Customer Reviews

Good Morning, Darkness

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Young and beautiful Laura Finnegan seems to change each life she touches, she also seems able to capture the heart of every man she comes in contact with. Including the Mexican fisherman who watches her every morning, the cop who teaches her self defense and of course her handsome as a devil, successful boyfriend, Scott Goodsell.

One night she has a fitful nightmare, she's dreamed that Scott has killed her. In the morning she tells him and he tells her to put it out of her mind, it was only a dream. Later Scott takes her out to dinner and proposes, however Laura can't get that dream out of her head and she says no. But Scott isn't the kind of person to take no lightly. He starts following her and this frightens Laura enough that she starts taking self-defense classes taught by LAPD Detective Sergeant Reggie Brooks. To him Laura appears like a wounded animal, someone in dire need of protection and he helps her get a restraining order against Scott.

Then all of a sudden she's gone. Reggie can't believe it. Scott tells him she's moved back east to take care of her sick mother. He can't prove anything, but he's suspisious as all get out, so he starts digging and he won't quit, even though it strains the relationship he has with his wife and children.

This is a dark and brooding story that unfortunately I had to put down at two in the morning, three quarters finished, because I was just too sleepy to go on, but my mind wouldn't rest without knowing the ending, so I wound up dreaming Laura's nightmare. There are mind games galore in this super mystery-thriller that has an ending you won't believe. This is a nail-biting, fast-past and somewhat disturbing book that I highly recommend. You won't go wrong with Ruth Francisco.

Ruth Francisco's books are works of art, something we don't see much of in this day and age. Although this book is primarily about Laura Finnegan, we really don't know anything much about her - except that everyone who meets her loves her, often to the point of obsession. When she disappears, it turns everyone's lives upside-down - and then two dismembered arms wash up on the beach, and some suspect they may have belonged to her. Not knowing if she is dead or alive, Det. Sgt. Reggie Brooks, LAPD Homocide and her martial arts instructor, sets off to find out what happened to her - putting both his marriage and his job in danger.

The layers, twists and turns in this novel will keep you guessing right up until almost the very end; what you discover will be a shocker. Don't miss this amazing book!

Laura Finnegan is the type of woman that men are drawn to. She is almost too perfect in her beauty, but Laura is much more than meets the eye. The author gives us a few clues to her past - a dancer who can't dance anymore - although most of the story focuses on her sociopath boyfriend, Scott Goodsell, a Mexican fisherman who watches her every morning from the pier and Detective Sgt. Reggie Brooks, Laura's martial arts instructor, who becomes obsessed with finding out what happens to her when she suddenly disappears.

The story opens up with Laura telling Scott that she cannot see him anymore because she had a dream that he would kill her. This sets in motion of series of events that keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what "the truth" is and who is guilty of what. When Laura disappears, Det. Reggie becomes even more obsessed with her and jeopardizes his job and marriage to find out what happened to her. Reggie wrestles with his own inner demons during his investigation - does he love Laura or is he only being protective of a vulnerable woman?

There are so many twists and turns in this book that it is impossible to know what is coming next. When you think you have it figured out, Ms. Francisco throws a monkey wrench into the mix and you're back at square one again. I only have a few minor complaints about the book. I thought the gang crime thread was a bit long - I realize the author was trying to convey the scope of Reggie's neglect of his job, but I found myself losing interest in that part of the book. Also, there was some weird formatting on my Kindle every time there was a street name in italics. There was a huge amount of space between the street name and the next word and that was annoying.

"Good Morning, Darkness" is a fantastic thriller and I recommend it to readers who enjoy mysteries and thrillers.

To be honest here, half way thru the book, I almost stopped to write a 3 star review because while I loved this book and spent a whole day reading it until I was finished - a rare thing for me to do - I felt there were a few things that took away from this book.
However - I kept reading, couldn't stop, thought I knew the ending but I DID NOT,and so, when it came time to write a review, I knew I couldn't give it less than 5 stars because it captivated me.
Ruth Francisco has a new fan, and I don't usually even read thrillers - and I will be pacing myself with her books because I got nothing accomplished for a whole day and night and with the holidays coming up, I have too much to do!
Her description is top notch - but - being one who likes to stay on point, this is (was) my only complaint. There was a whole sailing scene that went on and on. There were several characters whose background I didn't need to know (Reggie's wife - even Vivian). The gang crime - if it was a set up to introduce a fleeting "almost" clue, it was tiresome and too drawn out.
Please though, everyone has their quirks and mine is when stories travel off course. Maybe other readers like it, so please, don't let it stop you from buying this awesome book! I'm only trying to give some positive criticism.
What makes me sad is that there are so many "bestselling" authors in the thriller genre that don't even seem to be of Ms. Francisco's caliber - she knocks it out of the park!
This book deserves to be on the Big Screen. Here's hoping it will!

The fundamental theme of this novel is obsession and the price it extracts on all of the characters. The obsession takes human form in the attractive body and movements of Laura Finnegan. Everyone who comes into contact with her, even at a distance, becomes attracted to her like moths to a flame. Her boyfriend, Scott Goodsell, loves her so much he wants to marry her. A nameless Mexican fisherman changes his daily routine so that he can stand outside her home and watch her as she moves around her kitchen. Laura's boss, Mr. Johnson, wants her to the point of committing sexual harassment, something he has done and gotten away with before. Then there is Reggie Brooks, a local police detective but also her martial arts instructor. Laura Finnegan has that rare ability to inspire love and devotion in every man and all are prepared to give up everything they each have for her. Then she vanishes.

The Mexican fisherman finds an arm on a local beach and a few miles away, the matching arm washes ashore in Malibu. Since he hasn't seen Laura in days, he begins to wonder if the arms are hers. He also realizes that he hasn't seen her boyfriend, Scott Goodsell, a man he knows only by the car he drives, a white BMW. Assigned to the case of the found arms, Reggie Brooks begins to wonder as well as Laura hasn't made it to class lately. Mr. Johnson also wonders about her even though he got a letter from her stating that she was quitting her job. While there is no reason to suspect that the found arms and Laura's disappearance are in any way related, the detective and the fisherman believe, for different reasons, they are linked.

Shifting between the boyfriend Scott, to detective Brooks, to the Mexican fisherman, and others, the novel gradually reveals a tale of murder and deceit. A weak storyline of a gangland execution is introduced to provide some complexity to the work and as character development, but is not used to any real effectiveness. Additional story elements of classicism and accounting fraud are used much more effectively used and do enhance the tale, but the primary focus is obsession. Obsession in each character drives the work forward and it is only because of obsession that every single thing happens. The result is a good read that engages the reader from start to finish.



This entire review previously appeared online at OnceWritten.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

Laura entrances men. Her boyfriend, he landlord, her boyfriend's best friend, her defense instructor even the fisherman who watches her through her windows on his way to the pier are all obsessed to one degree or another, not only by her beauty, but by the character that resides beneath her face.

Then Laura disappears and female body parts wash up on the beach near her home. All of these men seek to explain her disappearance and find Laura. Her ex has the best explanation and one that conveniently clears him of any wrongdoing and humiliation surrounding their break-up. All of the other men are convinced that she has disappeared in disturbing circumstances and expect to prove that her disappearance is in fact her death.

On the way to the answers we learn that beauty may be skin deep but brains and character aren't. Laura really is a femme fatale and one that isn't ultimately determined by her relationship to the men enthralled by her beauty. The character's name and the obsessions of the men searching for her is a call-back to classic noir as she seems related to the famous heroine of Laura (Great Mystery Library, No. 3). A good read and recommended for another take on the femme fatale archetype.

I liked this book and when I was looking through all of the books stored on my kindle, I remembered this author, but not the name of this book. Thank goodness Amazon tells you when you've already purchased a book. Once I read the description, I recalled it perfectly. This was a good story, it's entertaining and it held my interest throughout.

I read as much as I find time to - but this book caught me from the first moment. I startet on Saturday and couldn't stopp reading the hole weekend!

This is the first Ruth Francisco ebook I have read and it won't be the last.

Good Morning, Darkness is a very well written book and got my attention from the beginning - Laura's dream - and I stayed hooked throughout the entire story. There are many different characters and they are all needed in this story. I kept thinking I knew how this story was going to end and let me tell you that I was sooo wrong and happily amazed at how this story ended.

Ruth Francisco has a new fan !!

I recommend this book to all. You won't be disappointed believe me.

After reading this book I bought 2 of her other books The Pigtailed Heart and Primal Wound and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Ms. Francisco created a layered, complex story that held my interest. The characters are varied; they range from a likable Mexican fisherman (written in first person) to a sociopath. In between these extremes, we have characters who run the gamut in likability.
The story revolves around a beautiful charismatic woman and, ironically, she is the character we really never know.
The plot is intricately structured, with surprises that keeps you reading.
The writing is excellent and ambitious. I saw echoes of "Laura" and several other fine noirish works.
The only reason I haven't given it five stars is because I feel it could have been developed more fully...it is quite a short novel for so much going on.
I'm going to keep reading Ms. Francisco. I really want to see what she can do.

Pat Gragg
The Rose Killer