Darkness All Around - Doug Magee

The gals over at TLC know their readers, which is why every time they come a-callin', I end up accepting a review opportunity.  This time around, they waved a mystery thriller in front of me (my brain candy) and I bit.  I'd never heard of the author before, but when has that ever stopped me?  Sometimes it is good to bust out of the series habit.


Synopsis:  It has been eleven years since Risa's best friend Carol was brutally murdered and her alcoholic husband Sean disappeared.  She has moved on...Sean was declared legally dead, she has remarried a local politician, who adopted her son Kevin and accepted him as his own.


Everyone's life is turned upside down then, when Sean shows up one day, claiming an accident resulting in brain injury has caused strange memories to come forth...memories that torment him and make him believe that he was the one who killed Carol, not the man convicted.  He intends to turn himself in, which would implode Risa's entire life.  There are so many unanswered questions in Risa's mind as well.  Does she still have feelings for her ex-husband?  How could the man she loved and had a child with been the one to savagely kill Carol?  Plus her husband is acting irrationally.  Is there more going on here than his concern for his political career?


My thoughts:  There are many stories out there right now that deal with memory loss, and mysteries that are complicated by its presence.  The mind is a tricky little thing...it plays games and nothing is ever straightforward, which makes it a great plot device. For this reason, the story is intriguing.  Sean is a sympathetic character, and even though he may have murdered someone, you feel his pain in trying to interpret his visions and in wanting to do the right thing.


Overall, however, while the mystery is entertaining and a quick read, it is ultimately forgettable.  Besides Sean, none of the characters inspired any investment on my part.  I found the bad guys two-dimensionally bad and Risa to be under-developed.  There were twists, but in my opinion were predictable in their setup, and you could see the big reveal a mile away.  Still, the pace was fast and the writing flowed easily.


If you want an easy airplane or beach read, or have an interest in a memory loss mystery, you might want to check this one out.  It probably isn't one that will linger in your mind, but sometimes that isn't a requirement.  


3 out of 5 stars