Title: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
A modern master of suspense, critically acclaimed author Charlie Donlea returns with a taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . .
The truth is easy to miss, even when it’s right in front of us. As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office a week after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case come to life once more.
In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigation skills appear to have led to his identity. But before they could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder—the only crime the DA could pin on him. But the cryptic file Rory finds in her father’s law office suggests there is more to the case, and Angela Mitchell, than what was fed to the public, the details of which have been buried for four decades.
Rory’s talents are tested as she begins reconstructing Angela’s last days. Making one startling discovery after another, Rory becomes helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. Drawing connections between the past and present, Rory uncovers dark truths about the reclusive victim, her father, and the man called The Thief that send her down a twisting trail where things may not be as they appear. As she continues to dig, even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging . . .
Review:
Weaving back and forth in time, Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea is a spellbinding mystery.
Rory Moore is a very gifted forensic recontructionist who fully immerses herself in the cases she takes on. After taking six months off, Walter Byrd asks her to repair his slain daughter’s broken china doll. But what he really wants is Rory’s help in solving Camille’s still unsolved murder. She agrees to both requests but before she can begin, Rory is devastated by a personal loss.
Although she has a law degree, Rory is not a practicing lawyer. But with one of her father’s clients, a notorious suspected serial killer dubbed The Thief about to be released from prison on parole, she agrees to represent him. The Thief was convicted of murdering Angela Mitchell forty years earlier and Rory is tasked with making sure the now 68 year old man integrates back into society and adheres to the conditions of his parole. While cleaning out her father’s office, Rory uncovers shocking information that completely upends her life. As she tries to understand why her father represented The Thief for over thirty years, Rory is fascinated by the case but will she find definitive proof the soon to be released murderer is guilty of the other murders he is suspected of committing?
Rory is an extremely intelligent but highly regimented woman who sees connections others miss. She is somewhat socially awkward and she successfully distances herself from people around her. Rory works with the Chicago Police Department solving murders which have gone cold. She also partners with University Professor (and her longtime lover) Lane Phillips on their project which uses an algorithm that reveals links between seemingly unrelated murders. Rory turns to her china doll repair to calm her when she experiences sensory overload.
In 1979, the city of Chicago is in the midst of panic as young woman vanish without a trace. Twenty-nine year old Angela Mitchell is obsessed with the case and she extensively researches the victims to identify a connection between their cases. Her in-depth examination has revealed what she believes to be a pattern of murders that stretches back a decade. Unable to give up searching for the truth, Angela uncovers evidence she sends to the police but she disappears before they can question her. Although her body has never been found, The Thief was convicted of her murder and sentenced to a sixty year prison term.
Some Choose Darkness is an absolutely fascinating novel of obsession and murder. Both Rory and Angela are multi-layered characters who are incredibly intelligent. The plot is tautly written and the story arcs diverge in a very shocking manner. With very intriguing red herrings and a few misdirects, Charlie Donlea brings this sinister mystery to an unexpected and stunning conclusion. An outstanding novel that mystery lovers do not want to miss.
