#allthebookreviews: Path Into Darkness by Lisa Alber @midnightinkbook @lisaalber
Path Into Darknessby Lisa Alber
Midnight Ink Books
Big thank you to Midnight Ink Books for our copies in return for our honest reviews.
By the author of Whispers in the Mist, heralded by Library Journalas "a first-rate crime novel," comes this haunting tale of family secrets, madness, and healing in small-town Ireland
Lisfenora is known across the British Isles for its yearly matchmaking festival. But a local man's murder and the grim discovery in his home have cast a somber mood over the town. Detective Sergeant Danny Ahern tries to make sense of the chaotic scene while struggling to set aside moral conflicts and grief for his comatose wife. Within days, he's plunged into even darker terrain when the investigation leads him on a collision course with the Tate family: troubled Nathan, who conceals secrets within ghastly secrets, and beautiful Zoe, the daughter Nathan abandoned years ago.
In this "dark, compelling mystery" (Booklist), one man is propelled toward a tragic downfall while the other struggles to walk the narrow path between life and death.
My Thoughts:
Putting all that aside, this was a fantastic, atmospheric read. It starts out with the death of Elder Joe and Detective Danny Ahern is on the case. Of course, Danny has his own set of issues and with the upcoming matchmaking festival (can you imagine?!?!), he feel pressured to get this solved quickly. Nathan Tate and his daughter Zoe come into the scene and boy oh boy does Nathan have some interesting secrets of his own.
Adler does a great job in pulling all the nuances together. She builds Ireland's atmosphere in such a way that you feel like you are there - extremely well written descriptions help you picture it all. I didn't find many of the characters likable but in this case, I liked not liking them (get me?) Adding twists and turns at every corner, you're in for a corkscrew of a ride.
★★★★
Jessica's Thoughts:
This atmospheric murder mystery thriller was an absorbing read. While Lisa Alber's PATH INTO DARKNESS is book three in the County Clare series, you can read it as a standalone. I do want to go back and read books 1 and 2 simply because the development of some of the relationships is missing. So I did feel like I was missing some background information.
Taking place in Lisfenora, Ireland we start with the discovery of Elder Joe's body in his cottage. Detective Sergeant Danny Ahern is assigned to the murder case, but he is dealing with his own demons that he's trying to keep at bay. With the town's annual matchmaking festival quickly approaching, the pressure is on to catch the killer. His investigation leads him to the Tate family. Nathan has his dark secrets within his secrets, so needless to say he's troubled, and then there's Zoe, the daughter he had abandoned years ago.
It amazed me how descriptive Alber was, without it feeling too wordy. Sometimes overly descriptive novels feel like they drag on and on. It felt like I was actually there in Lisfenora with the characters and experiencing everything with them. I will say that I'd recommend reading the first two novels. I'm definitely missing some background information and the development of the returning characters. So the transition into their current situations was a little lost on me (hence why I took off half a star).
There were twists and turns, and very disturbing secrets revealed about the residents in this quiet town. If you want an atmospheric murder mystery thriller with flawed characters, then I'd highly recommend this one to you!
I give this 4.5/5 stars!
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