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Alice Madison #1
The Gift of Darkness
From Book 1: "Beautifully haunting prose, fascinating characters, interesting and surprising plotting, and I'm smitten with the Seattle/Olympic Peninsula setting." --Reader 5-Star Review
"impossible to stop reading until the last page in each book" --Reader 5-Star Review
"riveting race to the end"--Reader 5-Star Review
Twenty-five years ago in the woods by the Hoh River near Seattle, three boys were kidnapped. One never came home.
Last night, a family of four was found brutally murdered, the words 'thirteen days' carved near their lifeless bodies.
Homicide Detective Alice Madison - a one-time child runaway with a murky past - now spends her life hunting down the very worst humanity has to offer. Madison has a hunch that the two murders are linked . . . and she has thirteen days to prove it.
To stop a psychopath, Madison returns to the woods to confront the unsolved mystery of the Hoh River Boys. She must forget her training and follow her instincts to the terrifying end as enemies become allies and, in the silent forest, time is running out to save another life.
Discover more Detective Alice Madison with the next installments of the gripping series --The Dark, Blood and Bone, and Sweet After Death.
"impossible to stop reading until the last page in each book" --Reader 5-Star Review
"riveting race to the end"--Reader 5-Star Review
Twenty-five years ago in the woods by the Hoh River near Seattle, three boys were kidnapped. One never came home.
Last night, a family of four was found brutally murdered, the words 'thirteen days' carved near their lifeless bodies.
Homicide Detective Alice Madison - a one-time child runaway with a murky past - now spends her life hunting down the very worst humanity has to offer. Madison has a hunch that the two murders are linked . . . and she has thirteen days to prove it.
To stop a psychopath, Madison returns to the woods to confront the unsolved mystery of the Hoh River Boys. She must forget her training and follow her instincts to the terrifying end as enemies become allies and, in the silent forest, time is running out to save another life.
Discover more Detective Alice Madison with the next installments of the gripping series --The Dark, Blood and Bone, and Sweet After Death.
506 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Valentina Giambanco
10 books117 followersValentina Giambanco was born in Italy. She started working in films as an editor's apprentice in a 35mm cutting room and since then has worked on many award-winning UK and US pictures: from small independent projects to large studio productions. Valentina lives in London.
Her books were originally published under the name of V.M. Giambanco
Her books were originally published under the name of V.M. Giambanco
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
February 20, 2019
Με μια ειδεχθης δολοφονία μιας 4μελους οικογένειας στο σπίτι τους, ξεκινά δυνατά η ιστορία μας. Την υπόθεση αναλαμβάνουν η Άλις Μάντισον κι ο Κέβιν Μπράουν και φαίνεται αρχικά ότι ξέρουν ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος. Στην πορεία όμως αλλάζουν τα πράγματα.
Για ντεμπούτο, θεωρώ ότι είναι αρκετά επιτυχημένο μιας κι έχει αρκετή δράση. Υπάρχουν αρκετά προβλήματα στην επιμέλεια ή τη μετάφραση, χρονικές εναλλαγές που δεν συνάδουν μεταξύ τους.
Το κίνητρο του δολοφόνου θα έλεγα ότι ήταν τουλάχιστον αστείο.
Για ντεμπούτο, θεωρώ ότι είναι αρκετά επιτυχημένο μιας κι έχει αρκετή δράση. Υπάρχουν αρκετά προβλήματα στην επιμέλεια ή τη μετάφραση, χρονικές εναλλαγές που δεν συνάδουν μεταξύ τους.
Το κίνητρο του δολοφόνου θα έλεγα ότι ήταν τουλάχιστον αστείο.
July 16, 2016
Η συγγραφεας προσπαθησε πολυ να το παρουσιασει με κινηματογραφικη ματια αλλα καπου χαθηκε (μαλλον) στην μεταφραση.
Η μεταφραση ηταν μετρια. Ηταν τοσο μετρια που σε καποια σημεια οι προτασεις δεν βγαζαν κανενα νοημα.
Το βιβλιο αρχισε να εχει κπ ενδιαφερον απο την 300 σελιδα και μετα. Αν και να πω την αληθεια ο λογος που εγιναν τα παντα παραμενει (για μενα) ασυμαντος.
Ρεζουμε 2,5 αστερια!
Η μεταφραση ηταν μετρια. Ηταν τοσο μετρια που σε καποια σημεια οι προτασεις δεν βγαζαν κανενα νοημα.
Το βιβλιο αρχισε να εχει κπ ενδιαφερον απο την 300 σελιδα και μετα. Αν και να πω την αληθεια ο λογος που εγιναν τα παντα παραμενει (για μενα) ασυμαντος.
Ρεζουμε 2,5 αστερια!
May 31, 2017
Ανάμεικτα τα συναισθήματα γι' αυτό το βιβλίο. Το σίγουρο είναι ότι η συγγραφέας ψάχνει ακόμα τα πατήματά της, ενώ και η μετάφραση δεν είναι από τις καλύτερες.
Συγκεκριμένα, οι πρώτες 200 περίπου σελίδες είναι πολύ κακογραμμένες, με τις συνεχείς εναλλαγές χρόνου από αόριστο σε ενεστώτα να κουράζουν και να αποσυντονίζουν τον αναγνώστη! Από ένα σημείο και μετά η γραφή στρώνει αρκετά και γίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρον το βιβλίο.
Ως προς την υπόθεση, η ιδέα είναι ενδιαφέρουσα, αλλά η εκτέλεσή της πάσχει: τα κίνητρα του δολοφόνου δεν πείθουν, οι παραδοχές από την αστυνομία πάσχουν και περιέχουν αρκετές ευκολίες, η κορύφωση δεν έρχεται στο μέγεθος που περιμένεις, η σύνδεση με το παρελθόν χωλαίνει.
Διαβάζεται αρκετά ευχάριστα μεν, αλλά δεν με έπεισε.
Πάμε στο δεύτερο που θεωρείται καλύτερο...(5/10)
Συγκεκριμένα, οι πρώτες 200 περίπου σελίδες είναι πολύ κακογραμμένες, με τις συνεχείς εναλλαγές χρόνου από αόριστο σε ενεστώτα να κουράζουν και να αποσυντονίζουν τον αναγνώστη! Από ένα σημείο και μετά η γραφή στρώνει αρκετά και γίνεται πιο ενδιαφέρον το βιβλίο.
Ως προς την υπόθεση, η ιδέα είναι ενδιαφέρουσα, αλλά η εκτέλεσή της πάσχει: τα κίνητρα του δολοφόνου δεν πείθουν, οι παραδοχές από την αστυνομία πάσχουν και περιέχουν αρκετές ευκολίες, η κορύφωση δεν έρχεται στο μέγεθος που περιμένεις, η σύνδεση με το παρελθόν χωλαίνει.
Διαβάζεται αρκετά ευχάριστα μεν, αλλά δεν με έπεισε.
Πάμε στο δεύτερο που θεωρείται καλύτερο...(5/10)
July 2, 2013
Very occasionally a book comes along that is so frustrating to review because it consistently lurches the reader from a thoroughly enjoyable plot, punctuated by avoidable and annoying flaws, and casts doubt on the fact that actually beneath its surface there could indeed lie a brilliant book. The Gift of Darkness is one such book, and aside from making this title a little tricky to review, I would love to give the author, and more importantly her editor, a metaphorical shake as this book, instead of just having moments of brilliance, could have been exceptionally so…
Linking between events happening 25 years apart, Giambanco has created a wonderfully atmospheric and visual novel, packed full of descriptive detail that under normal circumstances as a contemporary fiction book would work exceptionally well. However, constructed as a crime novel, this over reliance on the visual and descriptive does rather hamper the pace of the whole piece, thus making for an imbalance in holding the reader’s interest. I think it is fair to say that the last quarter of the book demonstrates all the tension and pace of a crime novel, but there is an inherent danger with this book that as the action takes so long to unfold, some reader’s interest may be lost. In the first third of the book there should have been a greater emphasis on, and reference, to the original events in the woods near the Hoh River in Seattle, which are so important to the events happening in real time. With a brutal murder happening at the beginning of the book, the co-relation between this and the past was lost in the depth of the dense description and slow plot movement that ensued from this point, hence leading to an incredibly lengthy build-up to a wonderfully controlled and tense closure to the plot, that is both exciting and nerve wracking. I found this a real shame, as to my layman’s opinion with some further editing, to what the author herself refers to in her acknowledgements as ‘a 142,966 word monster’, the quality of the narrative arc would have been substantially improved, and the solid original premise and clever linkage between the past and contemporary events heightened.
There is little to fault in terms of characterisation of the piece and I found rookie detective Alice Madison, a compelling character defined by her essential ordinariness. It was refreshing to have a female character who seemed untroubled by the usual cliched neuroses so prevalent in other female detectives, and although her character is by definition relatively ordinary, despite a largely unneeded and unnecessary blip in her formative years, the close attention to her professional life and her role in a male-dominated ensemble is perfectly realised. I did find it a shame that her working relationship with Detective Kevin Brown was curtailed by events later in the book, as the dynamics of her proving her worth as a detective to the worldly wise and older detective was an interesting facet to the plot which could have been exploited more. In an overall strong supporting cast, the other stand-out character for me was the wily John Cameron, identified early in the book as a possible suspect in the opening homicide, who has to navigate between eluding a killer himself, but also to overcome his natural distrust of the police to work with Alice in tracking said killer. Indeed, the interactions between him and the police generally was tense and intriguing throughout, with the reader never quite sure of his guilt or innocence as the plot progresses.
So overall with its superb visual quality, but at times an over attention to descriptive detail, supported by a fundamentally solid plot premise and strong characterisation, this was a little of a mixed bag for me. Losing 100 pages or so from this book, and a better placement of reference to the former kidnapping plot, would have definitely enhanced the reading experience more, but my fear remains that some readers may be lost along the way and that would be a great shame. Persevere and you’re in for a treat.
Linking between events happening 25 years apart, Giambanco has created a wonderfully atmospheric and visual novel, packed full of descriptive detail that under normal circumstances as a contemporary fiction book would work exceptionally well. However, constructed as a crime novel, this over reliance on the visual and descriptive does rather hamper the pace of the whole piece, thus making for an imbalance in holding the reader’s interest. I think it is fair to say that the last quarter of the book demonstrates all the tension and pace of a crime novel, but there is an inherent danger with this book that as the action takes so long to unfold, some reader’s interest may be lost. In the first third of the book there should have been a greater emphasis on, and reference, to the original events in the woods near the Hoh River in Seattle, which are so important to the events happening in real time. With a brutal murder happening at the beginning of the book, the co-relation between this and the past was lost in the depth of the dense description and slow plot movement that ensued from this point, hence leading to an incredibly lengthy build-up to a wonderfully controlled and tense closure to the plot, that is both exciting and nerve wracking. I found this a real shame, as to my layman’s opinion with some further editing, to what the author herself refers to in her acknowledgements as ‘a 142,966 word monster’, the quality of the narrative arc would have been substantially improved, and the solid original premise and clever linkage between the past and contemporary events heightened.
There is little to fault in terms of characterisation of the piece and I found rookie detective Alice Madison, a compelling character defined by her essential ordinariness. It was refreshing to have a female character who seemed untroubled by the usual cliched neuroses so prevalent in other female detectives, and although her character is by definition relatively ordinary, despite a largely unneeded and unnecessary blip in her formative years, the close attention to her professional life and her role in a male-dominated ensemble is perfectly realised. I did find it a shame that her working relationship with Detective Kevin Brown was curtailed by events later in the book, as the dynamics of her proving her worth as a detective to the worldly wise and older detective was an interesting facet to the plot which could have been exploited more. In an overall strong supporting cast, the other stand-out character for me was the wily John Cameron, identified early in the book as a possible suspect in the opening homicide, who has to navigate between eluding a killer himself, but also to overcome his natural distrust of the police to work with Alice in tracking said killer. Indeed, the interactions between him and the police generally was tense and intriguing throughout, with the reader never quite sure of his guilt or innocence as the plot progresses.
So overall with its superb visual quality, but at times an over attention to descriptive detail, supported by a fundamentally solid plot premise and strong characterisation, this was a little of a mixed bag for me. Losing 100 pages or so from this book, and a better placement of reference to the former kidnapping plot, would have definitely enhanced the reading experience more, but my fear remains that some readers may be lost along the way and that would be a great shame. Persevere and you’re in for a treat.
November 26, 2017
Το «13 μέρες για να βρεις το δολοφόνο» είναι το χειρότερο βιβλίο που διάβασα φέτος. Πολύ απλά. Ειλικρινά, δεν είχε τίποτα που να κατάφερε να με κρατήσει. Ήταν από τα λίγα βιβλία που σκέφτηκα να παρατήσω από πολύ αρχή ακόμα.
-Δεν ξέρω αν έφταιγε η μετάφραση ή το αρχικό κείμενο αλλά στα περισσότερα σημεία δεν έβγαζε κανένα νόημα. Οι προτάσεις δεν είχαν συνοχή οπότε χανόσουν...
-Η ιστορία και ο λόγος των δολοφονιών ήταν αδιάφορος έως άσχετος. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει που «σκάναρα» και δεν διάβαζα κάποιες παραγράφους, αλλά και πάλι δεν μου έβγαλε πολύ νόημα όλη η ιστορία.
-Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν επίσης αδιάφοροι. Καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης προσπαθούσα να βρω ένα πάτημα για να συμπαθήσω ή να αντιπαθήσω κάποιον από αυτούς. Δεν μου προξένησαν απολύτως κανένα συναίσθημα.
Όπως αποκαλύπτουν οι τρεις παραπάνω λόγοι και η βαθμολογία μου, it was a complete waste of time.
Neeeext!
-Δεν ξέρω αν έφταιγε η μετάφραση ή το αρχικό κείμενο αλλά στα περισσότερα σημεία δεν έβγαζε κανένα νόημα. Οι προτάσεις δεν είχαν συνοχή οπότε χανόσουν...
-Η ιστορία και ο λόγος των δολοφονιών ήταν αδιάφορος έως άσχετος. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει που «σκάναρα» και δεν διάβαζα κάποιες παραγράφους, αλλά και πάλι δεν μου έβγαλε πολύ νόημα όλη η ιστορία.
-Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν επίσης αδιάφοροι. Καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης προσπαθούσα να βρω ένα πάτημα για να συμπαθήσω ή να αντιπαθήσω κάποιον από αυτούς. Δεν μου προξένησαν απολύτως κανένα συναίσθημα.
Όπως αποκαλύπτουν οι τρεις παραπάνω λόγοι και η βαθμολογία μου, it was a complete waste of time.
Neeeext!
October 3, 2014
So I am a huge Crime Fiction fan, have been since the day I picked up my first Agatha Christie novel in my teens – and I ALWAYS love getting in at the start of a new series. I don’t always love them, there is also the thing that when it comes to Crime Fiction it is VERY subjective as to which ones will stick with you and which ones will just be ok, or you are not so bothered by. In this case, for whatever reason, this one was spot on perfect for me, and I feel very strongly that this is a series that is going to have me addicted and dying for the next instalment. In fact I am reading the sequel “The Dark” right now…
Reasons? Well for one there is Alice Madison. She has her inner demons, fairly standard for a main protagonist, but in the case of Alice they are highly intriguing, well imagined and extremely well written ones that actually inform the story and move it forward in a realistic yet fascinating manner. She is both likeable yet most definitely flawed in a way that I related to and I wanted, in fact needed, to follow along with her.
Another reason is the character relationships. Alice may be the detective but actually there is a triangle here – during the course of the novel she becomes inextricably linked to a lawyer and his friend, a known killer who the police have never managed to prosecute – and this relationship is a dark, often mutually destructive and intense one that forms the backdrop to the debut and sets up a particularly intriguing ongoing storyline. For me this gave an added depth to proceedings, a little added frisson to the heart of the tale, and I absolutely fell in love with all three characters, both individually and as a rather compelling trio.
Then of course there is the mystery, the crime being solved, which is intelligently plotted, not immediately obvious and very captivating. Some beautiful little twists and turns along the way, a gorgeous darkly addictive writing style and some alluring psychological character building not limited to our three main interests, make this a terrific read from start to finish.
I would definitely highly recommend it for fans of this genre – whilst as I stated above, a love of Crime Fiction with all its choices will always end up being a subjective love, there is a lot to fall for here and I can tell you that the quality and depth of writing is excellent and continues into book Two. So give it a go – You never know, perhaps you will also find a new series here that you want to follow along with…
Happy Reading Folks!
Reasons? Well for one there is Alice Madison. She has her inner demons, fairly standard for a main protagonist, but in the case of Alice they are highly intriguing, well imagined and extremely well written ones that actually inform the story and move it forward in a realistic yet fascinating manner. She is both likeable yet most definitely flawed in a way that I related to and I wanted, in fact needed, to follow along with her.
Another reason is the character relationships. Alice may be the detective but actually there is a triangle here – during the course of the novel she becomes inextricably linked to a lawyer and his friend, a known killer who the police have never managed to prosecute – and this relationship is a dark, often mutually destructive and intense one that forms the backdrop to the debut and sets up a particularly intriguing ongoing storyline. For me this gave an added depth to proceedings, a little added frisson to the heart of the tale, and I absolutely fell in love with all three characters, both individually and as a rather compelling trio.
Then of course there is the mystery, the crime being solved, which is intelligently plotted, not immediately obvious and very captivating. Some beautiful little twists and turns along the way, a gorgeous darkly addictive writing style and some alluring psychological character building not limited to our three main interests, make this a terrific read from start to finish.
I would definitely highly recommend it for fans of this genre – whilst as I stated above, a love of Crime Fiction with all its choices will always end up being a subjective love, there is a lot to fall for here and I can tell you that the quality and depth of writing is excellent and continues into book Two. So give it a go – You never know, perhaps you will also find a new series here that you want to follow along with…
Happy Reading Folks!
August 30, 2016
The Gift of Darkness introduces Alison Madison who has been a homicide detective in Seattle for all of five weeks. She's still getting accustomed to working alongside her new partner Detective Kevin Brown when they are called to a gruesome murder scene. A family of four has been killed execution style. All the evidence points the police to a well-known killer, John Cameron, who has eluded them for some time. However, when Alison discovers some information linking the current crime to the abduction of three boys 25 years ago, she recognizes that this case is far from straightforward.
At 505 pages, this was quite a detailed police procedural/mystery. It's not much of a page-turner until you get to the last third. During the gradual build-up, numerous characters are introduced, there is a lot of focus on setting the scene, and the story occasionally switches to events in the past. I'm not a very patient reader, but I didn't actually mind the slow pace in this one. It made the police procedural aspects appear very realistic and it helped to get to know copious characters very well. And the characters were fantastic! I particularly liked how the relationship between Alison and the prime suspect and known killer, John Cameron, and his lawyer, Nathan Quinn, was explored. The lines between "good" and "bad" kept moving and made this triangle very intriguing.
The one thing I found irritating was the totally random switch of tenses. Most of the story is written in the past tense, but then odd sentences appear in the present tense.
Overall though, this was an intricately plotted, complex crime story with some great characters, which I hope will reappear in the second book in the series. 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because I loved Alison, Cameron, and Quinn.
At 505 pages, this was quite a detailed police procedural/mystery. It's not much of a page-turner until you get to the last third. During the gradual build-up, numerous characters are introduced, there is a lot of focus on setting the scene, and the story occasionally switches to events in the past. I'm not a very patient reader, but I didn't actually mind the slow pace in this one. It made the police procedural aspects appear very realistic and it helped to get to know copious characters very well. And the characters were fantastic! I particularly liked how the relationship between Alison and the prime suspect and known killer, John Cameron, and his lawyer, Nathan Quinn, was explored. The lines between "good" and "bad" kept moving and made this triangle very intriguing.
The one thing I found irritating was the totally random switch of tenses. Most of the story is written in the past tense, but then odd sentences appear in the present tense.
Overall though, this was an intricately plotted, complex crime story with some great characters, which I hope will reappear in the second book in the series. 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because I loved Alison, Cameron, and Quinn.
November 18, 2020
Muy entretenido.
May 11, 2022
Πολύ αργό στην αρχή, έχει αδιάφορους χαρακτήρες, ανούσιο ανακάτεμα των χρονολογικών γεγονότων, πλήθος από ονόματα και μία δυσκολία στην ανάγνωση που ευθύνεται λογικά και η μετάφραση. Σχεδόν ποτέ δεν βάζω ένα αστέρι σε βιβλίο, αλλά σε αυτό δεν μου άρεσε τίποτα. Κρίμα γιατί έχω και τα 3 βιβλία της σειράς.
May 12, 2019
Çok güzel bir polisiyeydi. Nedense konusu bana başka bir kitabı hatırlattı. Tekrar okuyormuş gibi oldum.
Kitaptaki başrol detektif Alice Madison’ı sevdim. Olayları ele alış şekli ve tarzı güzeldi. Nathan Quinn karakteri bana çok tanıdık geldi. Aynı şekilde Cameron da.
Yıllar önce üç çocuk kaçırılır ve yalnızca ikisi eve döner. Geriye dönenlerden Sinclair ve ailesi yıllar sonra katledilir ve suçlu olarak bir diğer kurtulan Cameron hedef gösterilmektedir. Detektif Madison çoğu zaman kuralların dışına çıkarak tüm ihtimalleri zorlar ve suçluyu yakalamayı başarır.
Polisiye severler için güzel bir seçim. Sayfa sayısı biraz fazla, sizi biraz yorabilir. Yine de iyi polisiye 👍🏻
Kitaptaki başrol detektif Alice Madison’ı sevdim. Olayları ele alış şekli ve tarzı güzeldi. Nathan Quinn karakteri bana çok tanıdık geldi. Aynı şekilde Cameron da.
Yıllar önce üç çocuk kaçırılır ve yalnızca ikisi eve döner. Geriye dönenlerden Sinclair ve ailesi yıllar sonra katledilir ve suçlu olarak bir diğer kurtulan Cameron hedef gösterilmektedir. Detektif Madison çoğu zaman kuralların dışına çıkarak tüm ihtimalleri zorlar ve suçluyu yakalamayı başarır.
Polisiye severler için güzel bir seçim. Sayfa sayısı biraz fazla, sizi biraz yorabilir. Yine de iyi polisiye 👍🏻
August 3, 2017
Εξαιρετικό το ντεμπούτο της Valentina Giambanco. Απλά εξαιρετικό! Όπως και τα επόμενα βιβλία, που τολμώ να πω πως είναι ακόμα καλύτερα!
Δυστυχώς ή ευτυχώς, είχα διαβάσει το 2ο και το 3ο βιβλίο της προτού διαβάσω το 1ο. Οπότε, ήξερα ήδη τα περισσότερα από τα γεγονότα της πλοκής του, μιας και συνδέονται με αυτά του δεύτερου βιβλίου και γίνονται αρκετές αναφορές εκεί. Αυτό όμως καθόλου δεν μείωσε τον ενθουσιασμό μου ενόσω το διάβαζα!
Το "13 ημέρες..." είναι ένα άκρως καλογραμμένο και συναρπαστικό μυθιστόρημα. Έχει όλα εκείνα τα απαραίτητα 'συστατικά' για να κρατήσουν αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη - και μάλιστα σε μεγάλες δόσεις. Η ιστορία είναι έξυπνη, αιματηρή, γρήγορη, ανατρεπτική. Οι ήρωες καλοστημένοι, ολοκληρωμένοι, ανθρώπινοι. Οι καλοί και οι κακοί δεν έχουν διακριτούς ρόλους - όλοι έχουν αδυναμίες και προτερήματα, κρυμμένα μυστικά στο παρελθόν τους και μνήμες που τους βασανίζουν. Όμως επιλέγουν το πώς θα προχωρήσουν, ποια πλευρά θα υπηρετήσουν και αυτό είναι τελικά αυτό που τους διαφοροποιεί και τους κάνει, εν τέλει, τόσο ενδιαφέροντες.
Έχω δηλώσει ερωτευμένη με την πένα της Giambanco, τις ιστορίες της και τον Νέιθαν Κουίν. Αυτόν τον ιδιαίτερο χαρακτήρα, που από την πρώτη στιγμή μου έκανε το περιβόητο... 'κλικ'. Πρώτα έμαθα την εξέλιξή του και μετά τις ρίζες του, αλλά δεν με πειράζει καθόλου μα καθόλου αυτό. Με ιντριγκάρει απίστευτα να μάθω τη συνέχειά του. Όπως και της Άλις Μάντισον και των υπόλοιπων χαρακτήρων.
Αν θα έπρεπε να συστήσω σε κάποιον μια σειρά αστυνομικών βιβλίων, αυτά της Giambanco θα ήταν στην κορυφή της λίστας. Και η σύσταση θα συνοδευόταν με ΠΟΛΥ ενθουσιασμό. Αυτό, νομίζω, λέει από μόνο του πολλά (ειδικά για όσους με ξέρουν, χιχι! :P ) Διαθέτουν πραγματικά την σπίθα που χρειάζεται για να ανάψει μια πολύ πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα λογοτεχνική φωτιά, που άπαξ και ανάψει δεν λέει να σβήσει με τίποτα. Για το μόνο που λυπάμαι, είναι που έχω ήδη διαβάσει τα επόμενα.
Δυστυχώς ή ευτυχώς, είχα διαβάσει το 2ο και το 3ο βιβλίο της προτού διαβάσω το 1ο. Οπότε, ήξερα ήδη τα περισσότερα από τα γεγονότα της πλοκής του, μιας και συνδέονται με αυτά του δεύτερου βιβλίου και γίνονται αρκετές αναφορές εκεί. Αυτό όμως καθόλου δεν μείωσε τον ενθουσιασμό μου ενόσω το διάβαζα!
Το "13 ημέρες..." είναι ένα άκρως καλογραμμένο και συναρπαστικό μυθιστόρημα. Έχει όλα εκείνα τα απαραίτητα 'συστατικά' για να κρατήσουν αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη - και μάλιστα σε μεγάλες δόσεις. Η ιστορία είναι έξυπνη, αιματηρή, γρήγορη, ανατρεπτική. Οι ήρωες καλοστημένοι, ολοκληρωμένοι, ανθρώπινοι. Οι καλοί και οι κακοί δεν έχουν διακριτούς ρόλους - όλοι έχουν αδυναμίες και προτερήματα, κρυμμένα μυστικά στο παρελθόν τους και μνήμες που τους βασανίζουν. Όμως επιλέγουν το πώς θα προχωρήσουν, ποια πλευρά θα υπηρετήσουν και αυτό είναι τελικά αυτό που τους διαφοροποιεί και τους κάνει, εν τέλει, τόσο ενδιαφέροντες.
Έχω δηλώσει ερωτευμένη με την πένα της Giambanco, τις ιστορίες της και τον Νέιθαν Κουίν. Αυτόν τον ιδιαίτερο χαρακτήρα, που από την πρώτη στιγμή μου έκανε το περιβόητο... 'κλικ'. Πρώτα έμαθα την εξέλιξή του και μετά τις ρίζες του, αλλά δεν με πειράζει καθόλου μα καθόλου αυτό. Με ιντριγκάρει απίστευτα να μάθω τη συνέχειά του. Όπως και της Άλις Μάντισον και των υπόλοιπων χαρακτήρων.
Αν θα έπρεπε να συστήσω σε κάποιον μια σειρά αστυνομικών βιβλίων, αυτά της Giambanco θα ήταν στην κορυφή της λίστας. Και η σύσταση θα συνοδευόταν με ΠΟΛΥ ενθουσιασμό. Αυτό, νομίζω, λέει από μόνο του πολλά (ειδικά για όσους με ξέρουν, χιχι! :P ) Διαθέτουν πραγματικά την σπίθα που χρειάζεται για να ανάψει μια πολύ πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα λογοτεχνική φωτιά, που άπαξ και ανάψει δεν λέει να σβήσει με τίποτα. Για το μόνο που λυπάμαι, είναι που έχω ήδη διαβάσει τα επόμενα.
September 25, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book. A crime novel as I like it, focused on the case with enough details about the main characters and interesting plot.
May 29, 2016
This book was an interesting change for me to read in comparison to a lot of crime novels read lately. It has a sophistication about it and it's strength lies in the excellent writing style and build up to a strong ending. This is not a novel that gives you fast paced thrills or police hunts from the start, it's a slow burner for much of the book, it commands your full attention absorbing it's message.
Twenty-five years ago in the woods near the Hoh River in Seattle, three boys were kidnapped. One did not come home.
A quarter of a decade later, a family of four is found brutally murdered, the words thirteen days scratched near their lifeless bodies.
Homicide Detective Alice Madison ran away from home as a child, one breath away from committing an unforgivable act; as an adult, she found her peace chasing the very worst humanity has to offer. Madison believes these murders are linked. And she has thirteen days to prove it.
Detective Alice Madison has her work cut out for her in chasing down the psychopath that killed a family of four in what looks to be a well planned execution. All the clues point in one direction, but Madison is not so sure, she's a pretty smart cookie, not influenced by those around her.
This book does not offer much pace, although it has plenty of interesting moments, until the last third of the book. The book and it's pace picks up considerably with a really dramatic and satisfying conclusion. Prior to this we are witness to clever police procedural work, being witness to the investigation, as well as introduction and getting to know the characters in the book and getting a lot of back story. The writing is beautifully done, this book is not aimed to give you gore and cheap thrills, it's a book that sucks you in slowly, nurtures you - take your time to read this one, don't rush. It will spoil it if you do.
There are some interesting twists and events that happen along the way that are really interesting. I liked the way the current day murders and messages being sent out linked in with a horrible event from the past, bit by bit both stories are revealed until they come together and intersect into a brilliant last third of the book.
I can see why some readers may be tempted to give up on this one in early chapters, do hang in there, let the words do their work as it's really rewarding if you do by the time you get to the end of the book. Some crime novels have a sophistication and maturity about them, this is one of them.
I struggled to connect with all of the characters in this book, a lot of them seemed just out of reach to me, including Alice Madison. I don't feel I got to know her like I would have liked to. She remained at arms length somewhat for this reader. I do also think the book could have been a bit shorter, that would have given the plot overall a more balanced feel to it and may prevent some readers from bailing out of reading it early on. These are my only (and minor) criticisms).
3.5 stars from me for The Gift of Darkness. A satisfying crime read that left me with a smile on my face after reading it.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
Twenty-five years ago in the woods near the Hoh River in Seattle, three boys were kidnapped. One did not come home.
A quarter of a decade later, a family of four is found brutally murdered, the words thirteen days scratched near their lifeless bodies.
Homicide Detective Alice Madison ran away from home as a child, one breath away from committing an unforgivable act; as an adult, she found her peace chasing the very worst humanity has to offer. Madison believes these murders are linked. And she has thirteen days to prove it.
Detective Alice Madison has her work cut out for her in chasing down the psychopath that killed a family of four in what looks to be a well planned execution. All the clues point in one direction, but Madison is not so sure, she's a pretty smart cookie, not influenced by those around her.
This book does not offer much pace, although it has plenty of interesting moments, until the last third of the book. The book and it's pace picks up considerably with a really dramatic and satisfying conclusion. Prior to this we are witness to clever police procedural work, being witness to the investigation, as well as introduction and getting to know the characters in the book and getting a lot of back story. The writing is beautifully done, this book is not aimed to give you gore and cheap thrills, it's a book that sucks you in slowly, nurtures you - take your time to read this one, don't rush. It will spoil it if you do.
There are some interesting twists and events that happen along the way that are really interesting. I liked the way the current day murders and messages being sent out linked in with a horrible event from the past, bit by bit both stories are revealed until they come together and intersect into a brilliant last third of the book.
I can see why some readers may be tempted to give up on this one in early chapters, do hang in there, let the words do their work as it's really rewarding if you do by the time you get to the end of the book. Some crime novels have a sophistication and maturity about them, this is one of them.
I struggled to connect with all of the characters in this book, a lot of them seemed just out of reach to me, including Alice Madison. I don't feel I got to know her like I would have liked to. She remained at arms length somewhat for this reader. I do also think the book could have been a bit shorter, that would have given the plot overall a more balanced feel to it and may prevent some readers from bailing out of reading it early on. These are my only (and minor) criticisms).
3.5 stars from me for The Gift of Darkness. A satisfying crime read that left me with a smile on my face after reading it.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
July 14, 2013
This is the debut book by V M Giambanco and seemed, from reading the blurb, to be a typical crime novel. There is therefore no reason why I should not enjoy it as I read a lot of books in this genre. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book and actually struggled to finish it, which is most unusual for me.
The story revolves around Detective Alice Madison who is looking into the deaths of a family of four that were found brutally murdered. As the investigation unfolds it becomes clear that the present day crime is linked to an unsolved mystery of from years before of the Hoh River Boys.
I can’t even really put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy it other than something just didn’t ‘click’. The first half or possibly even two thirds of the book is quite slow. There is a lot of description and build up but rather than draw me in, it just left me feeling unfulfilled and even a little bored. If you can stick with it the latter part of the book does pick up and things move along nicely when you get to the crux of things.
I’m sorry to say that I would probably think twice before reading another of this author’s work.
The story revolves around Detective Alice Madison who is looking into the deaths of a family of four that were found brutally murdered. As the investigation unfolds it becomes clear that the present day crime is linked to an unsolved mystery of from years before of the Hoh River Boys.
I can’t even really put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy it other than something just didn’t ‘click’. The first half or possibly even two thirds of the book is quite slow. There is a lot of description and build up but rather than draw me in, it just left me feeling unfulfilled and even a little bored. If you can stick with it the latter part of the book does pick up and things move along nicely when you get to the crux of things.
I’m sorry to say that I would probably think twice before reading another of this author’s work.
June 11, 2013
Detective Alice Madison has only been in Seattle PD's Homicide Unit for five weeks when what will be the biggest case in Seattle's recent hits her and her partner Detective Sergant Brown and a very rough Christmas for them both.
This book is a well written story that also gives the back story along the way without it hindering the plot and storyline, they blend together easily, even a fool like me can understand. The book has all the ingrediants of a whodunnit sending you up blind allies and bringing you back down again. When you think you know the who, you are pointed in another direction and you do not really discover the who and the why until the end of this gripping story.
The book opens with a gruesome murder that is clearly a message to someone, and the answer you think you have does not really alter and when it does it comes as a massive surprise. The author has made sure that you need to read the next chapter because you feel as if you are missing something.
But before Alice Madison can really conquer this case she has to tackle head on an unsolved crime 25 years before. When she solves that she has some of the why, when the back stories come together and become clear you get the who then when you think you have all the answers there is a delicious twist in the tail.
A wonderful crime murder mystery - see if you can get the why before the last chapter!
This book is a well written story that also gives the back story along the way without it hindering the plot and storyline, they blend together easily, even a fool like me can understand. The book has all the ingrediants of a whodunnit sending you up blind allies and bringing you back down again. When you think you know the who, you are pointed in another direction and you do not really discover the who and the why until the end of this gripping story.
The book opens with a gruesome murder that is clearly a message to someone, and the answer you think you have does not really alter and when it does it comes as a massive surprise. The author has made sure that you need to read the next chapter because you feel as if you are missing something.
But before Alice Madison can really conquer this case she has to tackle head on an unsolved crime 25 years before. When she solves that she has some of the why, when the back stories come together and become clear you get the who then when you think you have all the answers there is a delicious twist in the tail.
A wonderful crime murder mystery - see if you can get the why before the last chapter!
April 23, 2015
No puedo, no tengo palabras para explicar lo mucho que disfruté este libro. Empezamos con que los personajes están tan bien plantados, unas historias sólidas. Una trama llena de enredos, secretos, asesinatos, sangre, etc. Definitivamente uno de esos libros que fácilmente te quita el sueño, que te puede dejar sin habla. La protagonista Alice Madison se me hizo un personaje estupendo, y que decir de los malos, tan bien estructurados, objetivos claros.
Quiero volver a leerme algo de esta autora, este libro entra en mi Top de favoritos del 2015
Quiero volver a leerme algo de esta autora, este libro entra en mi Top de favoritos del 2015
May 23, 2017
I thought that it would be a great read but it wasn't great..
I liked the story but I didn't really like the writing style (maybe the translation wasn't good - I read it in greek)... Sometimes I couldn't understand what was happening but I wanted to keep reading... Well, maybe I'll give it another try some other time...
I liked the story but I didn't really like the writing style (maybe the translation wasn't good - I read it in greek)... Sometimes I couldn't understand what was happening but I wanted to keep reading... Well, maybe I'll give it another try some other time...
Read
September 12, 2017Αρνούμαι .. δεν καταλαβαίνω τι διαβάζω . Κάποια άλλη φορά .. ίσως ..
September 13, 2015
The Gift Of Darkness by VM Giambanco is the first in the Alice Madison series i did not finish this book as it took too long to get the plot going & the grammar was terrible maybe i am too picky anyway the story goes twenty five years ago in the woods near the hah river in seattle three boys were kidnapped one did not come home a quarter of a century later a family of four was murdered the number 13 was scratched on their bodies Madison has 13 days to uncover the mystery surrounding their murders this for me was long winded & slow
October 23, 2019
I don't know where to begin to be honest!
The case, the characters, the scenery...
The case:
The Gift Of Darkness is one of the crime novels where the author gives you the name of the murderer at some point but you don't know the motive behind his actions and there is also where the twist comes. I seriously couldn't believe the motivation behind his killings and how far this disturbed mind went to get the revenge he believed he needed to serve justice in his opinion.
The story starts with the detectives collecting evidence that points to a specific person and try to build their case and catch the suspect and then it becomes complicated and throughout the book it's not the only thing that is complex!
The characters:
The characters are very intriguing and complex and they walk sometimes on thin ice.
For detective Alice Madison that's her first case in homocide and during the story we see how she interacts with her partner, other co-workers and two other characters that come in the scene because of the investigation and their relationship with the victims. While the story goes on we see how interests shift and change and new alliances are forming. Also we read glimpses about her past and her own "demons" that shaped her character and her personal interests.
Even though there isn't any romance involved in this instalment for the main character I got some vibes but I'm not sure if the author will continue to develope it in the next book.
Kevin Brown is Madison's partner and a very likable character and his dynamic with Madison is very promising. I see him as a mentor and kind of a father figure for Madison (glad that there isn't any romantic partner drama must say) he is someone that can back her up and she looks up to him.
Nathan Quinn and John Cameron are two other characters that captured my attention while reading because of their complex personality and through them the author I guess wants the reader to debate with himself about the nature of law and justice. For sure there isn't only black and white in this story. Hope I'll meet them again in one of the next books.
Seattle is the city where the story takes place and the scenery with the woods, and the sea works like another protagonist to the whole atmosphere of the book.
The author's style is to my liking because she depends on a good crime plot rather than personal romantic conflict between the characters to develop her story.
My only regret is that I didn't buy the next book of the series and now I'll have to wait but I couldn't imagine that it would be so good that I read it only in a few days!
The case, the characters, the scenery...
The case:
The Gift Of Darkness is one of the crime novels where the author gives you the name of the murderer at some point but you don't know the motive behind his actions and there is also where the twist comes. I seriously couldn't believe the motivation behind his killings and how far this disturbed mind went to get the revenge he believed he needed to serve justice in his opinion.
The story starts with the detectives collecting evidence that points to a specific person and try to build their case and catch the suspect and then it becomes complicated and throughout the book it's not the only thing that is complex!
The characters:
The characters are very intriguing and complex and they walk sometimes on thin ice.
For detective Alice Madison that's her first case in homocide and during the story we see how she interacts with her partner, other co-workers and two other characters that come in the scene because of the investigation and their relationship with the victims. While the story goes on we see how interests shift and change and new alliances are forming. Also we read glimpses about her past and her own "demons" that shaped her character and her personal interests.
Even though there isn't any romance involved in this instalment for the main character I got some vibes but I'm not sure if the author will continue to develope it in the next book.
Kevin Brown is Madison's partner and a very likable character and his dynamic with Madison is very promising. I see him as a mentor and kind of a father figure for Madison (glad that there isn't any romantic partner drama must say) he is someone that can back her up and she looks up to him.
Nathan Quinn and John Cameron are two other characters that captured my attention while reading because of their complex personality and through them the author I guess wants the reader to debate with himself about the nature of law and justice. For sure there isn't only black and white in this story. Hope I'll meet them again in one of the next books.
Seattle is the city where the story takes place and the scenery with the woods, and the sea works like another protagonist to the whole atmosphere of the book.
The author's style is to my liking because she depends on a good crime plot rather than personal romantic conflict between the characters to develop her story.
My only regret is that I didn't buy the next book of the series and now I'll have to wait but I couldn't imagine that it would be so good that I read it only in a few days!
June 16, 2017
the story is interesting but the motivation of the crime is weak. i did enjoy a big part of it, although the translation is awful.
February 16, 2020
Sürükleyici bir kitap, fakat konusu itibariyle bir polisiye klişesi.
Dedektif Madison etrafında iyi bir olay örgüsü düzenlenmiş.
Dedektif Madison etrafında iyi bir olay örgüsü düzenlenmiş.
January 18, 2019
In a modern day suburban cul-de-sac located in the outskirts of Seattle, Washington, a family of four is brutally murdered in a truly horrific way. The police, two detectives in particular, have a suspect in their sights. However, Detective Alice Madison finds a different connection, one that involves a 25-year-old case involving three kidnapped boys, one of whom never returned home. Seems simple, but the detective only has 13 days to find out who the next target is. With the help of Counselor Nathan Quinn and her initial suspect, who is also Quinn's client and friend, John Cameron, she must get inside this killer's head when he takes someone close to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I gave it four stars merely because the start is pretty slow. Which, is completely understandable as the author is making a series out of this detective and her experiences in the homicide unit. The one character I wanted to know more about was Cameron. I do hope that he is covered a little bit more in the next book. He was actually my favorite character in the story. I don't know what that says about me as a person, exactly. With that said, Detective Madison is a badass (pardon my language), and is almost neck-in-neck with Cameron in the favored category. I hate that he is on the other side of the law. I have respect for Brown, but Cameron and Madison have an unspoken understanding and chemistry and it would make them great partners. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Madison's journey through this case. I am so excited to read the next few books in the series.
The build up to her meeting with Cameron was intense. I wanted it to happen many more chapters before it actually did, but in the end it was well worth the wait. V definitely laid the foundation in the greatest way possible. I admit, I wanted a little something between Madison and Cameron (I know so many are going to dislike me for saying that). I know she is a detective and he is a felon. And despite saying that, it is refreshing that there is nothing intimate between them. I am a hopeless romantic and tend to look for it in all the wrong and oddest places, so the thought was there. But, I do enjoy that nothing sparks between them as I think it would have taken away from the story.
I whole-heartedly recommend giving this a read, especially if you enjoy crime novels and bada** women kicking butt and taking names!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I gave it four stars merely because the start is pretty slow. Which, is completely understandable as the author is making a series out of this detective and her experiences in the homicide unit. The one character I wanted to know more about was Cameron. I do hope that he is covered a little bit more in the next book. He was actually my favorite character in the story. I don't know what that says about me as a person, exactly. With that said, Detective Madison is a badass (pardon my language), and is almost neck-in-neck with Cameron in the favored category. I hate that he is on the other side of the law. I have respect for Brown, but Cameron and Madison have an unspoken understanding and chemistry and it would make them great partners. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Madison's journey through this case. I am so excited to read the next few books in the series.
The build up to her meeting with Cameron was intense. I wanted it to happen many more chapters before it actually did, but in the end it was well worth the wait. V definitely laid the foundation in the greatest way possible. I admit, I wanted a little something between Madison and Cameron (I know so many are going to dislike me for saying that). I know she is a detective and he is a felon. And despite saying that, it is refreshing that there is nothing intimate between them. I am a hopeless romantic and tend to look for it in all the wrong and oddest places, so the thought was there. But, I do enjoy that nothing sparks between them as I think it would have taken away from the story.
I whole-heartedly recommend giving this a read, especially if you enjoy crime novels and bada** women kicking butt and taking names!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2019
Your typical mystery is a "whodunnit" - you take the journey with the protagonist to solve clues and find out who the perpetrator was. However, a subset of the mystery genre is the "whydunnit". You know from fairly early on who the perpetrator was and journey with the protagonist as they work to stop and apprehend this individual as well as find out why they are doing what they are doing.
This book is the second type, and is really very well done. The clues as to the "why" are paced out in the book appropriately, and the book does not get taken over by the perpetrator - the core stays appropriately with our main character. Our main character is wonderfully created - a new Detective to the homicide division of the Seattle police working on her first murder. The secondary characters are also fleshed out commensurate with their role in the story.
But this book was far too long - 528 pages in my Kindle edition - 528 pages? This book should have had at least 75-100 pages cut from it - it meanders and wants to describe every action and thought in excruciating detail. When the pacing finally picks up in the last 100 pages it's a relief and makes you want to pick up the book. It took me quite some time to read this book, not because it wasn't good but rather because it felt like I never got anywhere, and that the story would never end. With better editing this could have been a much better debut, but the character, setting and plot (pacing aside) were definitely good enough for me to check out the next one in the series.
This book is the second type, and is really very well done. The clues as to the "why" are paced out in the book appropriately, and the book does not get taken over by the perpetrator - the core stays appropriately with our main character. Our main character is wonderfully created - a new Detective to the homicide division of the Seattle police working on her first murder. The secondary characters are also fleshed out commensurate with their role in the story.
But this book was far too long - 528 pages in my Kindle edition - 528 pages? This book should have had at least 75-100 pages cut from it - it meanders and wants to describe every action and thought in excruciating detail. When the pacing finally picks up in the last 100 pages it's a relief and makes you want to pick up the book. It took me quite some time to read this book, not because it wasn't good but rather because it felt like I never got anywhere, and that the story would never end. With better editing this could have been a much better debut, but the character, setting and plot (pacing aside) were definitely good enough for me to check out the next one in the series.
April 11, 2018
I have never read a book that I felt "connected" to a character until I read The Gift of Darkness by V.M. Giambanco. I want to start out by saying one of the reasons I chose the book is because it was long, 483 pages. I enjoy long reads, just my preference. One of the reviews on the cover of the book I have references the authors ability to keep the plot moving. It is so true with this book. There are quite a few people involved in the crimes that occur. When I say crimes let that intrigue you because there is more than one crime going on in this book. There are more investigations than one initial crime going on in this book. I loved Detective Alice Madison. I connected with her. I was intrigued by her willingness to see the forest through the trees. You will be introduced to a plethora of characters and you will either like them or hate them and then you will like them and hate them at the same time. When you get further into the book and the author tells you who the ONE criminal is that committed the crime that gets the ball rolling you will be hooked because you aren't expecting it. And when you read how it is figured out who this person is you will also love how matter of factly we are told.
I would read this book again in all honesty because it was like a movie; I know I missed some things the first time. I don't say that about many books, but this one is a keeper and I will read it again in the future and be enthralled again!
I would read this book again in all honesty because it was like a movie; I know I missed some things the first time. I don't say that about many books, but this one is a keeper and I will read it again in the future and be enthralled again!
June 12, 2016
13 μέρες να βρεις το δολοφόνο και 33 για να τελειώσεις το βιβλίο! Η ιστορία ήταν αξιόλογη αλλά οι χαρακτήρες αδιάφοροι και αντιπαθείς. Αξίζει, όμως, να φτάσεις στο τέλος που επιτέλους έχει δράση και αγωνία. Η Άλις Μάντισον με το συνάδελφό της Κέβιν Μπράουν ερευνούν το φόνο μιας οικογένειας, τους Σινκλέρ. Ξέρουν ότι ψάχνουν τον Τζον Κάμερον με τον οποίον ο μόνος που έρχεται σε επαφή είναι ο δικηγόρος του, Νέιθαν Κουίν. Τα πράγματα παίρνουν την ενδιαφέρουσα τροπή όταν εγείρονται οι υποψίες ότι ο θύτης μπορεί να είναι κάποιος άλλος και ο πραγματικός στόχος όχι η οικογένεια Σινκλέρ αλλά μόνο το μέσο εκδίκησης....
August 14, 2016
me ha sorprendido gratamente. Las personajes estan muy bien definidos. Alison y Cameron son los que mas me gustaron.
La historia engancha aun que el principio se me hizo lento.
La historia engancha aun que el principio se me hizo lento.
October 4, 2016
Σε ��ολλά σημεία θύιζ σενάριο ταινίας.
August 10, 2013
First published at Lit Addicted Brit
I seem to be making a habit of this crime-fiction-reading malarkey! This time it was to branch fully out into serial killers, grim descriptions of the murder of a whole family and a glimpse into the inner workings of a psycopath's mind. The Gift of Darkness follows Detective Alice Madison and her colleagues as they investigate the murder of a local tax lawyer along with his wife and two young children. The early parts of the book are pretty full on: there's very little held back when the detectives are at the crime scene and I was a little bit sceptical about whether or not I'd make it to the end without giving myself horrendous nightmares.
After the initial wave of detail, though, matters move more from the gross to the sinister and, I'll admit, the downright creepy. You know in films where there are those *horrible* moments where you're screaming at the detectives because there's a killer RIGHT NEAR THEM and they just can't see them? I *hate* those moments (even while I love them a little bit). This story is full of moments like that where the tension ratchets up ridiculously high and I spent a good few mornings and evenings having those "Must. Keep. Reading" moments, gawping at the pages with wide eyes. Whatever The Gift of Darkness may or may not be, it is definitely a page-turner. And if you read this at a time/place when unexpected loud noises are likely, you'll probably have a heart attack. Just saying.
Without a doubt my favourite thing about The Gift of Darkness was how its blurring of the lines between the "good" characters and the "bad" characters. Madison is a pretty hard character to get behind because she's quite detached. I actually quite liked that about her - she isn't made out to be a hero just because she's a woman doing a traditionally masculine job and she isn't super feminine just to make a point. She's just a professional woman going about her job and I felt kind of respectful of her even while I was a little bit neutral. It's the 'bad' characters that Giambanco excels at writing. If an author can make me have even one moment where I have to check myself for starting to sympathise with a serial killer, it would take something pretty catastrophic to sway me away from admiring it. As always with novels with any kind of twists, it's hard to tell you much more without giving too much away but be prepared to shift your perspective a few times. In a good way.
My only gripe with The Gift of Darkness was that the writing style wasn't always one that I found particularly comfortable to read. Not in terms of subject matter (my hopelessness at reading anything even remotely gory being well-documented enough), but in terms of style. The whole story is told in the third person and moves between a few characters. I don't have a problem with books written in the third person but there were a few moments where the writing was a bit disjointed. And there was something...awkward about some of the dialogue. Maybe I talk in a particularly sloppy manner but when two characters are talking informally, there's something jarring about them doing so in "proper" English. There's a point in the book, for example, where one person is asking another about how well they knew someone and their response is, "We did not go out for food and beer". There are quite a few instances like that and every time it pulled me out of what was going on and had me repeating the phrases in my head to try to get them to sound right. But maybe that's just me.
Let's end on a health warning: if you're wary of blood and gore and the like, you probably won't be a fan. Think more CSI Las Vegas than Miss Marple.
Overall: A clever variation on the good guy v. bad guy theme with more than enough to keep both hardened and fledgling crime fiction fans flipping pages. With the lights on. Obviously...
Read more reviews at Lit Addicted Brit
I seem to be making a habit of this crime-fiction-reading malarkey! This time it was to branch fully out into serial killers, grim descriptions of the murder of a whole family and a glimpse into the inner workings of a psycopath's mind. The Gift of Darkness follows Detective Alice Madison and her colleagues as they investigate the murder of a local tax lawyer along with his wife and two young children. The early parts of the book are pretty full on: there's very little held back when the detectives are at the crime scene and I was a little bit sceptical about whether or not I'd make it to the end without giving myself horrendous nightmares.
After the initial wave of detail, though, matters move more from the gross to the sinister and, I'll admit, the downright creepy. You know in films where there are those *horrible* moments where you're screaming at the detectives because there's a killer RIGHT NEAR THEM and they just can't see them? I *hate* those moments (even while I love them a little bit). This story is full of moments like that where the tension ratchets up ridiculously high and I spent a good few mornings and evenings having those "Must. Keep. Reading" moments, gawping at the pages with wide eyes. Whatever The Gift of Darkness may or may not be, it is definitely a page-turner. And if you read this at a time/place when unexpected loud noises are likely, you'll probably have a heart attack. Just saying.
Without a doubt my favourite thing about The Gift of Darkness was how its blurring of the lines between the "good" characters and the "bad" characters. Madison is a pretty hard character to get behind because she's quite detached. I actually quite liked that about her - she isn't made out to be a hero just because she's a woman doing a traditionally masculine job and she isn't super feminine just to make a point. She's just a professional woman going about her job and I felt kind of respectful of her even while I was a little bit neutral. It's the 'bad' characters that Giambanco excels at writing. If an author can make me have even one moment where I have to check myself for starting to sympathise with a serial killer, it would take something pretty catastrophic to sway me away from admiring it. As always with novels with any kind of twists, it's hard to tell you much more without giving too much away but be prepared to shift your perspective a few times. In a good way.
My only gripe with The Gift of Darkness was that the writing style wasn't always one that I found particularly comfortable to read. Not in terms of subject matter (my hopelessness at reading anything even remotely gory being well-documented enough), but in terms of style. The whole story is told in the third person and moves between a few characters. I don't have a problem with books written in the third person but there were a few moments where the writing was a bit disjointed. And there was something...awkward about some of the dialogue. Maybe I talk in a particularly sloppy manner but when two characters are talking informally, there's something jarring about them doing so in "proper" English. There's a point in the book, for example, where one person is asking another about how well they knew someone and their response is, "We did not go out for food and beer". There are quite a few instances like that and every time it pulled me out of what was going on and had me repeating the phrases in my head to try to get them to sound right. But maybe that's just me.
Let's end on a health warning: if you're wary of blood and gore and the like, you probably won't be a fan. Think more CSI Las Vegas than Miss Marple.
Overall: A clever variation on the good guy v. bad guy theme with more than enough to keep both hardened and fledgling crime fiction fans flipping pages. With the lights on. Obviously...
Read more reviews at Lit Addicted Brit
July 18, 2014
For the full review, please click here
Slated to be "the most compelling and chilling crime novel of 2013", certainly, after reading it, I can say that The Gift of Darkness was compelling and most definitely chilling. Honestly, I don't really read that many crime novels, so I can't really say whether it is indeed "the most" compelling and chilling, but I feel that perhaps it doesn't quite make that standard. There were a few issues with the pacing and thriller side of things which stopped me from enjoying the novel much more.
The pace of the novel was a bit slow, but actually, that was initially to Giambanco's advantage, as it aided in building the tension and creating intrigue about the murders. However, as I approached the quarter mark of the book, I found that the pace was much too slow- there were just too many unnecessary details included which caused my mind to wander while reading. Details upon details are thrust upon you as you read, so it's a bit difficult to keep up with the sheer volume of information. Quite a few times, I found myself having to double back to check who certain characters were- we were given very little introduction to many of them. At about halfway, though, the pace picks up considerably as we see more action. We see much more of the thriller aspect come into play, whereas the first half was more so the building up of the mystery.
What really surprised me was that quite early in the novel, we are actually told who the killer is. Again, this was initially to the author's advantage, as it aided in building tension when the police start following the wrong leads and such. However, in the second half of the novel, this was a bit of a let-down, because, knowing the identity of the killer, the plot became absolutely predictable. I could predict practically every event that occurred, some which were probably intentional by the author (as she gave hints about them- both small and large), others which were likely supposed to be surprises, but unfortunately were not.
Throughout the novel, there are a series of flashbacks with seamless transitions from present to past. The style of the transition at times made it slightly difficult to tell whether the scene we were reading was in the past or the present. The confusing thing about this was that the flashbacks were written in present tense and the present was written in past tense. To further add to the confusion, at times, the present was written in present tense, depending on which character's point of view we were seeing things from. One aspect of the flashbacks that I really liked was the way the author revisited certain flashbacks, adding more details each time, until finally the bigger picture is revealed.
Although there were some issues with the pacing and predictability of the novel, Giambanco was quite skillful in building tension, and creating a mystery that had me riveted. The ending was a bit open, leaving room for a sequel, and I would certainly enjoy reading another book about Detective Madison.
Have a look at more reviews at my blog: Looking for the Panacea
Slated to be "the most compelling and chilling crime novel of 2013", certainly, after reading it, I can say that The Gift of Darkness was compelling and most definitely chilling. Honestly, I don't really read that many crime novels, so I can't really say whether it is indeed "the most" compelling and chilling, but I feel that perhaps it doesn't quite make that standard. There were a few issues with the pacing and thriller side of things which stopped me from enjoying the novel much more.
The pace of the novel was a bit slow, but actually, that was initially to Giambanco's advantage, as it aided in building the tension and creating intrigue about the murders. However, as I approached the quarter mark of the book, I found that the pace was much too slow- there were just too many unnecessary details included which caused my mind to wander while reading. Details upon details are thrust upon you as you read, so it's a bit difficult to keep up with the sheer volume of information. Quite a few times, I found myself having to double back to check who certain characters were- we were given very little introduction to many of them. At about halfway, though, the pace picks up considerably as we see more action. We see much more of the thriller aspect come into play, whereas the first half was more so the building up of the mystery.
What really surprised me was that quite early in the novel, we are actually told who the killer is. Again, this was initially to the author's advantage, as it aided in building tension when the police start following the wrong leads and such. However, in the second half of the novel, this was a bit of a let-down, because, knowing the identity of the killer, the plot became absolutely predictable. I could predict practically every event that occurred, some which were probably intentional by the author (as she gave hints about them- both small and large), others which were likely supposed to be surprises, but unfortunately were not.
Throughout the novel, there are a series of flashbacks with seamless transitions from present to past. The style of the transition at times made it slightly difficult to tell whether the scene we were reading was in the past or the present. The confusing thing about this was that the flashbacks were written in present tense and the present was written in past tense. To further add to the confusion, at times, the present was written in present tense, depending on which character's point of view we were seeing things from. One aspect of the flashbacks that I really liked was the way the author revisited certain flashbacks, adding more details each time, until finally the bigger picture is revealed.
Although there were some issues with the pacing and predictability of the novel, Giambanco was quite skillful in building tension, and creating a mystery that had me riveted. The ending was a bit open, leaving room for a sequel, and I would certainly enjoy reading another book about Detective Madison.
Have a look at more reviews at my blog: Looking for the Panacea
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