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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Newsweek!, March 2, 2006
I found a review lauding SLIPPING INTO DARKNESS on the last couple of pages of NEWSWEEK. For once, a review did the book justice; it may even have understated the merits of this book.
The two protagonists of the book (because there really is no antagonist) are Detective Francis X. Loughlin and ex-convict Julian or Hoolian Vega. Louglin sent Vega to prison for the murder of a young doctor when he was only seventeen, having falsified some of the evidence. Twenty years later Vega is released due to his lawyer's incompetence. But then another young doctor is murdered, and Loughlin sets out to prove Vega is guilty of both murders, despite Louglin's growing problem with his eyesight.
I will admit the above sounds rather like a LAW AND ORDER episode, but Blauner makes up for that with lyrical description and wonderful character development. I am an inveterate mystery reader, and up to page 320, out of 386, I still wasn't sure if Vega was innocent or not. Hoolian Vega is an exceptionally well-rounded character; at times you love him. He is the son of a Puerto Rican apartment superintendent who was pretty close to a saint. He helped his father with maintenance around the building, and that's how he wound up Allison Wallis's apartment. At other times Hoolian acts like a whiny little brat who very well could have murdered Allison. Francis X. Loughlin is also completely believable. As a young cop, he drank to excess and even wound up on "The farm," a rehabilitation facility run by NYPD. He also cheated on his wife and wasn't averse to accepting privileges from his father, a superior on the force. Francis also risks his life and the lives of his fellow officers by driving and chasing suspects in the dark in his impaired state. There is an incredible scene were Francis X. Loughlin winds up on the other side of the interrogation table during which he experiences an epiphany.
I found a lot of similarities between this book and MYSTIC RIVER, one of the best books I've read in the last ten years. There's some suspicious DNA forensics toward the end that I'm tempted to check out for myself, but that just may be the hopeless cynic in me rearing his ugly head.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartwrenching & wonderful - one of the year's best!, February 11, 2006
This is Blauner's best book yet,(and that is saying a lot because he is already an incredible writer). This one shows that even a top writer can kick it up several notches. This book absolutely blew me away, making me care about EVERY single character, from Homicide Detective Francis X. Loughlin to recently released prisoner Julian ("Hoolian") Vega who, the two men at the heart of the book, to the minor characters along the edges.
The title of the book...well, let's just say it works on several levels and becomes more haunting and resonant as the story unfolds, layer by layer. "Slipping into Darkness" is an apt expression for so much of what is happening in both men's lives. The surprise is WHY.
On the surface, this book is about a murder case which is reopened when two victims, decades apart, are found to have the same DNA under their fingernails. So is the convicted man guilty or not? Was the wrong man put away - or has he simply started murdering women again?
If you think you KNOW the answer to that question, think again. One of Blauner's great skills as a writer is that he not only keeps the suspense at fever pitch but keeps things moving along, never slowing the pace.
And he does this with language that is original, fresh and worth savoring.
An example: When writing of "Hoolian" the recently released criminal, Blauner notes that "He'd been to the great universities of fear - Elmira, Auburn, Attica, Clinton- and had studied with the masters. He'd learned the language and customs, the symbols and signifiers. He could tell the difference between mere woofing and dangerous growling and right now he KNEW he had this man scared."
Forget that this book is part of the mystery "genre". If you aren't a big fan of mysteries, read it anyway (trust me- you won't regret it). It transcends all the stereotypes, the patterns, the usual beginnings, middles and endings. It stands on its own...and it is flat out wonderful. I savored every single word, every single page... and when it came to an end, I was haunted by each of the main characters (and a few of the lesser ones as well).
I won't kid you. At times, this was an extremely painful book to read but also a beautiful one, with hope hovering at the edges of the plot, along with all the grimy, sickening twists of human nature and perversion you can imagine, with darkness playing a major role, contrasted against brief glimpses of light...ah, but what glimpses!.
Blauner doesn't miss a beat with this one. I really didn't want it to end. I can't wait for his next book. Can he top this? I can't wait to see.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Working Class Poet, February 27, 2007
I've long been a fan of James Lee Burke's novels, never expecting to find another author with the same depth of characters and moral labyrinths. After stumbling upon an online interview with Mr. Blauner, I decided to give this book a shot.
"Slipping into Darkness" parallels the story of Julian Vega, a young man convicted of murder, and Francis Loughlin, the one responsible for putting Vega away for twenty years. Now, released from prison on a technicality, Julian tries to restore his good name and that of his deceased father--an immigrant whose reputation was tarnished during the decades-old investigation. Julian also tries to find his footing back in the free world, while struggling with his prison-survival mentality. At the same time, Francis is facing his own weaknesses as a cop and a human being, as symbolized through the deterioration of his eye sight. Even as he tries to hide his handicap from his wife and his new partner on the Job, Francis is confronted with a new murder investigation that points fingers once again at the recently-released Julian.
Aside from the completely believable characters that Blauner creates in this story, the most amazing accomplishment is the empathy he stirs in the reader for both Julian and Francis. Neither man is perfect. Both make horrible mistakes. Both are subject to poor decision-making. And yet, both are so human and normal and real, that we are caught up in their internal and external conflicts. These conflicts are intensified by a satisfying mystery plot that leaves things unfinished till the final thirty pages.
This is not squeaky clean fiction, with tidy answers, and diatribes on forgiveness. Despite this--or perhaps, because of it--"Slipping into Darkness" manages to pack a powerful punch, showing the results of bitterness, stubborness, and potential redemption. Blauner has stormed onto my fictional radar. And I'm sure he'll be there for a long time.
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