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mariasmusings's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm generally a big fan of Mark Billingham novels, and I enjoy the Tom Thorne series. So, I was looking forward to catching up on my extensive "to be read list" with "In The Dark".
"In The Dark" is in the universe of Tom Thorne, as he appears and Helen Weeks, our female protagonist, will eventually become a main character in the main Thorne series.
Now, I usually opt for the narration version of the books and so far, they haven't failed me, with both Mark Billingham and Robert Glenister lending their skills to the audio versions, and Adjoa Andoh doing a fine job of bringing the stressed, and grieving Helen Weeks to life in this edition.
The story opens with a particulary attending grabbing scene, as a teenage gang plan an initation, that has unforseen consequences and soon, we are brought back in time to several days before this incident, when we meet a number of our main characters, including Theo, Helen and Frank. We then watch the events plan out, upto the initation and onwards, from the perspective of each character.
It certainly made for an interesting tale and held my attention throughout. However, I had one major issue - when Theo appears, he is spending much of his time with a group of (self-styled) gangsters. And they constantly speak in the typical pathos, which drove me crazy! I realise that the language/style probably gives a sense of reality to the storyline but I struggled to understand a lot of what the characters said and found myself zoning out at times.
Overall, an enjoyable tale, with some unexpected twists so I would rate this novel as 3 stars.
"In The Dark" is in the universe of Tom Thorne, as he appears and Helen Weeks, our female protagonist, will eventually become a main character in the main Thorne series.
Now, I usually opt for the narration version of the books and so far, they haven't failed me, with both Mark Billingham and Robert Glenister lending their skills to the audio versions, and Adjoa Andoh doing a fine job of bringing the stressed, and grieving Helen Weeks to life in this edition.
The story opens with a particulary attending grabbing scene, as a teenage gang plan an initation, that has unforseen consequences and soon, we are brought back in time to several days before this incident, when we meet a number of our main characters, including Theo, Helen and Frank. We then watch the events plan out, upto the initation and onwards, from the perspective of each character.
It certainly made for an interesting tale and held my attention throughout. However, I had one major issue - when Theo appears, he is spending much of his time with a group of (self-styled) gangsters. And they constantly speak in the typical pathos, which drove me crazy! I realise that the language/style probably gives a sense of reality to the storyline but I struggled to understand a lot of what the characters said and found myself zoning out at times.
Overall, an enjoyable tale, with some unexpected twists so I would rate this novel as 3 stars.
david_mcl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
3.0
If somebody could explain to me what I did with my common-sense I'd be very grateful. I have this list of favourite authors, and a tendency to hoard their books. Makes no sense whatsoever when I think about it, but IN THE DARK got caught in the daftness and lurked on the shelves here for much much longer than it should have.
A standalone novel, IN THE DARK is a thriller with an unexpected scenario and an interesting twist. As the blurb outlines, there's a car crash in the night. A driver is forced off the road, into a bus stop. A man (in this case a policeman) is dead. His partner, a policewoman, wants to know why. Why him, what was he doing just before he died, who on earth was the man she thought she knew, how will she explain who he was and what happened to their very soon to be born child.
IN THE DARK is not just the story of her investigation into her partner's death, it's also very much a story about relationships, complications, unfinished business and how people deal with grief. You can just about taste Helen's desperation to do something, investigate, find the truth, anything rather than just sit and grieve for her partner. As she acknowledges an affair she has had, and the affect that it had on their partnership, she also starts to realise that there are things about Paul that she may not know. Despite a very advanced pregnancy she doesn't want to let it go, let other's seek the truth, her policewoman's instinct is too strong, and her need to be involved overwhelming. What stays with me still after I've finished reading this book is the way that Billingham has written such a finally balanced portrayal of this woman. The other thing that has stayed is how sudden death can leave such an emotional minefield behind.
That's not to say that this book isn't a thriller at the same time. The investigation has a pace of it's own, which is enhanced by the knowledge that as Helen's baby is due very soon, her deadline is immovable. Interspersed with Helen's search for the truth there are other stories, other people involved that night. The impact of gangs and crime is an angle which is explored, but interestingly not completely demonised.
Combine a lot of elements that worked really well as the story progressed, with some final twists and turns as the book draws to a close, and this was one of those excellent thrillers that really makes you stop and think. Serves me right for taking so long to read IN THE DARK. Note to self: try not to make the same mistake with the next book - series or not.
A standalone novel, IN THE DARK is a thriller with an unexpected scenario and an interesting twist. As the blurb outlines, there's a car crash in the night. A driver is forced off the road, into a bus stop. A man (in this case a policeman) is dead. His partner, a policewoman, wants to know why. Why him, what was he doing just before he died, who on earth was the man she thought she knew, how will she explain who he was and what happened to their very soon to be born child.
IN THE DARK is not just the story of her investigation into her partner's death, it's also very much a story about relationships, complications, unfinished business and how people deal with grief. You can just about taste Helen's desperation to do something, investigate, find the truth, anything rather than just sit and grieve for her partner. As she acknowledges an affair she has had, and the affect that it had on their partnership, she also starts to realise that there are things about Paul that she may not know. Despite a very advanced pregnancy she doesn't want to let it go, let other's seek the truth, her policewoman's instinct is too strong, and her need to be involved overwhelming. What stays with me still after I've finished reading this book is the way that Billingham has written such a finally balanced portrayal of this woman. The other thing that has stayed is how sudden death can leave such an emotional minefield behind.
That's not to say that this book isn't a thriller at the same time. The investigation has a pace of it's own, which is enhanced by the knowledge that as Helen's baby is due very soon, her deadline is immovable. Interspersed with Helen's search for the truth there are other stories, other people involved that night. The impact of gangs and crime is an angle which is explored, but interestingly not completely demonised.
Combine a lot of elements that worked really well as the story progressed, with some final twists and turns as the book draws to a close, and this was one of those excellent thrillers that really makes you stop and think. Serves me right for taking so long to read IN THE DARK. Note to self: try not to make the same mistake with the next book - series or not.
wannabekingpin's review against another edition
4.0
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A cop driving at night. A gang with a crew member in need to prove himself. Secrets, lies, cover-ups, and victims.
Paul’s widow Helen, an officer herself, now lonely and expecting, can’t help herself but dig deeper into her husband’s life. It turns out he had way more secrets than she suspected. And much darker ones too. Bit by bit they’re making her see what seemed to be a random gang attack to be something entirely else.
My Opinion: The ending is emotionally brutal to the reader. It was dark, unexpected, hard, but so, so good. Story is very slow to pick up, the pace is horrible. Some dialogues were jagged, characters often turned out to be two dimensional, shallow, not to mention completely random unnecessary scenes. I was about to give this book a poor rating, but then it ended like that, and blew me away. See, as a reader you see a little more than Helen. You see the people around her, who she meets, who she talks to. And whom she starts to sympathize with. And it’s bloody beautiful.
Yeah, it’s one of those books. Makes you sad and happy at the same time. As a reader – you’re satisfied with how it happened. But as a human being you’re probably sad. I give it a shaky little 4 out of 5.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A cop driving at night. A gang with a crew member in need to prove himself. Secrets, lies, cover-ups, and victims.
Paul’s widow Helen, an officer herself, now lonely and expecting, can’t help herself but dig deeper into her husband’s life. It turns out he had way more secrets than she suspected. And much darker ones too. Bit by bit they’re making her see what seemed to be a random gang attack to be something entirely else.
My Opinion: The ending is emotionally brutal to the reader. It was dark, unexpected, hard, but so, so good. Story is very slow to pick up, the pace is horrible. Some dialogues were jagged, characters often turned out to be two dimensional, shallow, not to mention completely random unnecessary scenes. I was about to give this book a poor rating, but then it ended like that, and blew me away. See, as a reader you see a little more than Helen. You see the people around her, who she meets, who she talks to. And whom she starts to sympathize with. And it’s bloody beautiful.
Yeah, it’s one of those books. Makes you sad and happy at the same time. As a reader – you’re satisfied with how it happened. But as a human being you’re probably sad. I give it a shaky little 4 out of 5.
marthagal's review against another edition
4.0
IN THE DARK was the first book that I got to review for HarperCollins. Woo hoo! I told the HarperCollins dude that I had a soft spot for mysteries, so I got this one as well as another into my hot little hands.
This mystery is the story of a cop who may or may not be crooked and his very pregnant girlfriend, whose baby may or may not be his. After a gang-related "accident," the mystery begins.
When I first started this one, I thought I was going to hate it. The mystery as such doesn't start until about 90 pages into the novel, and until the murdered character shows up dead, I had a really hard time liking or caring about any of the characters. I wasn't really interested in the gang world, I thought both Paul and Helen were sort of jerks, and I didn't really understand who all the shady people were and why they were shady.
After the murder, though, this book was ON. I really had a hard time putting it down, and I enjoyed the twists and turns (obviously, I don't want to spoil them, but trust me, they're good). Good stuff!
This mystery is the story of a cop who may or may not be crooked and his very pregnant girlfriend, whose baby may or may not be his. After a gang-related "accident," the mystery begins.
When I first started this one, I thought I was going to hate it. The mystery as such doesn't start until about 90 pages into the novel, and until the murdered character shows up dead, I had a really hard time liking or caring about any of the characters. I wasn't really interested in the gang world, I thought both Paul and Helen were sort of jerks, and I didn't really understand who all the shady people were and why they were shady.
After the murder, though, this book was ON. I really had a hard time putting it down, and I enjoyed the twists and turns (obviously, I don't want to spoil them, but trust me, they're good). Good stuff!
jonwilf's review against another edition
2.0
Worst ending of a crime book in a long time. Huge disappointment.
claire1044's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nayyyxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
amys_booknook's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0