The Darkness Gathers: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Lisa Miscione (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2004

Fifteen and gorgeous, Tatiana Quinn disappears from her Miami bedroom sometime after midnight. Her backpack, $160 stashed in her jewelry box, and her favorite clothes are also missing. The police conclude she ran away. Her wealthy father quickly posts a million-dollar reward for her safe return. But the beautiful teen has not been found.

Then Pulitzer Prize-winning true crime writer Lydia Strong gets an audio tape in the mail. Becoming a celebrity has made Lydia a magnet for requests from psychotics, prisoners, and the desperate families of murder victims. Cautiously she plays the tape and hears a girl calling herself Tatiana pleading for help. Now Lydia and her lover P.I. Jeffrey Mark, an ex-FBI agent, rush to Florida...and enter into a nightmare. Something seems fishy about the Quinn household. Something seems strange about the original investigation. And someone very powerful wants to kill the case. Simplest method? Make sure a nosy writer is good...and dead.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After her well-received debut, Angel Fire (2002), Miscione stumbles in her second thriller to feature true-crime writer and part-time PI Lydia Strong. An anonymous plea for help sends Lydia and ex-FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, her lover and partner, to Miami to investigate the fate of young Tatiana Quinn, who has disappeared from her wealthy home where she lived with her stepfather Nathan Quinn and her Albanian mother. Miscione isn't afraid to think big, and her complicated plot throws her heroes into a case that involves Miami cops, the FBI, a cartel of immensely powerful and wealthy men, snuff films, girls sold into sexual slavery and plenty of enforcers. The action roils from New York to Miami, to Eastern Europe and back to New York with the body count steadily growing. The book's blend of glitz (the author drops brand names faster than you can say Dior), action and a strong female lead will appeal as long as readers are willing to forgive a plot that never begins to convince.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The second in Miscione's series featuring true-crime writer Lydia Strong is a winner. Just back from a book tour, Lydia hopes to spend time with her former-FBI beau, Jeffrey Mark, in their swanky New York City home. Then she opens the mail and finds a strange package containing a tape of a young girl named Tatiana crying for help, accompanied by an anonymous note pleading for Lydia to find the missing girl. She and Jeffrey are soon flying to Miami to meet with the detective in charge of the case. Tatiana's reticent Albanian mother and rich, powerful father hinder Lydia's investigation, as do unseen bad guys who try to shake her off the case. A complex adventure unfolds, involving the Albanian government and a serial killer from Lydia's past. With potential witnesses dropping dead (literally) at her feet, Lydia realizes that she is dealing with a much larger entity than a single kidnapper. An exciting story enriched by a glamorous writer-heroine who carries a Glock and knows how to use it. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312990022
• ISBN-13: 978-0312990022
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The second time is even better., April 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Darkness Gathers: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling!, June 11, 2003

By 

Kelly Delaney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Darkness Gathers: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Darkness Gathers: A Novel (Hardcover)

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