Sci-Fi & Scary

Deep Dark is an engaging mystery/thriller with a female character you are almost instantly strongly sympathetic with, and a typical good-guy detective. Laney Knox is the epitome of the strong and vulnerable woman. She’s been through an attack that has changed her life, and it’s changed her in lots of ways. A White Hat hacker is the perfect job for her, and she latches on to trying to help with a fervor that means disregarding even blatant orders to stay away from the case. Reed is, again, sort of your typical male detective in a book with a strong romance theme. There’s nothing outstanding or notable about him, but he provides a nice background for Laney to shine against.

Though this is apparently the tenth book in the Tracers series, it’s a strong standalone. It’s also a very quick read. At just over 350 pages, you’d think this would be a bit of a book to tackle, but instead it’s so easily written that you can get through it in a matter of hours. There’s a smattering of technical details here and there, but the author glances over most things, giving the reader just enough information so that they know what is going on. The romance element is definitely there, but it’s also low-key, which I appreciated. The relationship isn’t perfect, but you can tell it’s going to work out (at least temporarily) in the long run, and it’s enough to leave you feeling slightly gooshy as you close the book.

Overall, while not a book that will get your blood pounding, Deep Dark is an interesting whodunnit with a twist that you probably won’t expect, and a strong dash of un-sickeningly sweet romance. It’s a good airplane read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. And yes, I used gooshy in a sentence.