Mary Maddox

Darkroom
By: Mary Maddox
Narrated by: Allison Pistorius
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I enjoyed this very suspense-filled mystery. The suspense should be capitalized! There is a lot of bad guys and they just keep popping up when you least expect them. There are twists and turns and many close calls. There characters needs a bit more development, they are a bit flat. I really enjoyed the plot.
The narrator was right on the money! She had many tough guy voices and did them flawless! She kept them so I could tell them apart and was consistent during the whole story. Wonderful job!… (plus d'informations)

I saw the title, Darkroom, for Mary Maddock’s novel and when I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read it. I am a photographer and love to read about characters who share my interest.

What is so important about a photograph that someone would kidnap torture and murder for it?

Kelly is a good friend and feels the police are not taking Day’s disappearance seriously. She takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. I don’t think she realizes how much danger she is in, but I, the reader, do. :-)

Animal…poor Animal…Not the smartest kid on the block. Picture him as the muscle, drawn into something over his head, but he’s in so deep he must see it through. He’s not the main character, but I love a ‘tragic’ figure and want so much for him to make it through. Can he be redeemed? Mary Maddox is not afraid to kill off her characters, so be careful who you get attached to.

Drugs, wealth and greed rear their ugly head. I resent those who feel they are untouchable, that the rules don’t apply to them and I love to see them fall. On the other hand, I get frustrated with stupid characters doing stupid things, but it allows the story to go where it will.

The story was predictable, but the writing created a suspenseful feeling that gave me a sense of impending doom.

I received a copy of Darkroom by Mary Maddox in return for an honest review.

To see more visit http://www.fundinmental.com… (plus d'informations)

This is my first book by Maddox. I wondered if, not having read Talion, I would feel a bit lost. However, I can confirm that this book is the start of something new, even though it carries on, in some ways, from the earlier book. Maddox makes a point to give us plenty of detail and description to bring the characters and world to life. She then blended it with a unique and exciting blend of horror and fantasy. I loved it. I would say, after going back to read Talion, that it is more fun when you read it and then this, but can be done either way.

We return to the lives of the two main characters from Talion. However, we are a few years down the line and their lives have moved forward, they have grown and they need each other again. We are reminded of who each character was, what has happened to them and why, briefly. Then Maddox goes on to really bring the characters to life again. She revives their personalities and gives us detail on what is happening at the moment. I enjoyed getting to know them and found them both strong and fascinating ladies.

The story of the Daemons is a really interesting one. They are different from some of the typical tales of daemons, and I like this fresh take on them. We are descended upon by those who intend to do good and those who are filled with evil. They each have their own place and interact with the world and people differently. Getting to know them, as they injected themselves in the world was just as exciting as getting to know the mains.

I loved that the story felt like a horror story, with the angst, fear and surprises mingled throughout their journey, but that it also had a decent amount of fantasy blended into it. I thought it was a good mix and Maddox really created something unique and very addicting.

The pace was perfect for this style of horror. I was kept moving swift enough to really feel that I was on an adventure, where so much was at stake, and kept on my toes, wondering what would happen next. I liked that, though it did really make it hard to put the book down, not that I’m complaining.

I highly recommend this read, as it is something new and refreshing for the genre and is very enjoyable to read.

**I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.… (plus d'informations)

Cover: I don't get it, really. I don't know what it represents, so don't use it to judge the book inside, which is really quite good.

Meet Conrad Sanders (Rad), a professor who has recently killed one of his students, his ninth victim. We get to read about it chilling detail .. this guy is a sick, sad puppy. There are veiled references in the book to a relationship with his mother that smack of an Oedipal complex, but we never really find out what made Rad a serial killer.

Meet Lisa, sent on a "vacation" to live with her aunt Debbie and uncle Hank, who run Hidden Creek Lodge. She is fifteen, and actually innocent of the wrongdoing her mom and step-dad think they're sending her away from. Debbie and Hank are not able to have children of their own, and Debbie feels a lot of responsibility and love for her niece.

Lisa meets Lu, who she dubs "Trailer Girl" to her best friend back home. Lu lives with her father Duane and her abusive step-mother Norlene in a trailer at Hidden Creek Lodge. Duane does maintenance and Norlene works as a maid on the property.

Lisa befriends Lu within a day or two of arriving, and witnesses some of the abuse Lu lives with on a daily basis. Lu's father Duane seems to only care about Norlene - HER feelings, whether or not she's going to leave again - he sees Lu's bruises, but doesn't seem to care. Lu sees what seem like spirits or guardians when things get bad for her: Black Claw-who seems to presage death, Delator-who gives strength, and Talion-beautiful and mysterious. Talion seems to know things that Lu couldn't possibly know, and Lu feels love whenever he is around.

Rad has followed Lisa to Hidden Creek Lodge. When he sees Lisa and Lu together, he pulls Lu into his plans - he might even keep her alive for a while, as her stepmother has already trained her so well in obedience.

This is an intense, absorbing read. If I could have, I probably would have read it one sitting. As it was, it took me two. Being inside of Rad's head was an experience in itself. He is a truly twisted individual, and I wondered whether or not he was simply born that way.

Poor Lu - she's so beaten in by her life experiences that she almost seems to accept it as her lot. It made me sad because I know that her experiences are ones that are shared by other abused children. In my mind, it seems that she brought Talion and the others out as a way to cope when things are really horrible, but I couldn't be certain whether or not they were real. You can read the author's thoughts on them at her Guest Post.

Lisa is a typical teenager from a middle-class family. Although she dubs Lu "Trailer Girl" and seems to be only peripherally interested in her, all in all, I think she is a good friend to Lu.

If you like suspense, you'll like this book. It is well-paced and well-written. I wanted to go into the pages and punch Norlene in the face :).

QUOTES

Lisa imagines Mom and Debbie on the phone discussing what type of friends she should have. They probably hadn't found anyone boring and retarded enough yet.

He'd known this would happen someday. Genius like his couldn't remain hidden forever, and part of himself yearned to take his rightful place among the monsters of the collective nightmare. He was prepared for his eventual unmasking.

She feels herself becoming transparent, like him. The pain is - not gone but irrelevant, a small thing compared to the rapture gathering inside her. She takes off the glasses that blind her to everything real.… (plus d'informations)