Customer Reviews

Until Dark

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

 

 

SUMMARY: FBI composite artist Kendra Smith channels her painful past and uses her extraordinary talent to create sketches of criminals so stunningly realistic that her sketches have led to the capture of some of the country's most violent offenders. Her former flame, Agent Adam Stark, has recruited Kendra to sift through varying accounts and come up with a composite of the Soccer Mom Strangler, a vicious serial killer who targets blond, blue-eyed "super moms." Kendra's sketches reflect the physical changes the killer undergoes to hide her identity, but as the body count rises, it becomes clear that he has now fixated on Kendra. His motive, however, is unclear: is he fascinated with her because she's only one step behind him, or is his interest more sinister, related to Kendra's painful past?

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Stewart has a knack for developing strong, balanced, and interesting heroines, and Kendra Smith is no exception. She's imminently likable, and it's impossible not to root for her.

WHY YOU WON'T: Despite able actions sequences and some interesting twists, it is apparent very early on who the perpetrator is and why he's targeting Kendra.

BOTTOM LINE: Lite on the suspense, but heavy on character, this frothy brew is great for whiling away a few hours on a rainy day.

Suspense is never in short supply when a serial killer targets soccer moms near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When FBI agent Adam Stark asks sketch artist Kendra Smith to use her artistic skills to provide a composite of the suspect, she agrees despite her previous romantic involvement with Adam.

As the murders continue, the suspect is able to alter his appearance, making him more of a threat. And in an unusual twist, Agent Stark discovers that the victims are all wearing gold cross necklaces and hair clips similar to Kendra's. The suspense continues to build and becomes multidimensional when the serial killer leaves a clue relating to the murder of Kendra's brother Ian over a decade ago. While the romance between Adam and Kendra seems underdeveloped, the chilling murders, complete with the astounding conclusion, transform this novel into a pulse-pounding read.

A stalker follows FBI compositor Kendra Smith. As she interviews witnesses and create a composite of a serial killer, she does not suspect that she being watched. Nor does she suspect that he specifically targets young mothers just to get her attention. Moreover, her own darkly tragic past creates deep sympathy for the families of the serial killer, having lost her brother and cousin many years ago, and more recently her mother to a supposed suicide.

Agent Adam Stark brings Kendra the package of information that lures her into the investigation into the deaths of these young mothers. Kendra and Adam share a history, sadly disrupted when her mother died. With her back in his life, Adam's determination to protect Kendra and their mutual work brings them closely together.

Life has a tendency to sidetrack me, despite my best intentions. So when a book waits until this long to receive a review, and I still feel the urge to rave, it is certainly one to remember! UNTIL DARK dazzles readers with richly realized characterization that spring from the page, from the spunky heroine to the identity of the serial killer in this fascinating police procedural. With rich emotional nuances, subtle yet creative plot devices, and a romance brewing in the midst, UNTIL DARK provides a fast paced read impossible to put down, coming very highly recommended.

Kendra Smith is an independent sketch artist for several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. She has taken some time off to restore her family home, a house that in the past has brought her much sadness. She is from a prominent New Jersey family, her mother having served as a United States Senator. She has also suffered much sorrow in her life. Eleven years ago, her younger brother had been kidnapped and never returned and her mother had committed suicide. Because of this, she does the best job she can as she wants to help give the closure she's never had to other victims.

She is just about finished with the work on her house when she receives a message from the FBI. They need her help and she is told to expect a package. They didn't tell her old flame Special Agent Adam Stark would be delivering it. The FBI wants Kendra to do a composite of the "Soccer Mom Killer", a serial killer who has been targeting single mothers in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area.

As Kendra and Adam work their hearts out to catch the killer, it becomes apparent the killer has fixated on Kendra as she starts getting strange phone calls and, as the murder investigation moves along, questions begin to arise about her family's tragedies as the killer leaves clues on his victims that tie into Kendra herself.

This is not a story for someone with a weak stomach. The romance between Kendra and Adam is touching and the reason it's been on hold for so long is believable and I sure get why you can't have a torrid love affair while bodies are piling up, so I understand why the romance didn't play a central part to this book and I didn't think it should. This is thriller, not a romance as some would like you to believe. But that was fine by me, as I'm a girl who loves thrillers. I'm only sorry that I only have five stars to give, because I'd give it more if I could.

Until Dark" steals your attention and runs with it until the very last period! Kendra Smith, a freelance artist with the FBI has a way with witnesses and can transform every memory of the killer's face onto paper with uncanny ability. Her own brother and cousin was kidnapped years before but no bodies were ever found. After the trial based on circumstantial evidence, Kendra's mother, a well-known Senator, commits suicide.

The FBI contacts Kendra to help construct a sketch of the "Soccer Mom Killer" so dubbed as he targets single moms who have a career and also are involved with their childrens' lives. Kendra throws herself into this assignment as an attempt to get on with her own life. This difficult assignment is made almost impossible as Kendra must work with an old flame, Special Agent Adam Stark. Are the sparks still waiting to be ignited or were they truly extinquished?

As the bodies mount, Agent Stark discovers that the women have a connection to Kendra, as they all have a cross and butterfly hair clips worn in the same style as Kendra. Kendra's baffled as she's not a single mom, can hardly tell a basketball from a soccer ball but she learns that "You can run from your past but you can't hide from it....."

This was a very good suspense novel. It caught my attention from the very beginning and carried me to the end. I thought it was a fairly good read and was finished without realizing that I had even read that much of the book.
I only had a few problems with it. One, I wouldn't say this was a romantic suspense novel. It had a romantic interest to it, but not one that ever amounted to much or really finished. Maybe Mariah Stewart will continue with their relationship in other novels because the characters were interesting and there is a lot of potential with their line of work for a sequel.
Two, I was really hoping for a surprise ending. I had read another readers review and thought maybe I would be stumped and shocked, but was a little disappointed when I figured it out early in the story.
Last, the story didn't seem to have any kind of finality. Maybe there is another sequel out there. The story had a touch of an ending but still left me hanging.
Nevertheless, it was a good read and I will try more books by Mariah Stewart.

Kendar Smith has made it her life's work to give crime victims something she never had, a sense of closure by helping witnesses recount small details that they might have forgotten or ignored. These details can help lead to finding the criminals who destroyed their lives. Because her brother was kidnapped and never found, she has never had that closure except vicariously through those she helps.

It is her unique level of talent that causes the FBI to bring Kendra in on a terrifying serial killer investigation. Someone is killing average housewives and leaving few clues. As Kendra works with Agent Adam Stark, the man she once upon a time loved, two things happen. First, the passion Adam and Kendra once held for one another rekindles, and two, it becomes apparent that the killer is someone with a tie to Kendra.

**** Ms. Stewart gives her readers a complex and terrifying mystery, one that shows how a small detail can change or destroy life. Nothing is unimportant. A thriller hangs on the villain, and in Until Dark, the killer's diabolic qualities makes it a true chiller. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Until Dark I loved this book, I thought I knew who the antaganist was,but when the person was revealed at the last minute I was shocked. This goes to show Mariah Stewart is a master at her craft.
I try to find as many Mariah Stewart books as I can. I started with the Dead Certain series, now I have the Dark Truth series to the President Daughter and Brown Eyed Girl among others. I am on the look out for more. I even go back and reread her books even though I have over a hundred other books in my library to chose from.

I've read many fiction books where law enforcement officers have to stop a dangerous, cunning killer. This book is better than most - a page-turner that I could not put down. The main character, Kendra Smith, was well-developed which allowed me to better relate to her actions and motivations. Several side plots were nicely tied up near the end of the book. There was also a big twist that left me saying,"Oh my goodness, if this is true. . .get out of the house now!" If you like simple plots, a plodding pace, and cardboard heroes, then this is NOT the book for you. :<)

My first read of Mariah Stewart's novels, Until dark held me in suspense throughout the book, page by page. From beginning til end, I had a suspicion who the 'baddie' was, but getting t the end was a wonderful experience.

For those of you who hate the idea of reading a romance novel... take heed. I didn't realize this was classified as a romantic suspense until I was within 50 pages of the end when a co-worker pointed it out to me. As good as any of the main-stream suspense writers out there in my opinion. A great read!!!