back over what you’ve read, you realize that there were several “a-ha!” moments that you could have picked up on. That’s the hallmark of a really good book.
I picked up this book on a whim because of an email. I probably otherwise wouldn’t have even seen it. That is the importance of being part of a readers network. We get introduced to new books and authors we may have otherwise skipped. Charlie Donlea writes an excellent, thinking thriller. There’s a bit more thought required of the reader when reading this book. And it is oh so amazing. I have since picked up another book by Donlea from the library. That review may just make its way here, also.
As I was writing this review, I learned that Some Choose Darkness is actually the first book in a two-book series. The second book, The Suicide House, is not in ym library. I will have to see if another library in our system has it, or find another copy somewhere. I definitely want to read it. If you need a great book to live in for the weekend, check out Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea. It’s sure to get your heart racing.
Craig Bacon is starting a new author search. If you have any suggestions, let him know.