Customer Reviews

Darkness Gathers (Lydia Strong 2)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read the first Lydia Strong story, "Angel Fire," and I had such a good time I got this next one the minute it came out. And I was pleased to find that the series (at least I sure hope it will be) is getting better all the time -- the relationship between Lydia and Jeffrey getting stronger, the stories even more complex and intriguing (and scary, too). Miscone takes on a lot in her plots, but she makes it all work beautifully in the end.

I won't give a summary of the book, since that has been done, but suffice to say I found Miscione's portrayal of the chaos in Albania as well as the trafficking of women and girls into sexual slavery realistic and compelling. Distractors were the author's penchant for dropping brand-names throughout the book and the fact that Lydia's boyfriend willingly follows along, even when she places them into dangerous situations. And he should know better - he's a former FBI agent. But all in all, this is a good book and shows the author has done her research well.

The Darkness Gathers leaves you breathless. Good character developement along with intriguing plot from a talented writer.

I recently read Lisa Miscione's first novel, 'Angel Fire' in which she introduces Lydia Strong and Jeffrey Mark. I was so impressed by that book that as soon as it was published I purchased 'The Darkness Gathers'. I'm often disappointed when I revisit charachters of whom I am fond because the second attempt is rushed and not as clever. This new Lydia Strong mystery does not dissappoint. It has the same crisp and somewhat dark style and well drawn characters. The story is suspenseful and intriguing. It takes the reader from the cool streets of New york to the hot Miami nights and to the ravaged country of Albania. The action never stops. I stayed up way too late to finish this one. I highly reccommend it.

After reading "Angel Fire" I was curious about "The Darkness Gathers". I found this book well written and captivating. This writer has the gift of rising the interest of the reader and keeping that interest fed. It is a page turner and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book grabbed my attention from the very first chapter, and kept a hold of it all the way through. Miscione's creative storyline makes this book much more interesting than the typical private detective mysteries out there. With plot twists and different locations being explored by the multidimensional characters, this book really stands out from everything that I have read recently.

I picked up this book and could not put it down. It really has it all; richly developed characters, exciting action, snuff films (which is an interesting topic), Albanian pyramid schemes, and evil corporations. Add to all this Miscione's engaging writing style and you really have a winner. I fully recommend this book to anyone.

I quite enjoyed the first Lydia Strong novel, Angel Fire, which had an interesting plot, fairly good character development (very few weaknesses), and which flowed nicely. The world she created was mainly believable -- something missing in too many novels.
This one, not so much.
Others have discussed the plot and whatnot enough, so I won't repeat. In the plot, I found there to be too many connections that were not credible. What got me, finally, was the existence of some vast conspiracy of a few unknown people basically controlling the world -- but each identified by wearing a ring with a distinctive symbol.
Based upon the first of the series, I'll probably go ahead and read the third book, but it's no longer high on my priority list.

This is a pretty solid follow up to Angel Fire and I was actually surprised to find that the book was definitely more than what it seemed in the beginning by the time I finished it up.

Trouble finds Lydia Strong once again. An anonymous envelope containing a disturbing recording leads Lydia and her now boyfriend/partner Jeffry Mark on a dark journey. What seems to be a standard missing persons case is anything but as the story progresses.

I liked the progression of Lydia and Jeffery's characters and their relationship. It just seemed 'right' even though that sounds a little cliched =) There were a couple elements in the book that I thought were a bit too much, too big, namely a somewhat faceless villain that lurks in the shadows of society. I don't want to spoil too much for anybody who hasn't read the novel yet. It works for the novel, don't get me wrong, but it seems a little too grandiose. That's all I'll say on that.

Overall a good entertaining read with some surprising twists and turns with solid characterization and character moments as well as some pretty satisfying action. Lisa Miscione/Unger sure does have a handle on darker themes and that's absolutely a good thing!

Darkness Gathers has many ingredients for success: an appealing heroine, the heroine's ambivalent relationship with a male love interest, colorful settings, and an intriguing opening salvo: a tape recording mailed anonymously to the heroine.

I really wanted to like this book, as we need more new authors and more detectives. And I hope the author takes the next step to write a breakout novel next time.

I'll let other reviewers describe the plot -- and I agree with those who say it's "ambitious," even audacious. What stopped me was pacing. I kept wanting to take my own blue pencil to the copy and cut, cut cut!

The book opens with a long flashback, which didn't seem necessary. Lydia's childhood traumas may have led her to become a journalist of crime, but that deserves a sentence or two. Think of Ranger Anna Pigeon in the Nevada Barr series. We learn early that the heroine was widowed early and tragically -- but from New York widowhood to Park Service Ranger is a story that was left untold for six or so volumes, and we didn't miss it.

After reading Sol Stein's books on writing, I've become more conscious of redundant words and phrases, so perhaps I'm overly sensitive. I noticed that Lydia wore a "jade black hair clip" in her "black hair." Um...what other type of clip would she wear? How about just "pulled into a knot with a shiny black clip?"

You can pick almost any page, if you're so inclined:
"He took hold of her hand and rolled over onto his back, displaying his enviable abs and pecs..."

Or "She reached over ... with fingers cool and moist from the sweating plastic cup she held."

Less description, more action -- especially if the author uses the omniscient viewpoint, where we readers are like outsiders watching a show. And description can be presented with action.

My other quibbles:
We're told over and over again that Lydia has a special sense -- but it's not clear how she uses that sense in her work. Anyone who receives an anonymous tape, referring to a kidnapped girl, might be just a wee bit curious!

I had trouble with the far-flung plot -- Albanian kidnappings tied in with a villain from Lydia's dark past. I'd also like to see more sides to Lydia and Jeffrey. Instead of tagging along on Lydia's hare-brained ideas, Jeffrey needs to work his own caseload. He comes across as a little wimpy -- chasing after a woman who has her own agenda. Lovesick is fine for a tale or two but at some point we need gumption!

These two need to get into a solid fight and stop speaking sometime! If Jeffrey wants a relationship, he'd better start poking around...and let Lydia sulk and question her own feelings. And I didn't buy the detective opening his heart and files to two out-of-towners, just like that.

The author has talent and imagination. With a heavy dose of editing, and some complexity of character development, her next book could be a breakthrough.