lxurx64's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mpr2000's review
4.0
This story is told between different perspectives, all of them have the same goal but they did not start the same way. This is the story of Rachel, Caroline and Alfie; how is it possible that with their different backgrounds their future is linked together? You’ll have to read the book if you want to know all the truth!
I’ll admit that I always love a good mystery related to a cold case, where no one knows what really happened but someone starts investigating and discovers the truth and with all the complications in it. Rachel will start investigating the disappearance of a homeless guy after her partner has been attacked and all his recording equipment has been stolen. Alfie is the missing guy, who seems to have a big secret and is scared of someone that will be following him. Everyone thinks he is dead… but is he really dead or has killed his assailant?
Then, we have Caroline, she seems to be on a relaxing holiday, but as soon as she arrives at Hare’s Landing hotel is intrigued with the mysterious past. Is she smelling a big mystery?
As you can see, all the characters seem interesting and make you want to know more about the case, because even if you know that everything will be connected it’s impossible to stop reading to know what really happened. And why Alfie had been hiding all his life.
This is a book to keep you awake all night, not for fear but to discover the truth. The characters are relatable and make you feel involved in the story and the mystery, you can totally understand their need to know the truth and make peace with the past.
“The Dark Room” is the book you need if you want a compelling and interesting story, believe me. Ready?
I’ll admit that I always love a good mystery related to a cold case, where no one knows what really happened but someone starts investigating and discovers the truth and with all the complications in it. Rachel will start investigating the disappearance of a homeless guy after her partner has been attacked and all his recording equipment has been stolen. Alfie is the missing guy, who seems to have a big secret and is scared of someone that will be following him. Everyone thinks he is dead… but is he really dead or has killed his assailant?
Then, we have Caroline, she seems to be on a relaxing holiday, but as soon as she arrives at Hare’s Landing hotel is intrigued with the mysterious past. Is she smelling a big mystery?
As you can see, all the characters seem interesting and make you want to know more about the case, because even if you know that everything will be connected it’s impossible to stop reading to know what really happened. And why Alfie had been hiding all his life.
This is a book to keep you awake all night, not for fear but to discover the truth. The characters are relatable and make you feel involved in the story and the mystery, you can totally understand their need to know the truth and make peace with the past.
“The Dark Room” is the book you need if you want a compelling and interesting story, believe me. Ready?
shadowteabooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
annarella's review
4.0
I found it quite slow at the beginning but I persevered and enjoyed it.
After the first chapter is a gripping and interesting story, a bit creepy, and kept me hooked.
Good character and plot development, an interesting setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
After the first chapter is a gripping and interesting story, a bit creepy, and kept me hooked.
Good character and plot development, an interesting setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
the_lawyer_librarian's review
3.0
Unfortunately, whilst I enjoyed this one, I was left wanting more! It felt very easy to read, and I saw the twists coming in advance. I prefer a thriller/mystery where I am searching for clues and trying to piece a puzzle together. Despite this, the book is very well written. The setting is gorgeous and feels very isolated, with the lack of contact to the outside world. The community are close knit and appear suspicious of outsiders. There are clearly secrets hiding under the surface of the seemingly happy community.
I loved the characters, especially the job choices for Rachel and Caroline – this added an extra element to the story and made it fun to see how they would react in certain situations. The spooky, supernatural element was something that drew me in at first, but I felt let down at the end, as it didn’t appear to develop into much. It didn’t add to the story unfortunately and could have been such a brilliant addition. Overall, an author with a lot of potential, but this one just fell a bit flat. Thank you to readers first for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the characters, especially the job choices for Rachel and Caroline – this added an extra element to the story and made it fun to see how they would react in certain situations. The spooky, supernatural element was something that drew me in at first, but I felt let down at the end, as it didn’t appear to develop into much. It didn’t add to the story unfortunately and could have been such a brilliant addition. Overall, an author with a lot of potential, but this one just fell a bit flat. Thank you to readers first for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
travelsalongmybookshelf's review
4.0
‘How could your life turn so completely upside down in a split second’
Caroline Kelly is a New York Crime reporter escaping to a country house hotel, Hare’s Landing , to escape a lawsuit.
Rachel Lambert’s houseboat if broken into and her partner, Hunter, is run over on the same day - Afraid for her safety, she leaves for Hare’s Landing to try to find out the truth about a homeless man, Alfie Bow, with links to the hotel and her break in.
Rachel and Caroline discover Hare’s Landing has it’s own secrets to reveal; a 30 year old disappearance and the death of the former hotel owner but someone is trying to prevent them from discovering the truth and could lead to devastating consequences for them both.
My first impression of the book drew me in and I was glad to have won a copy to review. Thank you Readers First. There were seemingly different storylines initially, the threads of these peoples lives were carefully woven together and I liked the fact that the main characters turned out to be two strong independent women as the book progressed.
There were quite a lot of secondary characters to keep track of, possibly because there were multiple story threads to populate which I found tricky to start with, I particularly liked the threatening creepy housekeeper and I would have liked to see her used a bit more - I had her pictured as a Annie Wilkes a-like from Misery in my head!
The story moved quickly and I thought I’d got it sussed about half way through only to find I was way off track. The screw was subtly turned to ratchet up the tension and it kept me reading, I stayed up late to finish as I needed to know the ending which is always a good sign.
Sam Blake is a new writer I have discovered and I will certainly be reading more of her titles in future.
A solid
Caroline Kelly is a New York Crime reporter escaping to a country house hotel, Hare’s Landing , to escape a lawsuit.
Rachel Lambert’s houseboat if broken into and her partner, Hunter, is run over on the same day - Afraid for her safety, she leaves for Hare’s Landing to try to find out the truth about a homeless man, Alfie Bow, with links to the hotel and her break in.
Rachel and Caroline discover Hare’s Landing has it’s own secrets to reveal; a 30 year old disappearance and the death of the former hotel owner but someone is trying to prevent them from discovering the truth and could lead to devastating consequences for them both.
My first impression of the book drew me in and I was glad to have won a copy to review. Thank you Readers First. There were seemingly different storylines initially, the threads of these peoples lives were carefully woven together and I liked the fact that the main characters turned out to be two strong independent women as the book progressed.
There were quite a lot of secondary characters to keep track of, possibly because there were multiple story threads to populate which I found tricky to start with, I particularly liked the threatening creepy housekeeper and I would have liked to see her used a bit more - I had her pictured as a Annie Wilkes a-like from Misery in my head!
The story moved quickly and I thought I’d got it sussed about half way through only to find I was way off track. The screw was subtly turned to ratchet up the tension and it kept me reading, I stayed up late to finish as I needed to know the ending which is always a good sign.
Sam Blake is a new writer I have discovered and I will certainly be reading more of her titles in future.
A solid
chronicreader96's review
4.0
Rounded down from 4.5 stars ⭐️
Thrillers are my favourite genre to read, and this one will certainly stick in my memory.
The Dark Room follows Rachel and Caroline, two strangers who find their paths cross in Ireland. They have both gone away for personal reasons, but they end up embroiled in a mystery that has spanned decades.
My absolute favourite thing about this book was the vivid characters and scenes that Blake created. I fell in love with Rachel, Caroline and Jasper (in particular), and adored the relationships between them. I really felt like I was on the coast of Ireland, in a newly refurbished old house, in the winter months. I did not want this book to end and often found myself thinking about it whilst I was meant to be doing other things. The world was created so well, I felt like I was personally involved.
I really enjoyed the storyline, particularly because it wasn’t just focused on mystery/thriller content. There were glimpses of horror/supernatural aspects that peeked through, which heightened the excitement. At times, these supernatural passages felt scary, and other times they were heartwarming.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely keep an eye out for more from this author. I would recommend this book to any thriller fans!
Thrillers are my favourite genre to read, and this one will certainly stick in my memory.
The Dark Room follows Rachel and Caroline, two strangers who find their paths cross in Ireland. They have both gone away for personal reasons, but they end up embroiled in a mystery that has spanned decades.
My absolute favourite thing about this book was the vivid characters and scenes that Blake created. I fell in love with Rachel, Caroline and Jasper (in particular), and adored the relationships between them. I really felt like I was on the coast of Ireland, in a newly refurbished old house, in the winter months. I did not want this book to end and often found myself thinking about it whilst I was meant to be doing other things. The world was created so well, I felt like I was personally involved.
I really enjoyed the storyline, particularly because it wasn’t just focused on mystery/thriller content. There were glimpses of horror/supernatural aspects that peeked through, which heightened the excitement. At times, these supernatural passages felt scary, and other times they were heartwarming.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely keep an eye out for more from this author. I would recommend this book to any thriller fans!