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sea_caummisar's review
4.0
Have you ever really enjoyed a book, but the ending just didn't feel right? I guess horror books are known for that. This read was so much detective and police stuff that I thought I was reading a thriller, but then it throws a curve ball that turns it into horror. In all honesty, I'm not big on paranormal stuff, but overall I still enjoyed this book.
kazza27's review
4.0
Thank you Tracy Fenton for my invitation to the tour and for my copy of the e book in return for a fair and honest review.
John Dark’s daughter Emily went missing two years ago and finding her has become an obsession, he decides that it is time to return to work as Detective and finds himself on a complex and unusual homicide case. Which from the outset he has a hunch that all is not as it appears.
The book also goes back to when Emily disappeared and to Lonei, Dark’s wife’s and her experience of this time.
Dark and his partner Monique interview the prime suspect, Michael Stillwater, the husband of the victim although Dark does not think he is guilty however there is no sign of anyone else at the scene of the crime so it looks like he must have committed the murder.
This is a really gripping thriller with plenty of darkness and not just in the name of the characters. It is creepy and when a second murder happens Dark knows his instinct was correct. I really enjoyed this book, it definitely gave me Silence of the Lambs vibes. With the gruesome occurrences and almost theatrical arrangement of the bodies. I really didn’t expect the way the book turned but I was hooked right to the conclusion. Fantastic read!
4 stars ****
John Dark’s daughter Emily went missing two years ago and finding her has become an obsession, he decides that it is time to return to work as Detective and finds himself on a complex and unusual homicide case. Which from the outset he has a hunch that all is not as it appears.
The book also goes back to when Emily disappeared and to Lonei, Dark’s wife’s and her experience of this time.
Dark and his partner Monique interview the prime suspect, Michael Stillwater, the husband of the victim although Dark does not think he is guilty however there is no sign of anyone else at the scene of the crime so it looks like he must have committed the murder.
This is a really gripping thriller with plenty of darkness and not just in the name of the characters. It is creepy and when a second murder happens Dark knows his instinct was correct. I really enjoyed this book, it definitely gave me Silence of the Lambs vibes. With the gruesome occurrences and almost theatrical arrangement of the bodies. I really didn’t expect the way the book turned but I was hooked right to the conclusion. Fantastic read!
4 stars ****
zooloo1983's review
5.0
Wow wow wow wow and guess what wow! This is everything I wanted and needed in a book. I saw the cover and I knew it was a book I needed to read. This book hooked me in from the get-go and neither John nor Daniel would let me go.
Opening up with us meeting John, he is searching for his missing daughter and my heart was breaking. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through, however, through Johann’s writing I felt it. I felt the lows of the cold case, the hope, false or otherwise to find his daughter, and well the highs were minimal.
However, we then meet Daniel, and my heart went out for him and his situation and I seriously had no idea how he would slot into this story. When we start to see the magic of these threads by the author, I didn’t foresee this story.
The case Dark is forced on, one to shut quick to get back on the team with his partner, is just so bizarre and creepy! I was thrilled by it, by the description of how things played out and the arrangement. Yes, they are terrifying but there was something quite ethereal about it.
Between these murders and Daniel, I had such a strong feeling of the Hannibal TV show. The way they introduced Will Graham and how he sees the world and how the murders are done, artistically, horrifying and something kind of beautiful, which is exactly what you find here. Daniel views the world in a similar fashion and well the murders…..they have the same effect of awe and shock. I was mesmerised by the language, description and writing by Johann. To have me feeling all of these feelings about murders and people is just amazing.
Not only did he hook me in, keep me dangling with the side stories, but that ending, that epilogue! I mean jeez! What a clanger and a banger of one! I need to read the next book, I need to know more about that epilogue and the darkness coming, how it will all link together and will we get any closure.
I really have been so excited about this book. I loved every aspect of it, as we explored so much, we see Detective Dark, we see John Dark and we see John. During this book, we live with his different personas and aspects of his life. This book has played on my mind and I am still thinking about it.
There is so much to discuss but I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to do, but what a book! If you like crime thrillers, with a lot of added twists and thrills then pick this up. However, if you have that sensation that your body isn’t yours anymore, that someone is in your house….RUN
Opening up with us meeting John, he is searching for his missing daughter and my heart was breaking. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through, however, through Johann’s writing I felt it. I felt the lows of the cold case, the hope, false or otherwise to find his daughter, and well the highs were minimal.
However, we then meet Daniel, and my heart went out for him and his situation and I seriously had no idea how he would slot into this story. When we start to see the magic of these threads by the author, I didn’t foresee this story.
The case Dark is forced on, one to shut quick to get back on the team with his partner, is just so bizarre and creepy! I was thrilled by it, by the description of how things played out and the arrangement. Yes, they are terrifying but there was something quite ethereal about it.
Between these murders and Daniel, I had such a strong feeling of the Hannibal TV show. The way they introduced Will Graham and how he sees the world and how the murders are done, artistically, horrifying and something kind of beautiful, which is exactly what you find here. Daniel views the world in a similar fashion and well the murders…..they have the same effect of awe and shock. I was mesmerised by the language, description and writing by Johann. To have me feeling all of these feelings about murders and people is just amazing.
Not only did he hook me in, keep me dangling with the side stories, but that ending, that epilogue! I mean jeez! What a clanger and a banger of one! I need to read the next book, I need to know more about that epilogue and the darkness coming, how it will all link together and will we get any closure.
I really have been so excited about this book. I loved every aspect of it, as we explored so much, we see Detective Dark, we see John Dark and we see John. During this book, we live with his different personas and aspects of his life. This book has played on my mind and I am still thinking about it.
There is so much to discuss but I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to do, but what a book! If you like crime thrillers, with a lot of added twists and thrills then pick this up. However, if you have that sensation that your body isn’t yours anymore, that someone is in your house….RUN
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
4.0
Whitesands is a mysterious, haunting, and exceptionally ambitious debut novel. It was tragic and lyrical. Johann Thorsson has various examples of excellent social commentaries running through the heart of the plot. Racial prejudice, spousal murder, and child abduction make for an ominous threat. It gave the reader the feeling of a threat hiding in the shadows, and I was willing to discover the stories’ secrets. Dip your toe into the grey waters, it’s not comfortable and it threatens to swallow you whole, there are moments where the subject matter is not enjoyable, but this is crime fiction…its darkness is where we feel at home.
Thorsson delves into the human condition, from feeling the failures of not being able to track your missing daughter, especially as an active detective to looking for redemption in finding someone else’s, we feel a spectrum of emotions in the characters. The mind is a maze, and you feel the protagonist, John Dark being lost within the maze of his mind. He’s trying to search for long-gone evidence and just finding a dead end. I was rooting for him through the intricate plot.
Whitesands features John Dark, a father and police officer that never stops searching for his missing daughter, Emily. Unfortunately, he overstepped boundaries and found himself demoted. He’s now investigating the brutal murder of a successful woman. The husband claims it wasn’t him, however, the physical evidence surrounding the scene can only point in one direction – his. There was no forced entry and no entered or left the house during the time of the murder. He is adamant it wasn’t him – for some reason Dark believes him, but how then do they account for the evidence? Conflicting emotions fought for over 300 pages, did he, or didn’t he?
Whilst investigating the mounting homicides that seem to be connected by a school attended by the accused, Dark is still trying to find a way to locate his daughter, either dead or alive. I don’t think there would be anything worse than failing to find your child, wondering if they are no longer part of this world, wondering if they suffered, wondering if they could still walk through your door. Dark and his wife Loeni have had their lives stolen and are doing everything to just get through each day. They are dragging along a suitcase of pain.
Whitesands is a story that has you feeling in a state of paralysis upon finishing. It’s bleak and unforgiving and will leave your heart feeling raw and ragged. The supernatural element will have you looking over your shoulder and fighting sleep. We were plunged into darkness, but the author gives you a torch, your only tool to fight it – he doesn’t take any shortcuts and his story benefits from that endless supply of grit and determination.
Thorsson delves into the human condition, from feeling the failures of not being able to track your missing daughter, especially as an active detective to looking for redemption in finding someone else’s, we feel a spectrum of emotions in the characters. The mind is a maze, and you feel the protagonist, John Dark being lost within the maze of his mind. He’s trying to search for long-gone evidence and just finding a dead end. I was rooting for him through the intricate plot.
Whitesands features John Dark, a father and police officer that never stops searching for his missing daughter, Emily. Unfortunately, he overstepped boundaries and found himself demoted. He’s now investigating the brutal murder of a successful woman. The husband claims it wasn’t him, however, the physical evidence surrounding the scene can only point in one direction – his. There was no forced entry and no entered or left the house during the time of the murder. He is adamant it wasn’t him – for some reason Dark believes him, but how then do they account for the evidence? Conflicting emotions fought for over 300 pages, did he, or didn’t he?
Whilst investigating the mounting homicides that seem to be connected by a school attended by the accused, Dark is still trying to find a way to locate his daughter, either dead or alive. I don’t think there would be anything worse than failing to find your child, wondering if they are no longer part of this world, wondering if they suffered, wondering if they could still walk through your door. Dark and his wife Loeni have had their lives stolen and are doing everything to just get through each day. They are dragging along a suitcase of pain.
Whitesands is a story that has you feeling in a state of paralysis upon finishing. It’s bleak and unforgiving and will leave your heart feeling raw and ragged. The supernatural element will have you looking over your shoulder and fighting sleep. We were plunged into darkness, but the author gives you a torch, your only tool to fight it – he doesn’t take any shortcuts and his story benefits from that endless supply of grit and determination.
neilsb's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
kass32's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bthorsson's review against another edition
5.0
A true dective thriller and a page turner. You keep dont want to put the book down and just want to keep reading it. Can not recommend this book enough. Nobody will be disapoined.
micahcastle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received a copy of Whitesands from the author for the possibility of consideration for a Bram Stoker Award.
Full of apathy and desperation, tinged with nihilism and misanthropy.
Thoroughly enjoyed Whitesands. Thorsson did a fantastic job. I await the next book.
Full of apathy and desperation, tinged with nihilism and misanthropy.
Thoroughly enjoyed Whitesands. Thorsson did a fantastic job. I await the next book.
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