Dark Room: A Novel [Hardcover]

Andrea Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2007

On Christmas Eve seventeen years ago, Morgan Winter was traumatized by the discovery of her parents' brutally murdered bodies in a Brooklyn basement. When shocking new evidence overturns the killer's conviction, Morgan is forced to face the horrifying realization that the real killer is still out there.

Trapped between past nightmares and present danger, she hires Pete Montgomery, the former NYPD detective who once promised the helpless young Morgan that he'd find her parents' killer. With nothing more than an old case file and crime scene photos, Monty enlists the specialized skills of his son, Lane, a photojournalist who performs covert image analysis for the CIA. In a cruel twist of fate, they expose the devastating secrets of the dark past, only to discover that while the dead may be buried, danger lives on . . .

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thriller readers who prefer a heavy dose of romance will most appreciate this contemporary whodunit from bestseller Kane (Run for Your Life). Morgan Winter, after the trauma of discovering her parents' corpses as a child, has rebuilt her life and established a high-class matchmaking service in Manhattan. Winter's world is rocked when the man who confessed to the murders is exonerated, and the inquiry is reopened. Fortunately, Pete Montgomery, who was the lead NYPD detective on the case and is now a PI, accepts the assignment of solving the decades-old crimes. Lending assistance is Montgomery's photojournalist son, Lane, whose contacts in the intelligence community prove useful. Predictably, the emotionally fragile Winter falls for the hunky photographer, and the two begin a torrid romance. The identity of the figure behind the murders will surprise few. Those looking for the sort of insider details about law-enforcement that mark the work of a Linda Fairstein will be disappointed. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Morgan Winter is forced to confront her nightmares when she finds out that the man sent to prison for her parents' murder did not commit the crime. She was only 10 when she discovered her parents' bodies in the basement of the Brooklyn shelter where her mother worked. The lead detective helped her cope on that horrendous night, and now that Monty is a private investigator, Morgan hopes that he can solve the case once and for all. Never happy with the conclusion of the investigation, Monty promises to do his best for Morgan no matter whose toes he steps on, whether it's those of the congressman who raised Morgan or the arms dealers with CIA connections. The stakes are high as Morgan is pressured to back off on her quest for the truth and justice. With complex characters and a suspenseful plot, Kane has created a winning romantic suspense novel that will add to her acclaim and attract new fans. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060741341
• ISBN-13: 978-0060741341
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Cold Case from Hell, March 27, 2007

By 

Wantz Upon A Time Reviews (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Room: A Novel (Hardcover)

Morgan Winter was just a child when she found her parents' brutally murdered bodies on Christmas Eve. Seventeen years later, the man who confessed to the killings has been cleared of the crime, meaning that the real murderer got away with the crime.

Private Investigator Pete "Monty" Montgomery worked the original case while a homicide detective with the NYPD. Something always seemed off about the quick solving of the murders, and now he needs dig up the truth, for his sake as well as Morgan's. But solving the case will expose dirty secrets someone is willing to do anything to keep hidden.

Bestselling author Andrea Kane brings readers another suspenseful novel in DARK ROOM. Morgan Winter is a haunted young woman who is trying to make her way in a world forever shadowed by her past. As a character, she initially comes across as inconsistent--alternating between intensely traumatized versus forthright and strong--but this unusual blend of traits balances out to create an unexpectedly interesting character. PI Montgomery is a likeable gumshoe readers are sure to enjoy, as is his son, who becomes Morgan's romantic interest. The plot moves along at a decent pace with clever twists, although some plot devices toward the end of the book push the believability factor quite a bit. Still, Kane brings great characters and a unique story together for an enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
01/03/2007

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great characters but somewhat predictable, August 13, 2007

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Room: A Novel (Hardcover)

Nightmares have plagued Morgan Winter since discovering her parent's corpses when she was ten. During that intense time, she bonded with the detective assigned the case. With the culprit in jail, she felt a small sense of relief until it is uncovered that he confessed to the crimes in order to avoid a cop killing conviction, and the crime is once again unsolved. The now retired detective, Pete Montgomery, always felt that the wrong person was convicted, and now Morgan has hired him to find the real killer. With the aid of his son Lane, a photographer who freelances for several clandestine organizations (thus having great resources and equipment), new details in the crime scene photos pop up to provide more questions. Lane and Morgan form an instant attraction. But as the investigation gets closer to the truth, Morgan becomes a target.

In a follow up to "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" featuring Pete's daughter Devon, Kane's latest is packed with action, but it's a bit predictable (I guessed the culprit within the first couple chapters). In Morgan, she's created a heroine that's both strong and fragile at the same time, and it's nice to see a hero in a job other than police detective. Despite the flaws, readers will be enthralled with how the story plays out as, Kane is a master at creating compelling characters.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Edgy Thriller!, April 3, 2007

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Room: A Novel (Hardcover)

Seventeen years ago, Morgan Winters found her parents murdered in the basement of her mother's woman's shelter. The ordeal shaped the woman she has become and she still fights the nightmares that plague her sleep. Then she gets a phone call from Monty, the detective that helped her all those years earlier. The man they put in jail for the murder of her parents isn't responsible. The killer is still at large and this time he'll be caught if Monty has anything to do about it. He enlists his son, Lane's help and by doing so gives Morgan a lifeline she never imagined needing, let alone wanting. Together she and Lane will try to stay one step ahead of a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his dark secret.

Ms. Kane's latest suspense read will offer the reader a great escape. With plenty of twists and turns and a colorful cast of characters there is plenty here to keep the reader entertained. Once again we get to visit with Monty the hardened P.I with a heart of gold. The reader will be left guessing who the dark killer is right up to the end. For long time fans of Kane who fell in love with her historical romance stories of the late `90's might feel a disappointed by the lack of romance...this is more mainstream suspense rather then romantic suspense. Romance is an element within the story...but not the main thread. Still, this is a title worth picking up for the storytelling alone.