The Dead Room [Paperback]

Chris Mooney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2009

A mother and her son have been executed in their home and fingerprint matches show their attacker died twenty years ago. But how can dead serial killers return to haunt the present? The answers lie in the darkest shadows of The Dead Room. When CSI Darby McCormick is called to the crime scene, it's one of the most gruesome she's ever seen. But the forensic evidence is even more disturbing: someone watched the murder unfold from woodland behind the house - and the killer died in a shoot-out two decades earlier. The deeper Darby digs, the more horrors come to light. Her prime suspect is revealed as a serial killer on an enormous scale, with a past that's even more shocking than his crimes, thanks to a long-held secret that could rock Boston's law enforcement to its core. Is it possible to steal an identity? Or are dead men walking in Darby's footsteps? The line between the living and the dead has never been finer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Mooney is the author of five previous thrillers, of which Remembering Sarah was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for Best Novel. The Missing and The Secret Friend, the first two outings for CSI Darby McCormick, are both available as Penguin paperbacks. Chris lives in Boston with his wife and son.

From AudioFile

Aptly titled, THE DEAD ROOM is Mooney's third in the Darby McCormick series. McCormick is a cop like her dad, who was killed on the mean streets of Boston. She's smart, sharp, and tougher than any man she encounters. Narrator Regina Reagan gives Darby a feistiness that is ideal. The story abounds with multiple characters, subplots, lightning-fast narration, and even faster-paced action, all handled skillfully by Reagan. There's precious little description but lots of violence that borders on melodrama. Darby's always cool (almost inhumanly so), particularly when she settles scores with a child-molesting priest. Those who enjoy forensics details, descriptions of guns, and little distinction between cop and criminal will enjoy this story. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (August 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141039876
• ISBN-13: 978-0141039879
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Scary this ain't, December 14, 2010

By 

Tom H (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dead Room (Paperback)

Agree with the below review, this book is made out to be some sort of serial killer driven thriller and instead plays out like a run of the mill cop action / drama. The author has a habit of ending chapters mid-scene, then continuing with the action in the next, no doubt this is a 'technique' to try to improve the suspense, however after a while it falls flat and is too gimicky. I wanted to be scared, or even just a little spooked but instead I felt like I was reading the equivalent of a long CSI episode.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like it...I really did, October 31, 2009

By 

J. Harrington (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dead Room (Kindle Edition)

I had such high hopes for this book--the blurb on the back was interesting, and normally I love this genre. Sadly, the author made every writing mistake there is to make.

--The hero's introduction is so unrealistic I almost put the book down right then and there. I know authors have to insert a scene or two at the beginning that shows how courageous and wonderful the main character is, but this was ridiculous. The hero (an ivy league-educated, stunningly beautiful, super CSI) wasn't a real woman; she was obviously some sort of super FemBot (who can out-maneuver and out-wit the entire Boston Swat Team).

--His physical descriptions are terrible. Every character looks like an actor--the CSI lead looks like a red-haired Kate Beckinsale; her partner looks like David Beckham. That's just lazy writing, and it indicates a total lack of imagination.

--The plot is taken directly from a 2006 movie (which I won't name). The author didn't even attempt to mask the similarities. Again, that just screams "lack of originality."

--The blurb at the back suggests this is a serial killer novel. It's not and shouldn't be promoted as one.

--The book has a "twist" ending (again, taken directly from a recent popular film). Sadly, the twist at the end is not only totally irrelevant to the plot, but it comes out of nowhere. Basically, the book would have been the same with or without the twist ending.

3.0 out of 5 stars A good yarn but unrealistic, November 28, 2011

By 

Diana M. Hockley "lacock2" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dead Room (Paperback)

If one takes this story at face value, it is a good but blood-thirsty yarn, though the heroine and rather obscure hero (Cooper) are too gorgeous to be true. Not sure why the main characters always have to be gorgeous. The plot is very complicated and involves a number of what one might say are serial killers - they have in fact killed so many people that one would have to call them that. I don't want to give a spoiler, so will just say that if you can suspend disbelief and take the plot at face value, it could be a good read.

Overall, I would have to say that it held my attention and the ending was a twist which I didn't see coming.